Web3 with Sam Kamani

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

I sat down with Pieter from NextBlock Ventures live at Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul. We got into the big themes shaping crypto right now , tokenization, stablecoins, and the deep cryptography primitives that most people haven't heard of yet. Pieter shares why he believes Q-day arrives around 2030, why Bitcoin's quantum readiness keeps him up at night, and what drew him to back Soda Labs , a privacy protocol using garbled circuits on public chains like Ethereum. We also dig into fully homomorphic encryption, why FHE plus AI is like magic, and why building privacy into the chains where liquidity lives is the only approach that makes sense. If you want to understand where the smart money is looking five to eight years out, this is the episode for you. 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

NextBlock Ventures Website: https://nextblock.vc/

NextBlock Twitter/X: https://x.com/NextBlockvc

NextBlock LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextblock-vc/home/

Pieter LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/pietervanpoecke/?isSelfProfile=false

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] Sam and Pieter open live from Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul, discussing why Korea is a uniquely powerful crypto and deep tech market

• [02:30] Pieter shares how NextBlock launched in 2022 right as Terra Luna and FTX collapsed, and how that reset shaped their long-term thesis

• [05:00] The firm's focus areas: tokenization, stablecoins, and deep cryptography primitives like FHE and post-quantum cryptography

• [07:00] Q-day debate , Pieter makes his case for 2030 as the most likely arrival of quantum computers capable of breaking current encryption

• [09:30] Tokenization beyond US Treasuries: why stocks are next, with DTCC, Nasdaq, and Kraken all moving in that direction

• [13:00] Stablecoins in developed markets , why USD dominance at 98% will persist for a while but local currency stablecoins are coming

• [16:00] The Soda Labs investment thesis: bringing privacy to public chains using garbled circuits rather than spinning up separate private chains

• [20:00] Plain-language breakdown of fully homomorphic encryption and why FHE applied to AI is one of the most powerful combinations on the horizon

• [23:30] Why Bitcoin's lack of a post-quantum roadmap is a $2 trillion risk, and why Ethereum is ahead on this front

• [26:30] What Pieter looks for in founders: commercial instincts plus deep technical authority, and why the deep cryptography community is extremely small and tight-knit

• [28:30] Pieter's goals for this Korea trip and what types of founders and investors he wants to connect with

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

I sat down with Peiyu from CertiK at Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul for a deep dive into the evolving world of Web3 security. We talk about how AI is shrinking the attack lifecycle from months to days, why getting audited still doesn't guarantee you're safe, and how attackers are now conducting in-person social engineering campaigns that play out over six months before striking. Peiyu breaks down the biggest hacks of the year, explains the difference between custodial and non-custodial risk, and gives founders practical advice on how to build with security from day one. If you're building in Web3 or investing in protocols, this one is essential listening.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

CertiK Website: https://www.certik.com/

CertiK Twitter/X: https://x.com/CertiK

CertiK LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/certik/home/

Peiyu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/p3iyuwang/?isSelfProfile=false

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] AI is compressing the attack lifecycle , finding zero-day vulnerabilities that once took a month now takes a day or two

• [00:24] The Drup protocol attack involved an attacker meeting the victim in person at a crypto conference and spending six months building trust before deploying malware

• [01:01] Sam interviews Peiyu from CertiK live at Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul

• [02:16] Institutional financial companies are increasingly focused on digital assets , stablecoins, tokenization , and security is their top priority

• [03:25] The three biggest hacks of the year: a $300M+ infrastructure exploit, the CollabDAO bridge attack, and the Drup social engineering incident

• [05:12] Social engineering is rising fast , fake Zoom links, Telegram impersonation, and phishing attacks are becoming standard attack vectors

• [07:05] Defense-in-depth is critical: EDR software, strong monitoring, and a SOC team can stop attackers even after initial compromise

• [09:47] Getting audited isn't enough , auditor quality, scope limitations, and ignoring off-chain components leave major gaps

