Presented by Rain.

In this special series Crossing the Chasm, we explore when stablecoins stop being “crypto” and start functioning like real money, becoming familiar, fast, and cost-efficient. Justin Friedman is joined by Farooq Malik, founder and CEO of Rain, joins us to break down what true adoption looks like across payments, on-chain settlement, and card programs that integrate seamlessly into existing financial systems.

Using a simple lens, technology wins when it improves infrastructure without changing user behavior, we trace the evolution from early experimentation to real-world adoption. Farooq shares how regulatory clarity, institutional demand, and interoperability are moving stablecoins beyond their early phase into mainstream use by banks, payment providers, and merchants.

We also dig into what is holding adoption back, from internal inertia to underestimating urgency, and highlight a key insight: many businesses are already interacting with stablecoins without realizing it. Finally, we examine the global access challenge and how compliant stablecoin infrastructure could expand financial inclusion across borders.

Subscribe for more conversations on what it actually takes to bring tokenized money into the real world.

Connect with the Hosts & Guest

Justin Friedman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justingfriedman/

Farooq Malik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhmalik/

About Crossing the Chasm

Crossing the Chasm is a special series with Rain focused on what it actually takes for stablecoins to become the default for everyday payments. Instead of rehashing benefits or highlighting pilots, the series breaks down the real work behind winning on Main Street, from upgrading payment rails and navigating regulation to embedding stablecoins into products people already use. Through conversations with builders and operators, we explore how tokenized money moves from early adoption to practical, widespread use across businesses and consumers.