Crypto In America

Wall Street can't stop talking about tokenization. But how much of it is actually delivering real value?

Reid Simon, President of Digital Assets at publicly traded Figure, joins Crypto In America to explain why much of traditional finance's embrace of blockchain is still “lip service.” He breaks down how Figure is using onchain lending to lower borrowing costs for homeowners and what the industry learned from the crypto lending collapses of 2022.

The conversation also explores why the SEC's Innovation Exemption may not go far enough, how regulatory uncertainty is hold...

Is crypto regulation holding back innovation, or is the industry finally moving beyond politics and speculation?

Live from Lisbon, Portugal, Crypto in America brings together Denelle Dixon, CEO and Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation, and Russ Behnam, former CFTC Chairman, for a conversation about the future of U.S. crypto regulation, global blockchain adoption, and the shift toward real-world financial applications.

As Washington continues debating crypto market structure legislation and the Clarity Act, the conversation explores how political divisions, competing industry interests, and regulatory complexity have shaped the U.S...

Crypto was supposed to replace traditional finance. Now, some of the world's biggest financial institutions are building with blockchain. But who will adapt and who risks getting left behind?

In this special Crypto in America episode from TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026, Jacquelyn Melinek moderates a conversation with Jake Chervinsky of Hyperliquid Policy Center, Charles Cascarilla, CEO and co-founder of Paxos, and Scott Lawin, President of Pantera Capital.

The panel explores the growing competition between traditional banks and onchain finance, why institutional crypto adoption may still be in its early stages, and how stablecoins, real-world...

Trevor Traina, founder and CEO of Kresus and Chief Business Officer at Tools for Humanity, joins Crypto In America to discuss why blockchain could become as fundamental as the internet, transforming everything from finance and stablecoins to AI and digital identity.

The former U.S. ambassador to Austria also shares how he helped popularize Trump's "crypto president" label, weighs in on the failure of the Clarity Act, and discusses America's technological leadership.

Plus, his conversations with Peter Thiel, why he thinks AI doomsday fears are overblown, and why your personal data may...

What happens when AI agents start managing your money and who will actually control them?

Joseph Chalom, CEO of Sharplink, joins Crypto in America to explain why Ethereum, stablecoins, tokenization, and artificial intelligence could fundamentally reshape Wall Street.

Joseph shares why he left BlackRock’s digital asset team' to later build an Ethereum-focused treasury company, what institutional investors are getting wrong about blockchain infrastructure, and how AI agents could transform banking, investing, and personal finance.

But there's a bigger question: Will this financial revolution give consumers more control or create a new generation of...

In this episode of Crypto in America, Eleanor Terrett, Jacquelyn Melinek and Gerald Gallagher sit down with Raagulan “Raags” Pathy, founder and CEO of Kast and former Circle APAC executive, to explore how stablecoins are transforming global banking, cross-border payments, and access to U.S. financial markets.

Raags explains why stablecoins continued growing during crypto's bear market, how Kast is building financial services for globally connected businesses, and why dollar-backed stablecoins could strengthen America's financial dominance. They also discuss the GENIUS Act, stablecoin rewards, tokenization, Bitcoin's unexpected bull case, and the economic risks that coul...

In this episode of Crypto in America, Eleanor Terrett, Jacquelyn Melinek, and Gerald Gallagher sit down with Charley Cooper, President & COO of Ava Labs, to discuss how Wall Street is moving toward blockchain infrastructure, why 24/7 markets could accelerate that transition, and what comes next for crypto innovation after the Clarity Act failed to advance.

Charley explains why Ava Labs and the Avalanche blockchain are focused on institutional adoption, what traditional financial firms actually need from blockchain technology, and why he believes 24/7 trading could become a forcing function for settlement, reconciliation, collateral movement, and other parts of the...

In this episode of Crypto in America, Eleanor Terrett and Jacquelyn Melinek sit down with Blue Macellari, Head of Digital Assets at T. Rowe Price, to discuss how one of Wall Street’s major asset managers is approaching crypto, tokenization, and the future of financial markets.

Blue Macellari explains why tokenization has become a major focus for financial institutions, what it would actually take to move U.S. markets onchain, and why Wall Street still needs a clearer playbook before committing significant capital to new blockchain infrastructure. She also discusses growing board-level interest in to...

In this episode of Crypto in America, Eleanor Terrett sits down with Russ Behnam, former Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), to discuss the rapidly evolving prediction market industry, the regulatory line between financial markets and gambling, and why Congress may ultimately need to establish clearer rules for the sector.