• [12:20] CertiK reviews the full architecture even when only part of the system is in scope and recommends penetration testing for off-chain components

• [13:03] Manual audits, formal verification, static analysis, and AI are complementary , not replacements for each other

• [14:15] CertiK has built an AI Auditor tool that is publicly usable and can catch most issues a human auditor would find

• [16:14] April saw more than 30 hack incidents with only three hack-free days , AI is directly driving this surge

• [17:35] The best defense against AI-powered attacks is using AI on the defense side too , AI-empowered security engineers and agent SOC monitoring

• [18:28] Custodial vs non-custodial risk explained , hardware wallets from reputable providers, and understanding multi-sig, MPC, and HSM-based custody options

• [21:17] Founders should adopt a secure-by-design mindset , hire security engineers early and engage a security firm at the architecture stage before writing code

• [22:47] CertiK's biggest challenge is keeping pace with new technology , every new protocol or EIP needs to be understood and threat-modeled before they can secure it

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

I sat down with the founder of HandlePay, Medhi Farooq at Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul to talk about why Pakistan is quietly becoming one of the most important crypto markets in the world. His journey started in 2020 when he got deplatformed by Interactive Brokers simply for being from Pakistan , and that moment of financial exclusion led him to DeFi, to research roles at Messari and Animoca, and eventually to building a neobank that collapses seven or eight apps into one. We dig into why the next decade of neobanking belongs to those who go deep rather than wide, how stablecoins are eating traditional banking rails in emerging markets, and why Pakistan , with 240 million people, an average age of 20, and the third-highest stablecoin adoption in the world , is one of the biggest opportunities nobody is talking about. We also get into AI's impact on freelancers, the diaspora remittance opportunity, and what the roadmap for HandlePay looks like over the next 12 months. 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

HandlePay Website: https://handlepay.io/

HandlePay LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/handle-pay/posts/?feedView=alls

HandlePay Twitter/X: https://x.com/HandlePay0

Mehdi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehdifarooq/?isSelfProfile=false

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] Mehdi intro , how getting deplatformed by Interactive Brokers during COVID sparked a journey into DeFi and permissionless finance

• [03:53] Impressions from Korea Blockchain Week , more suits, TradFi and Web3 worlds converging

• [05:02] The rise of crypto credit cards and net-new financial products at the intersection of crypto and traditional finance

• [06:49] Neobank 1.0 vs the next decade , why going deep beats going wide

• [09:26] Pakistan as a crypto superpower , 240M population, average age 20, 80% YoY freelancer growth, third-largest stablecoin adoption globally

• [11:30] How HandlePay collapses seven or eight apps into one , Binance, peer-to-peer WhatsApp groups, local banks, and more

• [13:00] Tapping the Pakistani diaspora , virtual US bank accounts, USDT/USDC remittance rails, and off-ramping at interbank rates

• [15:58] HandlePay's current state , live app, stablecoin payments, upcoming virtual accounts, global equities, crypto credit card, and bill payments

• [17:48] AI squeezing freelancer income but growing the freelancer base , and why human relationships compound faster than AI

• [19:35] Funding update , pre-seed raised, strong cap table, announcement coming soon

• [21:52] Key asks , investors, talent, and Pakistani SMEs and freelancers to download the app

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

I sat down with Cris, Chief Strategy Officer at Beldex, live at Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul. We got into why privacy isn't just a feature , it's a full-stack infrastructure problem. Crris broke down how Beldex evolved from a privacy coin in 2018 into a complete privacy layer covering messaging, browsing, VPNs, and now AI agent communication. We also got into something I feel very strongly about: context bleed in AI agents and why it's a silent killer for anyone building with multi-agent systems. If you're a founder or developer building anything that touches user data , especially in the AI or trading space , this one is for you. 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

Beldex Website: https://beldex.io/

Beldex Twitter/X: https://x.com/BeldexCoin

Beldex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beldex/

Cris LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crisblanco/?isSelfProfile=false

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] Cris teases the core Beldex vision: becoming invisible infrastructure that people use without knowing it

