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 Chapters

00:51 The Origins of Agora’s Name and Vision

05:12 A Gold Legacy Leads to Bitcoin Beliefs

10:35 Stablecoins Expand Access Beyond the US

14:43 Agora Rebuilds Stablecoin Incentives for Builders

18:38 White Label Stables Share AUSD Liquidity

19:59 Enterprise Segregation Carries Heavy Costs

22:53 Market Makers Emerge as Stablecoin Clearers

24:24 Yield Coins Are Not Stablecoins

27:48 Agora Builds a Full Stablecoin Stack

32:05 Quickfire Insights on Fintech and Crypto Trends

This is NOT financial, tax, or legal advice

Music by Marcelo Cataldo - http://www.marcelocataldo.com