What happens when faster money also means faster fraud? Stablecoins increase the velocity of money, making payments and liquidity move almost instantly. But that same speed can also help scammers drain funds faster, with settlement already final. Rachel Mayer, VP of Product at @circle, says this is a tension the industry must confront. If blockchains are going to move value instantly, proper controls need to exist at different layers of the stack. Listen to the full conversation with Justin Friedman on Crossing the Chasm wherever you get your podcasts. Powered by @raincards.

We’re backstage at @thestablecon sitting down with the speakers as they come off stage. @unvested_ spoke with @ddisparte about whether the US needs a CBDC. His answer? A US CBDC would be “against the American way of doing business.” They discuss why stablecoins should remain privately issued, how regulation can provide the guardrails, and why clearer accounting standards could be an important step toward mainstream adoption. #Stablecoins# #CBDC# #Fintech#

Why is moving money across borders still so complicated? This week on Crossing the Chasm, Justin Friedman sits down with Rachel Mayer, VP of Product at @circle, to explore Arc, Circle’s new layer one blockchain, and her vision for an “economic operating system” for on-chain finance. Drawing on her experience trading emerging-markets currencies on Wall Street, Rachel discusses what needs to change, from how institutions settle foreign exchange to how privacy and auditability can work together. They also explore the role of local currencies, AI agents transacting with each other, and a question with real consequences for everyday payments: should instant settlement always be irreversible? Listen to the full conversation wherever you get your podcasts, or via the link in the comments. Powered by @raincards.

Why does Africa’s biggest bank want a stake in OPay? Standard Bank is reportedly in preliminary talks to acquire a strategic pre-IPO stake in OPay, ahead of the fintech’s proposed $4B US listing. @jovebosco looks at what the deal could mean for both sides, as one of Africa’s biggest traditional banking groups eyes a stake in one of the continent’s biggest fintech success stories. Elsewhere this week, Blockradar passed $1B in processed stablecoin volume, Quidax added Kenyan shilling wallets and payouts, and Ghana expanded its virtual asset sandbox. Get @jovebosco's take, plus this week’s biggest African fintech news, in This Week in Fintech Africa:

What if mainstream crypto adoption happens without consumers even realizing they're using crypto? For years, the industry imagined a future where people would pay for everyday purchases directly with crypto. But the path to adoption may look very different. On Episode 5 of Crossing the Chasm, Blake Duncan, Lead Agent Experience Engineer at @Alchemy, explores how stablecoin-backed cards are allowing institutions to build on crypto rails while giving consumers the payment experiences they already know. The technology moves behind the scenes. The experience stays familiar. Could that be what finally brings crypto payments mainstream? Listen to the full conversation with host Justin Friedman wherever you get your podcasts, or via the link in the comments below. Powered by @raincards.

Together with @seon_tech, we brought together fraud & risk leaders from across payments, digital banking, lending and fintech for an intimate dinner in New York. The evening was all about candid, peer-to-peer conversation around the challenges fraud, risk and compliance teams are navigating right now, from the issues keeping leaders up at night to how teams are responding as the industry continues to evolve. Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to such an open and thoughtful conversation around the table. And a huge thank you to @seon_tech for bringing the evening together with us.

“There’s really only 1% of American households that have any exposure directly to privates, which is crazy if you think about it.” @SPintoPeyronel, Head of @RobinhoodApp Ventures, joins @SashaFintech on the latest episode of This Month in Fintech to explore what happens when some of the biggest wealth creation in technology takes place before most people have the opportunity to invest. With companies reaching trillion-dollar valuations while still private, Sarah shares why Robinhood Ventures is looking to open private-market investing to a much broader audience and give more people the opportunity to participate in the value being created. The episode also explores Sarah’s journey from Goldman Sachs and private equity to Emerson Collective and Robinhood, the challenge of expanding access without sacrificing investment quality, and what AI could mean for the next generation of founders. Listen to the latest episode of This Month in Fintech wherever you get your podcasts, or via the links in the comments below.

Brazil just “tokenized” ten cows to help secure a roughly $20,000 loan. But the interesting part may be that there is no tradable token at all. @DrewBailer suggests the real innovation is verified data that can prove an asset exists, where it is, and whether it has already been pledged elsewhere. That could turn previously hard-to-finance assets into usable collateral.

A year ago, lending looked like the obvious next act for payments companies. Then AI happened. In the latest Public Ledger, @jevgenijs looks at what’s happening across Toast, Block and Shopify. All three have lending businesses built on the data flowing through their platforms. But on their latest earnings calls, lending barely got a look in. Instead, it was all about AI. Toast is building agents for marketing, scheduling, payroll, bookkeeping and tax. Block has Managerbot watching sellers’ businesses for problems. Shopify is putting Sidekick at the heart of how merchants use their data. And you can see why. Software has better margins, there’s no loan book carrying credit risk, and the opportunity can extend well beyond what a merchant is able to borrow. But lending still makes a lot of money. Has AI become the better business, or just the better story? Read @jevgenijs’ latest analysis on This Week in Fitnech.