Solidus Labs

Join Delphine Forma, Head of Policy Europe at Solidus Labs, as she sits down with Alan Crofts, Sarah Davidson, and Nelson Curry from the New Zealand Financial Markets Authority.

They unpack how New Zealand regulates digital assets—from defining financial services and stablecoins to tackling scams, custody risks, DeFi, and market abuse. A practical, regulator-led deep dive into compliance expectations, enforcement trends, and what’s next for crypto oversight.

In this episode of Compliance Champions, Delphine Forma, Head of Policy Europe at Solidus Labs, sits down with Wise Wang, Head of Legal and Compliance at HashKey Japan.

They explore how Japan’s regulatory approach to crypto is evolving, including the shift from a payment-based framework to a capital markets model. Wise shares insights into what these reforms mean for firms operating in Japan, from increased disclosure requirements and stronger investor protection rules to the growing importance of governance, surveillance and internal controls.

The conversation also covers the potential impact of tax reform on market activity, the challenges of building compliant crypto businesses in a highly regulated environment, and why firms need to rethink compliance as a core part of their product and strategy.

Drawing from his experience in both tech platforms and crypto, Wise also reflects on the similarities between early social media regulation and the current evolution of crypto oversight.

A deep dive into one of the most advanced regulatory markets and what it means for the future of institutional crypto adoption.

In this episode of Compliance Champions, Delphine Forma speaks with Taisuke Isono, General Manager of the DeFi Technology Department at SMBC Nikko Securities, about how institutions are approaching decentralized finance, automation, and the future of financial markets

From automated market access to AML-driven design, this conversation unpacks how one of Japan’s leading financial institutions is bridging TradFi and DeFi and what it means for the future of finance.

In this episode of Compliance Champions, Delphine Forma speaks with Dianah Njeri Igati, Regional Head of Compliance APAC and Company Secretary at Pepperstone, about what it really takes to build compliance across multiple jurisdictions and market types. Dianah explains how Pepperstone approached its crypto launch in Australia, how she thinks about emerging versus developed markets, and why local context matters so much in compliance design. They also discuss Australia’s evolving crypto framework, Africa’s growing regulatory momentum, practical lessons for firms expanding into new markets, and how AI is changing the role of compliance teams. It is a grounded conversation on strategy, regulation, culture, and the future of compliance.

In this episode of Compliance Champions, Delphine Forma speaks with Deepthi Machavaram, Global Head of Digital Financial Crime Advisory at Morgan Stanley, about how large financial institutions are approaching digital asset risks. Deepthi explains how the industry has shifted from early curiosity to operational rigor, and what that means for building effective frameworks around crypto products, vendors, analytics, and controls. They discuss source of funds and source of wealth in crypto, the limits of blockchain analytics, the realities of regulatory misalignment, and why data, governance, resilience, and flexibility matter so much. The conversation also explores tokenization, AI, and the role compliance teams will play as financial institutions navigate digital assets over the next decade.

What does global compliance look like when your business spans multiple licenses, jurisdictions, products, and platforms?

In the latest episode of Compliance Champions, Delphine Forma sits down with Joanna Frendo, Chief Risk Compliance Officer and Head of Compliance at Deriv, for a conversation packed with practical insight from more than 20 years in the field.

They cover:

• how to build a global compliance framework that actually works in practice

• how to balance consistency across the group with local regulatory nuance

• why onboarding and suitability must be continuously monitored, not treated as one-off exercises

• how AI is changing the way compliance teams stay current and operate at scale

• why market abuse surveillance in a multi-asset derivatives business is especially complex

A strong episode for anyone working in compliance, risk, regulation, or fintech operations.

In this episode of Compliance Champions, Delphine Forma speaks with Salman Banaei, General Counsel at Plume, about the rise of embedded compliance in blockchain infrastructure. They explore how Plume is integrating AML, sanctions screening, trade surveillance and transaction monitoring directly at the protocol and token levels to support real-world asset tokenization. The conversation dives into evolving regulatory approaches to DeFi, including the US market structure bill and global trends. Salman also highlights emerging market abuse risks in on-chain environments and the importance of interoperability across both technology and regulation. The episode offers a forward-looking view on how compliant, global capital markets may develop on-chain in the coming years.

What does blockchain adoption actually look like inside a global payments company?

In this episode, Delphine Forma speaks with Sulaiman Javed, Senior Counsel at Mastercard, about the legal and strategic realities behind stablecoins, tokenized deposits, interoperability, and blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

Key themes:

• why integration is still the biggest challenge for institutions

• how stablecoins and tokenized deposits serve different roles

• what makes blockchain use cases succeed in practice

• the red flags legal teams should watch for in crypto projects

A sharp conversation for anyone working at the intersection of payments, digital assets, and regulation.

Delphine Forma sits down with Mercedes Nieto, Chief Compliance Officer Europe and Head of Regulatory at Bitcoin Suisse, to explore how crypto firms navigate regulation across Switzerland and the EU. The conversation unpacks how Switzerland’s AML-focused SRO model works today and what firms can expect as FINMA licensing requirements evolve. Mercedes shares practical insights on preparing for MiCA, including governance, outsourcing, and market abuse considerations. She also breaks down what AML audits look like in practice and where firms are most often challenged. The episode highlights the growing complexity of cross-border compliance and the importance of aligning to the highest regulatory standards. A must-listen for compliance and legal teams operating across multiple jurisdictions.

In this episode of Solidus Labs Compliance Champions, Delphine Forma sits down with Miguel Angel Zapatero, General Counsel at Crossmint, to explore what it takes to build a regulated stablecoin infrastructure company across jurisdictions.

Miguel shares Crossmint’s journey from NFT infrastructure into stablecoin payments, including how the company approached its MiCA authorization in Spain, how PSD2 added a second regulatory layer for EMT-related services, and what it means in practice to shift from a startup mindset to a regulated financial services model.

The conversation also looks at Crossmint’s global licensing strategy, including expansion plans across Europe, the UK, the US, and beyond, as well as the role of local partners, external counsel, and strong internal compliance functions in making that growth possible.

This is a practical episode for legal, compliance, and policy professionals navigating crypto regulation at scale.