• [01:07] Introductions: Cris is CSO at Beldex, recorded live at Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul

• [01:32] What is Beldex? Privacy infrastructure that started as a privacy coin in 2018 and expanded to cover all aspects of digital life

• [02:20] How Beldex differs from Monero and Zcash , they go beyond payments into messaging, browsing, and VPNs

• [03:35] The real use case problem in crypto: too much infra, not enough apps , Beldex is building both

• [04:56] BChat: a privacy-first messaging app like WhatsApp that requires no phone number or email

• [06:52] Beldex raised an $8M round in August and is now focused on enabling builders via SDK, EVM sidechain, and a grants program

• [09:01] Message to founders: privacy should be built in from day one, not bolted on at the end

• [11:17] Technology becomes adopted when it becomes invisible , we need to stop forcing people to learn crypto jargon

• [13:13] Beldex is now testing encrypted messaging infrastructure for AI agent communication

• [14:29] Context bleed in AI agents: why privacy infrastructure is critical for anyone building multi-agent systems

• [16:37] Trading use case: context bleed between agents could be disastrous for funds and quant systems

• [19:29] Cris shares his personal tech conviction: hyper-personalised, custom-built software powered by AI is the future

• [21:29] Biggest ask: developers and founders should think deeply about why privacy matters, then come check out Beldex

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

I sat down with Wish Wu from Pharos at Korea Blockchain Week to catch up on everything they've been building since we last spoke eight months ago. Pharos has quietly become the largest blockchain for RWA insurance and distribution in APAC, with over $116 million in real-world assets on-chain , and half of those users are coming straight from Web2. Now they're going further. Wish walks me through how Pharos is building agent-native infrastructure, solving the gas sponsorship problem for micropayments, and launching a desktop app that lets anyone , developer or not , build and run on-chain workflows with AI. With 200,000 to 300,000 agents already running on the chain, the vision is bold: more agents than humans actively transacting on Pharos within the next 12 months. 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

Pharos Website: https://www.pharos.xyz/

Pharos Twitter/X: https://x.com/pharos_network

Pharos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pharosnetwork/

Wish LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wishlonger/?isSelfProfile=false

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [0:00] Introduction at Korea Blockchain Week with Wish Wu from Pharos

• [0:50] Pharos has become the largest blockchain for RWA insurance and distribution in APAC with over $116M in on-chain assets

• [2:07] ~50% of Pharos users are coming from Web2 , many holding crypto for the first time

• [3:14] Pharos upgrades to agent-native support, tackling gas sponsorship friction for new users and agents

• [4:42] Why existing gas sponsorship models break down for agent micropayments and multi-chain interactions

• [6:33] Introducing programmable gas subscriptions , pay once, let your agent run freely on Pharos

• [9:22] Key challenge: closing the UX gap between Web2 apps and Web3 experiences

• [10:28] Agents level the playing field , they give Web3 a chance to compete with Web2 UX

• [11:54] Pharos is launching a desktop app , a Codex-style tool for both developers and everyday users

• [18:06] Partnership priorities: institutions and asset issuers to bring more natively issued on-chain assets

• [21:09] 12-month vision: mainnet rollout of agent-native Layer-1, more RWA distribution, and more agents than humans on-chain

I sat down with Chad from THORChain , the protocol that literally invented cross-chain liquidity , for a raw, no-fluff conversation about what it really takes to secure a decentralized exchange handling over $125 billion in volume. We dig into why security audits give people false confidence, how AI is supercharging hackers right now, and what THORChain's autonomous halt systems actually do when things go sideways. We also get into the Bitget $350M hack, what it means when funds flow through decentralized protocols, and the deeper philosophical question , where do you draw the line between censorship resistance and protecting users? Chad also shares what's next for THORChain, including Monero and Zcash support, faster swaps, and why he believes DEXs will inevitably outcompete centralized exchanges on every metric that matters. 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

