The New Money Podcast

In this episode of The New Money Podcast, host Ferdinand Dabitz and guest Przemek Kowalczyk (Co-founder and CEO of Ramp Network) discuss Przemek’s journey into the world of crypto, and the challenges of leading a growing fintech company. They explore Przemek’s historical development of crypto interest, the importance of local currencies, the regulatory landscape in Europe, and the future of consumer experiences in crypto applications. Przemek shares insights on product strategy, the role of stablecoins, and the impact of regulations like MiCA on the industry.Key Chapters00:00 Introduction01:15 Przemek's Crypto Origin: Discovering Bitcoin and entering the space02:58 Monetary Freedom: Why crypto gained traction in former Soviet countries04:01 First Startup: Building a peer-to-peer lending network on Ethereum05:39 Ramp Network: From early days to leading a global on-ramp company08:41 Founder Mode: Building consumer-focused crypto products11:52 Missing Infrastructure: Why local currency integration matters14:17 CBDCs vs Stablecoins: How government digital money could change crypto15:33 MiCA Regulation: Ramp Network securing a CASP license in Ireland17:38 Market Outlook: Consumer UX, Bitcoin price and agentic finance20:41 Quickfire QuestionsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

In this episode of The New Money Podcast, host Ferdinand Dabitz and guest Luuk Strijers discuss the recent acquisition of Deribit by Coinbase – the largest acquisition in crypto history. They discuss the implications for the cryptocurrency options market and the future of trading platforms. They explore the importance of product quality, liquidity, and capital efficiency in derivatives trading, as well as the regulatory landscape in Dubai and Europe. The conversation also touches on the challenges and opportunities presented by decentralized exchanges and the evolving crypto ecosystem.Key Chapters00:00 Introduction01:22 The Largest Acquisition in Crypto History: Coinbase Acquires Deribit03:31 Post-Merger Integration: What Happens to Deribit Now?07:03 Why Coinbase Needs Deribit: Understanding the Crypto Derivatives Market09:51 The Key Difference Between Retail and Institutional: Product Quality Matters13:00 Increasing Customer Expectations: From a Working Website to Yields on Collateral14:29 Decentralized Exchanges (DEX): KYC Challenges & Counterparty Risk19:07 Dubai as a Crypto Hub: VARA License & Known Faces Around23:26 Thoughts on Europe as a Crypto Hub: MiCA & Regulated Growth25:16 Quickfire QuestionsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

This episode of The New Money Podcast features Hong Fang, President of OKX, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges serving over 60 million users. Hong traces her path from Goldman Sachs into crypto and explains how Bitcoin and open, auditable infrastructure address TradFi’s opacity, credit dependence, and widening inequality. She details OKX’s rebrand and unified CeFi–DeFi strategy, including its expanding self-custody wallet, OKX Pay, and the Brazil-focused OKX Card, alongside licensing progress across key jurisdictions. The conversation explores how OKX builds trust through on-chain proof of reserves, multi-layered controls, and a local–global “team of teams” model, and why hiring for passion and a growth mindset remains central to the company’s culture. Hong concludes by emphasizing that entering crypto requires humility and curiosity in an industry where assumptions must constantly be challenged.Key Chapters01:00 Hong joins to discuss OKX’s strategy02:14 Hong recounts her path to crypto04:52 The discussion examines TradFi’s opacity and incentives12:49 OKX integrates CeFi and DeFi strategies16:28 Product innovation bridges payments and self-custody19:20 Hong outlines priorities and leadership philosophy24:24 Local CEOs operate within global frameworks27:05 Trust is earned through verifiable controls29:50 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto TrendsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

