In this episode of The Charlie Shrem Show, Charlie is joined by Michael Rihani, Head of Product at Coinbase, to talk about how Bitcoin is finally going mainstream—not just as an investment, but as a spendable, usable financial asset.

Michael breaks down the launch of Coinbase’s new American Express-powered credit card, which gives users up to 4% back in Bitcoin on every purchase. Together, they explore what this means for the next generation of crypto adoption and why stablecoins, Lightning payments, and Bitcoin-backed loans are rapidly reshaping the financial stack.

Topics covered:

🪙 Why the Coinbase Amex card could be crypto’s iPhone moment

⚡ The reality of using Bitcoin and Lightning at Steak & Shake

📈 $500M in loan originations and the rise of Bitcoin-backed borrowing

🌍 How stablecoins are rescuing families from hyperinflation

💳 The behind-the-scenes story of working with American Express

💡 “Identity is the new money” and the future of frictionless crypto payments

🧠 Coinbase's internal X402 project and how it could reinvent internet-native payments

🔒 Balancing privacy, identity, and usability in a decentralized future

Michael and Charlie don’t just nerd out on payment protocols—they get real about product-market fit, what crypto users actually want, and how we're moving from trading to real-world utility.

📚 Mentioned in the episode:

X402 Protocol

Identity Is the New Money by David Birch

Coinbase Credit Card Waitlist: coinbase.com/creditcard

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