Around The Coin

In this episode of the Around The Coin podcast, host Stephen Sargeant sits down with Vugar Usi, CEO of MEXC, to discuss his path from traditional finance and marketing to running a global crypto exchange. Vugar explains what makes MEXC stand out—serving 40M users across 170+ markets with a 99% retail user base, a “list-first” approach with 3,000+ projects, and near-zero fees that he says returned $1.1B to customers last year. They explore retail trends like tokenized real-world assets (stocks, gold, oil) and shorter, sharper market cycles, plus key risks in leverage trading such as liquidation and slippage. Vugar also covers MEXC’s new prediction market, fragmented global regulation, proof-of-reserves publishing, and a $100M Guardian Fund with plans to grow it. The conversation closes on exchanges evolving into finance super apps and marketing’s focus on user attention, retention, and trust.  We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud

Stephen Sargeant interviews Ran Goldi, SVP of Payments & Network at Fireblocks, revisiting his earlier prediction that stablecoins would become a dominant payments rail and discussing 2025 as a breakout year for stablecoins. Rand shares lessons from algorithmic trading and First Digital’s rapid 2017 growth, followed by a severe downturn that forced him to cut the team from 70 to 7, and how founder resilience and long-term belief shaped his decisions. He argues stablecoins will keep growing short term but may eventually be displaced by tokenized deposits and new bank-led frameworks, with stablecoins remaining important for certain cross-border uses. Rand explains why Fireblocks was the right acquirer, outlines Fireblocks’ core use cases (secure wallets, treasury/ops orchestration, and ecosystem network), highlights newer areas like vetted on/off-ramp partner coverage, reconciliation via Trusts, and non-custodial wallets via Dynamic, and reflects on institutional adoption, interoperability challenges, AI-driven product velocity, and the next wave toward tokenized real-world assets. We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud

Host Stephen Sargeant interviews Jesse Knutson, Head of Operations at Bitfinex Securities, about his path from investment banking (Barclays, Macquarie) to early Blockstream work and the Blockstream Mining Note, which he describes as an early flagship tokenized security. They discuss Liquid and the Lightning Network, why stablecoins and taxation affected Bitcoin payments, and how Bitfinex Securities (launched 2021) has grown to about $250M in assets with tokenized bonds, microfinancing bonds, ETFs, US treasuries, litigation finance, and Bitcoin hashrate contracts on a 24/7/365 platform. Jesse explains STO vs ICO differences, the 60–90 day issuance/listing process, regulatory and disclosure requirements (including El Salvador’s shorter “relevant information document”), why tokenized markets are complementary to TradFi, and future goals like collateralized tokenized securities, dual listings, and broader access to capital in Latin America.We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud

Join host Stephen Sargeant as he interviews Kevin Lehtiniitty, CEO and founder of Borderless.xyz, about stablecoin infrastructure and global payment flows, including the Genius Act and why stablecoins are more practical for payments than Bitcoin. Kevin explains Borderless’s branding, his early work launching TrueUSD, and how trust features like qualified custodians and attestations mattered before clear regulation. He outlines three issuance models—building on existing tokens, consortium-issued coins, and white-label issuance—and why large enterprises may prefer white-label or consortium approaches. Kevin describes Borderless as an open stablecoin payments network plus an orchestration “payments hub” that connects fintechs to multiple providers for redundancy, price discovery, and operational automation. They discuss Borderless’s stablecoin-to-fiat FX benchmark, stablecoins’ biggest value in unlocking prefunded trapped capital, expansion priorities (GCC and APAC), compliance needs (KYC/KYB, sanctions, travel rule, risk), skepticism of closed networks, and his interest in AI’s impact on labor constraints. We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud

Stephen Sargeant interviews Natalya Thakur, CEO and founder of Knova, about how traditional financial institutions are transitioning into digital assets. Thakur recounts her early exposure to blockchain at BlackRock, where she supported initial Bitcoin ETF work and later promoted digital-asset education for women. She explains Knova’s B2B infrastructure software, which runs on-prem or cloud-agnostic inside client environments to unify traditional and tokenized assets via patented “digital twins,” standardized asset representations, and transaction templates that turn complex multi-system workflows into single API calls and a unified dashboard. The discussion covers scaling, privacy, interoperability at the asset level, integrations such as Canton, common institutional hesitations like vendor lock-in and short-term pilots, and longer-term themes including assets converging into one ecosystem, rebundling fragmented services, and AI shifting from reactive reporting to proactive risk and opportunity guidance. We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud

Alex Svanevik, CEO and co-founder of Nansen and former AI/data scientist, explains Nansen’s shift from NFT analytics to an AI-native on-chain trading stack. He covers agentic conversational interfaces, large-scale smart‑money address labeling, self‑custodial execution, vibe trading and trust ladders, and the future of tokenized indices and autonomous agents reshaping finance.

Join host Stephen Sargeant on a special edition of the Around The Coin Podcast as he sits down with top industry voices to unpack the biggest crypto trends of 2025 and what’s ahead for 2026. Featuring Mouloukou Sanoh, CEO and co-founder of Mansa, the conversation explores how stablecoin infrastructure is transforming global payments, enabling instant cross-border settlement, and driving adoption across emerging markets. Mouloukou shares insights on regulation, interoperability between fiat and digital assets, geopolitical demand, and bold predictions on the future of stablecoins and banking.In the second segment, Tara Annison, Chief Product Officer at Rhino.fi, breaks down the evolving narrative around institutional adoption, why stablecoins have moved from hype to real utility, and how major financial players are cautiously entering the space. She also dives into the realities behind the current market cycle, the commercialization of on-chain finance, and what builders and institutions must understand as crypto infrastructure matures.From the rise of crypto crime and AI-powered scams to the growing importance of privacy, regulation, and security, this episode delivers a comprehensive look at the forces shaping the future of digital assets. If you want sharp insights on stablecoins, global payments, institutional strategy, and the next wave of blockchain innovation, this is a must-watch conversation for anyone following the future of money. We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud

Join host Stephen Sargeant on the Around The Coin podcast as he sits down with Edward Woodford, the CEO of Zerohash. This episode delves deep into the digital asset and stablecoin infrastructure landscape, exploring how Edward built Zero Hash from the ground up, the evolution of stablecoins, and their wide-ranging use cases from payroll to prediction markets. Edward shares his unique journey from MIT to leading a billion-dollar company, provides insights into the current state and future of stablecoins, and discusses the complexities of interoperability, regulatory landscapes, and innovations in the crypto space. This conversation is filled with invaluable insights for anyone interested in the intersection of traditional finance and blockchain technology. Don't miss out! We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud

In this episode of Around The Coin podcast, host Stephen Sargeant is joined by Matt Malloy, CEO and co-founder of TruFin Labs, to explore the world of staking, liquid staking, and yield in the digital asset ecosystem. They dive into the differences between traditional and liquid staking, the evolution of blockchain technology and smart contracts, and the current state of the market. Matt also shares insights on regulatory trends in the US, the role of institutional investors, and the future of DeFi finance. This informative discussion provides a comprehensive understanding of staking and its applications for both retail and institutional investors. We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud

In this compelling episode of Around The Coin podcast, host Stephen Sargeant sits down with Rand Hindi, the CEO of Zama, a cutting-edge company pioneering Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) for Web3 infrastructure. Discover how Zama's revolutionary technology is enabling confidential transactions on public blockchains like Ethereum and Solana, providing unparalleled privacy without compromising on security or compliance. Rand, an early investor in over 100 companies, shares insights from his journey, the evolution of technology, and the unique challenges of building a privacy-focused solution in the blockchain space. This episode dives deep into the nuances of FHE, the future of confidential DeFi, and the exciting development of Zama tokens. If you're interested in the future of privacy, blockchain, and advanced encryption, this is a must-listen episode. We are also available via:Around The Coin — Official WebsiteBuzzsproutApple PodcastSpotifyPlayer FMQuoraMediumX FacebookLinkedInTiktokSoundcloud