Trust in a stablecoin isn't built by headlines. It's built by repetition. @jacqmelinek, Founder of @StrataMedia_ and Co-host of @CryptoAmerica_, on why banks and fintechs are already using stablecoins behind the scenes. Check out the Agora Quickfire 👇

Hear what our founder @jacqmelinek had to say about stablecoins and the biggest headlines on our radar. As well as the most overrated narrative. (Hint: it starts with p and ends in rediction markets)

Today's pod is with @raagulanpathy, founder and CEO of @KASTxyz, diving into: - Why stablecoins moving from trading to general purpose financial infrastructure led him to start KAST - KAST's vision for serving global citizens, freelancers and businesses - How KAST uses stablecoins to give globally mobile users one account for USD balances, cards and cross-border payments - Why he thinks stablecoin-built neobanks can become some of the largest financial institutions - KAST Solo, a stablecoin-based business account for freelancers and solopreneurs TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction to KAST 01:20 From Circle and USDC to Founding KAST 02:33 Why Leave Circle to Start a Company? 04:49 What Problem Is KAST Solving? 05:13 Building a Global Neobank on Stablecoins 06:12 Banking for Global Citizens and Remote Workers 07:54 Can Neobanks Replace Traditional Banks? 08:34 Why Traditional Banking Falls Short 09:18 KAST's Long-Term Vision 10:23 Building a Global Financial Platform 11:18 Why Customers Want Everything in One Place 12:05 Why KAST Is Moving Beyond Stablecoin Messaging 13:13 Are Stablecoins Becoming Boring? 15:00 Why Crypto Needs to Focus on Real Problems 16:47 Building Better Cross-Border Payments 18:00 Personal vs. Business Banking 19:15 Introducing KAST Solo for Freelancers 21:10 How KAST Decides What Products to Build 22:21 What Customers Want From KAST 23:07 Product Development and Customer Feedback 24:32 Why Simplicity Is a Competitive Advantage 26:33 Why Every Extra Click Matters 27:34 Product Challenges and Lessons Learned 30:10 What Will Banking Look Like in the Future? 31:43 Building a Bank for the Next Generation 33:35 Why People Don't Switch Banks 35:25 What Makes KAST Different? 35:49 Advice for Founders and Entrepreneurs Watch below or on X:

"Companies very rarely die of starvation. They die of indigestion." With trillions to tokenize, chasing every crypto narrative is tempting, but Todd McDonald (@Mcdtv) explains how @inside_r3 has spent the last year focused on building its core protocol Corda (@Cordaxyz) instead.

Crypto has plenty of traders. Now, the industry needs more builders who understand both finance and technology, @lepsoe, founder of @ETHGasOfficial, says, "There's still a lot of financial infrastructure left to build onchain with stablecoins, lending, futures, credit securitization and more."

For RWAs to go mainstream, onchain finance has to match TradFi at every level, then do better. @KarwanLiam05 from @chainlink with @jacqmelinek on @_TalkingTokens on how that gap starts closing: → Stablecoins bring the liquidity and demand RWAs need → More liquidity fuels more appetite for yield → Vaults unlock a new distribution channel → Fintechs and brokers are the next short-term step for RWA adoption LINK it all together, and it sounds pretty MANTLE to us.

Ethereum doesn't have one dominant leader or team. But @lepsoe, founder of @ETHGasOfficial, explains how that is a strength since experts can build in their own domains instead of competing to control the whole ecosystem.

“Build long term relationships.” @seyong, co-founder of @fomo, says crypto is a smaller community than it looks. Quick money and short-term advantages come and go, but the people you build with could be around for decades. Be kind. Think long term. Surround yourself with your people.

Are you selling technology or helping customers make money? @YuvalRooz, co-founder and CEO of Digital Asset, which builds @CantonNetwork, calls it "blockchain tourism" when companies experiment with blockchain without figuring out the business case. His advice? Solve the problem first, then sell the tech.

The use cases that succeed with institutions show ROI within 3 to 6 months of production, not ones that require transforming the business first. That keeps integration cost low enough to prove results early. @YuvalRooz discusses with @_TalkingTokens.

Chainlink's Q3 update came out yesterday with $140B secured and $15B+ migrating to CCIP with DTCC and Swift on the TradFi side. "Today they know what to do. They know how to do it," @Chainlink's Head of RWAs @KarwanLiam05 said about institutions on @_TalkingTokens

More companies may launch their own blockchains, but Kevin Lepsoe (@lepsoe), founder of @ETHGasOfficial, thinks Ethereum will still be the network connecting them. Here’s why:

The repo market handles trillions of dollars in notional value every day. Yuval Rooz (@YuvalRooz), co-founder and CEO of Digital Asset, which builds @CantonNetwork, says moving just 1% of that activity onchain would bring in billions of dollars a day. …And that's just one use case to keep an eye on.

NEW: @Injective signs an MOU with @BDACSKorea to bring KRW1, a Korean won-backed stablecoin, to the network. This would let Korean investors and institutions access onchain markets in their own currency and settle trades directly in won, rather than having to convert to USD stablecoins. Eric Chen (@ericinjective), Co-founder and CEO of Injective, recently explained on @_TalkingTokens how being onchain changes access to capital: "The advantage of being onchain is the efficiency gain and also the ease of access to capital. If you want to invest in something, you have to go through a very, very long process filling out all the forms. Once you’re [onchain], you have access to a very broad plethora of asset offerings. So it’s kind of like a one and done deal. It’s just about identifying those who are denied or priced out of the traditional infrastructure, [and] bring them onchain."

"How Injective Is Building Financial Markets Onchain" A great episode with @ericinjective on @_TalkingTokens Mentioning the SEC transfer Agent and @injective being one of the only if not the only L1 blockchain that has it 0:08 Covering RWA perps growth 2:09 $215M+ in RWA perpetual volume & whether perps are the future of RWAS Eric highlighted the opportunities that assets & business owners have. > Saying that if you have an interesting asset or a strong business you can just tokenize it, you can raise funding and you will be on chain forever. Opening the door for an audience that you have never faced before next to a lot of other service providers

Would Visa or Mastercard want everyone to see how much money they settle? @YuvalRooz, co-founder and CEO of Digital aAsset, which builds @CantonNetwork, explains why he sees privacy as a non-negotiable for institutional finance, public companies and payment providers.