THORChain Website: https://thorchain.org/

THORChain Twitter/X: https://x.com/thorchain

THORChain LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thorchain/

Web3 with Sam Kamani Podcast: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] Sam introduces the episode , THORChain, the Bitget $350M hack, and what's really going on with security in crypto

• [01:38] Chad joins and explains what makes THORChain different , the protocol that invented cross-chain liquidity

• [03:33] Why THORChain was the first true decentralized exchange for native Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Doge , and Monero coming next

• [04:41] Security lessons from $125B in volume , why a cross-chain DEX is orders of magnitude harder to secure than Uniswap

• [05:40] A wave of hacks hits the whole sector: Maya, THORChain's app layer, NIR, Chainflip , all within weeks

• [06:53] Why audits are the lowest standard in security , and why having an on-staff red/blue team matters far more

• [08:07] How THORChain's autonomous halt system works , the protocol can stop itself before humans even notice

• [10:36] Managing the trilemma: decentralization, security, and usability , how validator voting and pause mechanisms balance it all

• [13:32] The Terra collapse as a lesson: why you need fast-response mechanisms, not just slow governance

• [15:23] Chad's take on the Bitget $350M hack and the tension between censorship resistance and stopping stolen funds

• [16:38] Why decentralization is a requirement for liberty , and what Bitcoin gave the world for the first time in history

• [20:00] Historical precedents: the Ethereum DAO hack fork and Bitcoin's 2010 overflow bug , when protocols have rolled back transactions

• [23:13] The biggest underestimated security risk in DeFi right now: AI lowering the bar for black-hat hackers

• [25:17] Macro view: AI pulling capital away from crypto, the Genius Act, TradFi merging with DeFi, and where the cycle stands

• [27:23] What's next for THORChain , Zcash now, Monero next, more chains, faster swaps, better quotes

• [28:17] Why DEXs will inevitably beat CEXs on speed, cost, and accessibility , and why Chad is excited to be part of that future

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

In this episode, I sit down with Denis from Humea , a product and research company that has catalyzed over $1 billion in ARR for their clients. We go deep on what it actually takes to achieve product market fit, and why most founders are looking in completely the wrong direction. Denis brings a rare dual background in physics and psychology, and he uses it to reveal how human behavior , not technology , is the real driver behind whether a product succeeds or dies. We talk about why Web3 is uniquely challenging because money arrives before product market fit, the hidden psychology of why founders resist pivoting, how Doordash generated over $300 million in additional revenue through better user understanding, what blockchain banks must do to win trust, and why simplifying your message for non-technical decision makers might be the most valuable thing you do this year. Whether you are building in DeFi, fintech, AI, or SaaS, the principles Denis shares here are universal and immediately actionable. 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

Humea Website: https://humea.com/

Humea LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/humea

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] Humea has catalyzed over $1 billion ARR for clients across fintech, banking, and infrastructure

• [02:49] Denis explains his dual background in physics and psychology and how it shapes his approach to product research

• [05:57] The difference between output and outcome , and why measuring the wrong thing gives you false positive data

• [08:54] Why working with an agency should always start with a friendly conversation to find genuine alignment before any contract

• [14:13] In Web3, money comes before product market fit , the complete opposite of the Web2 world

• [17:42] The IKEA effect and sunk cost fallacy explain why founders get emotionally attached and resist pivoting

• [23:08] Why mid-stage startups throw money at ads instead of fixing the underlying product and customer understanding

• [28:24] Doordash case study , course correcting the user journey generated over $300 million in additional annual revenue

• [31:45] Blockchain banking case study , turning a deeply negative NPS into a positive one through empathy-driven research

• [33:20] The four things users want from banking: returns, versatility, problem solving for their segment, and trust

• [34:04] Trust in crypto products is not about gaining confidence , it is about removing doubt

• [38:19] Why human-crafted content creates energy and connection that AI-generated content currently cannot replicate

• [43:58] Even in cutting-edge Web3, all major deals are still done human to human the old-fashioned way