This episode of The New Money Podcast features Daniel Seifert, Vice President and Regional Managing Director, EMEA, of Coinbase. Daniel shares his journey from traditional finance at McKinsey and UBS to leading one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges through turbulent times, joining just weeks before the FTX collapse. He reflects on stabilizing the organization, motivating teams amid market downturns, and driving Coinbase’s global expansion outside the U.S. The conversation explores Europe’s regulatory landscape, highlighting MiCAR as a global benchmark for crypto clarity while cautioning against stifling innovation. Daniel discusses stablecoins, the future of Euro-denominated assets, and the coexistence of private stablecoins and a digital euro. Other topics include Coinbase’s Crypto-as-a-Service partnership with Citi, the vision to bring one billion people on-chain, and why talent density and a mission-driven culture remain core to Coinbase’s success.Key Chapters01:05 The host previews topics and welcomes Daniel01:54 Joining before FTX and steering turbulence04:55 Coinbase elevates hiring with talent density06:52 MiCA gives Europe a regulatory edge10:41 A career path from UBS to crypto13:35 Digital euro versus private stablecoins15:24 Europe builds euro stablecoins for markets21:03 Institutions adopt crypto through partnerships23:12 Better UX is essential for adoption25:03 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto TrendsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

This episode of The New Money Podcast features Sanja Kon, Vice President for EMEA at Circle, the company behind USDC and EURC stablecoins. Sanja shares how witnessing the collapse of financial systems during her early years sparked her curiosity about money and technology, leading her to work at PayPal, co-found a crypto-to-fiat payments startup, and ultimately scale stablecoin infrastructure at Circle. The discussion dives into Circle Payments Network, how its OFI/BFI model unlocks near-instant, transparent cross-border settlement, and why the network doesn’t require bilateral partner builds. Sanja also introduces Arc, Circle’s Layer 1 for stablecoin-native finance with predictable USDC gas fees and enterprise-grade functionality. They wrap up with insights on Circle’s partnership with Ivy, MiCA-driven adoption in Europe, and the growing role of EURC in global payments.Key Chapters01:34 Sanja Kon shares her origin story04:53 Early payments faced hurdles, and early adopters emerged06:40 Circle broadens use cases beyond checkout08:06 Circle Payments Network streamlines cross-border settlements10:45 A stablecoin sandwich powers near-instant settlement12:48 One integration unlocks many payout corridors14:10 Arc as a new ‘Economic OS’ for the Internet16:23 Ivy partnership enables seamless bank to USDC18:43 MiCA fuels European adoption and new use cases23:08 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto TrendsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

This episode of The New Money Podcast features Hoolie Tejwani, Head of Coinbase Ventures, the venture arm of Coinbase, investing in crypto and blockchain startups. Hoolie traces Coinbase Ventures’ origins from a nights-and-weekends experiment to a 500-plus company portfolio, outlining a financial-ROI-first mandate, flexible check sizes, and the strategic flywheel it creates for Coinbase. He maps the team’s current theses across stablecoins, DeFi, on-chain consumer apps, and the frontier of crypto x AI agents. The conversation provides insights on stablecoin issuance models, cross-border payments, and the complex economics of on-chain FX and liquidity, including when local-currency stables and USD preference matter. This episode offers a view into the crypto landscape through a venture capital lens, revealing how one of the industry’s leading investors allocates capital and identifies emerging opportunities.Key Chapters01:14 Coinbase Ventures begins as an internal experiment.06:27 The early team shapes first investments.08:04 The strategy expands and themes crystallize.10:10 AI agents push toward on-chain commerce.13:12 Stablecoin issuance diversifies as demand surges.16:43 Stablecoin payments streamline cross-border flows.17:27 FX economics depend on deep on-chain liquidity.22:56 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto TrendsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

This episode of The New Money Podcast features Nick van Eck, Co-Founder and CEO of Agora, a stablecoin infrastructure platform and the issuer of AUSD. Nick traces his path from a family of gold investors and a love for classical history to Bitcoin, and explains why non-sovereign money and self-custody matter. He outlines why stablecoins are far more valuable outside the US, what’s broken in today’s stablecoin market, and how Agora aligns economics for builders. The conversation covers white-label stablecoins that share AUSD liquidity, predictions for a dozen large issuers and market‑maker clearing, and why “yield coins” like USDe are not true stablecoins. Nick also shares how Agora will deploy its $50M Series A to build a full-stack, neobank-like experience that brings traditional businesses on-chain. A timely, practical roadmap for how stablecoins can export capital market access globally while fixing incentives for the next wave of crypto payments.Key Chapters00:51 The Origins of Agora’s Name and Vision05:12 A Gold Legacy Leads to Bitcoin Beliefs10:35 Stablecoins Expand Access Beyond the US14:43 Agora Rebuilds Stablecoin Incentives for Builders18:38 White Label Stables Share AUSD Liquidity19:59 Enterprise Segregation Carries Heavy Costs22:53 Market Makers Emerge as Stablecoin Clearers24:24 Yield Coins Are Not Stablecoins27:48 Agora Builds a Full Stablecoin Stack32:05 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto TrendsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