• [45:24] Most B2B decision makers are not technical , your communication strategy needs to reach non-technical buyers

• [47:30] Polygon CDK dashboard case study , a brilliant engineer could not explain the interface to a colleague in another department

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

I sat down with Rafsun, founder of Sahaj Mobile, at Money2020 to unpack one of the most exciting fintech stories I've come across in a long time. Rafsun went from managing billions in asset-backed securities at Guggenheim to building a phone financing company in Bangladesh , a market that has been starved for credit for decades. With over 58,000 customers and millions deployed entirely from their own capital, Sahaj Mobile is proving that emerging markets can outperform the West on default rates. We dig into how they used merchants, OEMs like Samsung and Xiaomi, and TikTok influencers to scale fast, how AI powers everything from fraud detection to Bengali-language customer service, and where they are headed next , including a fascinating cross-border financing model for South Asian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. If you are a founder or investor looking at where the real opportunities are, this conversation is one you cannot afford to miss.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

Sahaj Mobile Website: https://www.sahajmobile.org/

Sahaj Mobile LinedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sahajmobile/home/

Sahaj Mobile Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SahajMobileBD

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] Rafsun introduces Sahaj Mobile's core model , financing phones in Bangladesh with no credit score required

• [01:00] Sam introduces the episode and explains why Sahaj Mobile stands out among fintech startups

• [03:03] Rafsun's background: UC Berkeley, Kiavi (acquired by Figure), and managing $10B in ABS at Guggenheim

• [05:24] How Sahaj Mobile works: down payment, device locking, and repayment via bKash and Nagad wallets

• [06:16] Growth story: from a 100-phone pilot to 58,000+ customers since launching in 2024

• [07:09] How they got initial traction: partnering with merchants, then OEMs like Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi

• [08:57] TikTok influencers and social media as a key growth channel in Bangladesh

• [12:07] How AI runs 24/7 , from loss reserve calculations to NDA reviews , augmenting Rafsun's workflow

• [13:30] AI in underwriting: ID fraud detection, face matching, and machine learning on alternative data

• [14:55] AI-powered customer service responding in Bengali using voice models and Hugging Face

• [16:49] HeyGen for AI-generated marketing videos , cutting production time to under 30 minutes

• [20:18] The SaaS and legal disruption debate , and why AI tools are actually creating more lawyer work, not less

• [27:44] Fundraising update: Series A equity round with a lead investor and a separate debt round from an emerging market credit fund

• [29:06] Expansion into MENA: financing phones in Bangladesh for migrant workers paying from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Malaysia

• [30:06] Next product: the Sahaj wallet with EMI discount incentives for customers who pay through it

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

I sat down with Todd Ault III, founder of Ault.com, a man with 37 years in traditional finance who has seen the future , and it is fully tokenized. Todd walks me through how Ault Markets is being built as a Bloomberg-style platform for Web3, why he borrowed $50 million in DeFi in 20 minutes on Morpho, and why he believes every stock, bond, piece of real estate, and commodity will eventually trade on Web3 rails. We get into stable coins, the dominance of the US dollar, why AI is creating jobs not killing them, and what founders can do right now to tokenize their assets on Ault's platform. If you want to understand where institutional finance meets blockchain, this episode is for you. 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

Ault Website: https://ault.com/

Todd Ault Twitter/X: https://x.com/ToddAultIII?lang=en

Todd Ault LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miltontoddault/

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] Sam introduces Todd Ault III and frames the episode around tokenization and the RWA space

• [00:56] Todd shares his 37-year background in traditional finance and how he discovered Bitcoin around 2011

• [02:35] Why TradFi won't disappear overnight , Todd compares the shift to a generational standard-of-care change in healthcare

• [03:34] Ault Markets explained: a Bloomberg-style Web3 platform with a DEX, lending, staking, tokenized stocks, commodities, and more

• [05:28] How Ault integrates with DeFi Capital Markets, Universal Mint tokenization platform, and the Only Bulls wallet via Privy