This episode of The New Money Podcast features Nicolas, CEO of Coinhouse, a French crypto broker offering regulated digital asset services for individuals and businesses. Nicolas retraces Coinhouse’s roots alongside Ledger and its evolution from a Paris storefront to a regulated brokerage that helped shape France’s PSAN regime, later informing MiCA. He lays out why the real value sits with client-facing brokers, not exchanges, and how Coinhouse is building toward a crypto-native bank serving premium clients. The conversation dives into Europe’s regulatory fragmentation under MiCA, why France’s early lead has faded, and why Nicolas believes the travel rule should be scrapped in favor of robust AML/CFT controls. It’s a candid look at building a compliant crypto business in Europe, the missing piece in institutional exchange infrastructure, and the road to tokenized finance at banking scale.Key Chapters00:00 From Ledger roots to Coinhouse spinout03:39 The 2017 crypto market in Europe06:53 Building a regulation‑first strategy11:26 Why broker beats exchange for value16:10 Serving premium high‑touch clients17:16 The missing institutional‑grade exchange20:41 France’s head start fades under MiCA23:59 Best EU jurisdictions for crypto today27:09 Why the travel rule should go29:32 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto TrendsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

This episode of The New Money Podcast features Armani Ferrante, founder and CEO of Backpack, the regulated crypto exchange and wallet platform unifying access to digital assets across chains and fiat. Armani unpacks Backpack’s brand philosophy, why the company prioritizes custody, security, and global liquidity, and his journey from Apple to Alameda to the early Solana ecosystem. He shares candid lessons from the FTX collapse—after losing 88% of company capital—and how that shaped Backpack’s transparency-first, compliance-led culture. The conversation dives into Backpack’s launch in Europe via the FTX EU acquisition, the emerging regulated perps landscape, and how CeFi front-ends can leverage DeFi back-ends for provable safety, including daily proof-of-reserves and zero-knowledge attestations. A timely look at where the digital asset market is heading and why the next wave of crypto adoption will blend regulation, real liquidity, and verifiable infrastructure.Key Chapters02:03 Backpack’s brand and aesthetic vision05:04 Choosing Backpack’s product scope06:55 From Apple to Backpack09:04 FTX lessons and the survival plan17:56 Why Europe and the regulatory strategy19:54 Inside the FTX EU acquisition22:48 Outlook on regulated market structure24:42 CeFi meets DeFi in exchange design27:01 Auditable infrastructure and daily proofs28:51 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto TrendsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com

This episode of The New Money Podcast features Henri Stern, co-founder and CEO of Privy, the wallet infrastructure enabling embedded wallets and secure key management for modern crypto apps, recently acquired by Stripe. Henri unpacks the hard-won lessons from his first startup, the co-founder dynamics that powered Privy, and why truth-seeking beats ego when navigating pivots. He traces Privy’s shift from data tokenization to embedded wallets, the evolution of wallet UX, and the rise of stablecoins drawing fintechs into crypto. Henri also explains how Privy remains fast inside Stripe, why serving both crypto-native and fintech customers compounds product quality, and how to think about chain fragmentation and interoperability. A timely conversation for builders deciding custody models, developer experience, and product bets in the stablecoin era.Key Chapters00:30 From Shout to Privy lessons learned04:23 Grit versus quit in startups07:41 Pivoting from data to wallets13:14 Staying fast post-acquisition15:13 Wallet UX shifts and embedded wins19:19 Stablecoins, fintechs, and strategy bets24:42 Privy's architecture, TEEs, and 433730:56 Inside the Stripe deal and chain strategy34:59 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto TrendsThis is NOT financial, tax, or legal adviceMusic by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com