• [06:50] Why stablecoins are still massively underutilized and what gets tokenized next , stocks, commodities, and eventually real estate

• [10:00] Todd's real-world DeFi story: borrowing $50 million against Bitcoin on Morpho in 20 minutes

• [12:25] Why Todd built Ault's own blockchain after being debanked 10 times in the US for Bitcoin mining

• [13:33] Bitcoin Max explained: trading Bitcoin down to the Satoshi level, denominated via a Swiss-based trust

• [14:06] The 98% US dollar dominance in stablecoins vs 55% in fiat , and why Todd sees dollar dominance continuing

• [17:25] How Ault uses AI for financial modeling, market making, staff accountability, and an integrated AI layer in Ault Markets

• [20:10] Sam shares how AI is actually increasing workloads for lawyers and why history shows tech creates more jobs than it destroys

• [23:38] Todd's goal to tokenize 100,000 assets over 10 years and grow TVL to $100 billion

• [26:28] How founders can use Ault right now to tokenize securities, raise capital, and list on the DEX

• [28:28] North Star metric: growing TVL, with 97–99% of all protocol revenue used to buy back the Ault token daily on a TWAP

• [29:50] Todd's key asks: traders, founders wanting to tokenize, and hiring in tokenization , contact [email protected]

• [33:15] Todd highlights Holiday as a standout payments innovation backed by Andreessen Horowitz

• [34:36] Ault's hybrid private equity arm: owning and planning to tokenize hotels, a crane company, and other hard assets

 EPISODE DESCRIPTION 

I sat down with Jia Hang from DCS Group, a payments veteran with over two decades of experience at China UnionPay and Alipay, to explore how stablecoins are quietly revolutionising the way the world pays. Jia walks me through why the traditional card and mobile payment waves are giving way to a stablecoin-powered third wave, how DCS is acting as a Web 2.5 bridge so consumers can spend stablecoins at any merchant without the merchant needing to change a thing, and what it really takes to build trust on both sides of that equation. We also dig into the macro battle for stablecoin dominance, whether the US dollar will tighten its grip or lose ground to other currencies, and what the developing world's rapid adoption of stablecoins means for financial sovereignty. If you work in fintech, payments, or crypto infrastructure, this episode is packed with hard-won insights from someone who has built global payment networks from the ground up. 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. 

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 CONNECT 

DCS Website: https://www.dcsfintech.com/

DCS LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/dcscc

Jia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hang-jia-81a83a234/

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

 KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS 

• [00:00] Sam introduces Jia Hang from DCS Group and his background spanning UnionPay and Alipay

• [01:27] Jia's journey: from computer engineer to 9 years at China UnionPay building the Americas market

• [03:05] Why Jia left Alipay after 10 years and stepped into the stablecoin payments world

• [04:43] Why the global south leads on payment innovation , infrastructure gaps drove QR code adoption

• [10:43] The three waves of payments: card, mobile, and now stablecoins , and why stablecoins merge information flow and fund flow

• [14:23] How DCS focuses on C2B (consumer-to-merchant) stablecoin payments, not just B2B cross-border

• [17:02] How the merchant experience stays unchanged , they still receive local fiat, DCS handles the stablecoin conversion

• [20:39] DCS as a Web 2.5 bridge: connected to Web3 on the consumer side, Web2 on the merchant side

• [22:27] The chicken-and-egg challenge , and why merchant-side adoption is harder than consumer-side

• [25:44] DCS's Visa-backed stablecoin card: live in 9 countries, expanding to 70+

• [28:10] What sets the DCS card apart: banking licence in Singapore, physical and metal cards, credit functionality, and Visa rewards

• [33:12] The macro stablecoin currency war: will USD dominance in stablecoins exceed its fiat dominance?

• [35:32] Jia's belief that all currencies will eventually become stablecoins , and what that means for smaller nations

• [39:03] DCS's roadmap: auto-debit, subscription payments, smart contract-powered UX that feels like Web2

• [42:07] Closing thoughts and preview of Token2049