Behnam explains how prediction markets have expanded in both scale and scope, why sports and election contracts raise new regulatory questions, and how ongoing litigation could shape the future of the industry. He also discusses whether prediction market disputes could eventually reach...

Ripple spent years fighting the SEC over how U.S. securities laws should apply to crypto. Now, Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty says the regulatory environment is finally moving toward the clearer rules the industry has been seeking.

Alderoty joins Crypto in America at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, speaking both as Ripple's Chief Legal Officer and President of the National Cryptocurrency Association, to discuss Ripple's legal battle with the SEC, the agency's evolving approach to digital assets, and what clearer regulation could mean for the next phase of crypto adoption in the United States.

The...

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce and Crypto Task Force Chief Counsel Taylor Lindman join us to discuss the SEC’s innovation exemption for tokenized stocks, the implications for DeFi and self-custody, and preparations for 24-hour trading.

Former House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry breaks down what went wrong with Clarity, whether negotiations can restart, and the risks of building crypto policy without legislation.

The American Bankers Association’s Brooke Ybarra discusses stablecoin rewards, banks’ concerns about deposit flight, and whether the banking industry’s push for restrictions backfired.

Follow...

Anthony Scaramucci says the U.S. crypto industry has made progress, but he isn't convinced Washington will deliver the regulatory certainty the market is waiting for.

The SkyBridge founder joins Crypto in America at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium to discuss the Clarity Act, why he believes political incentives could complicate its path through Congress, and what could happen if U.S. crypto policy continues to rely on agency rulemaking instead of legislation.

The conversation explores the Trump administration's approach to crypto regulation, the durability of SEC and CFTC rules, institutional adoption, why a failure to...

Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets and a key White House negotiator on the Clarity Act, joins Crypto in America as the Senate prepares for a critical vote on U.S. crypto market structure legislation.

Speaking live from the Solana Policy Institute’s Washington and Wall Street Summit, Patrick Witt breaks down the final negotiations behind the bill, why he feels “very good” about reaching the 60 votes needed to move forward, and why the outcome may ultimately come down to politics rather than policy.

The regulatory environment for crypto in the U.S. has changed dramatically, but founders and investors still face a bigger question: can today's progress provide the long-term certainty needed to build and invest for the next decade?

Miles Jennings, Head of Policy and General Counsel at a16z crypto, joins Crypto in America to discuss the Clarity Act, the limits of agency rulemaking, and why entrepreneurs still need clearer rules for building in the United States.

The conversation explores the latest Clarity Act negotiations, decentralization and control, stablecoin yield and opposition from parts of the...

The Clarity Act remains one of the crypto industry's biggest policy priorities in Washington, but what happens if Congress can't get market structure legislation across the finish line?

Kristin Smith, President of the Solana Policy Institute, joins Crypto in America at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium to discuss why passing major crypto legislation has proven more difficult than anticipated, why the SEC and CFTC may need to pursue what she calls “Operation Plan B,” and what greater regulatory certainty could mean for Solana and institutional adoption.

The conversation explores the poli...

Jonathan Jachym, Global Head of Policy and Market Structure at Kraken, joins Crypto in America at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium to break down what’s at stake as Congress weighs the Clarity Act and why legislation could provide something agency rulemaking alone cannot: long-term regulatory certainty for the U.S. crypto industry.

Jachym discusses the ongoing Clarity Act negotiations, what the SEC and CFTC could do if Congress fails to act, and the risks of relying on rules that a future administration could potentially unwind. The conversation also explores federal customer protections, Kraken’s evolving access to the...

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says tokenization has already passed the inflection point and that the question facing the U.S. is no longer whether financial assets move onchain, but how quickly and under what rules.

Cuomo joins Crypto in America from the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium to discuss tokenized securities, the future of Wall Street, the clarity Act, crypto regulation and his work with OKX and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange.

The conversation explores why Cuomo believes onchain finance can make markets faster, cheaper and more transparent...

Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly, joins Crypto In America to break down what it takes to fund the next generation of innovation. 

Leaving a $50 billion hedge fund right as the 2022 crypto winter began, Rob shares how Dragonfly maintained its conviction through the bear market to close its fourth fund at $650 million earlier this year.

Rob takes us behind the scenes of Dragonfly's massive bets on teams like Polymarket, explaining how he sees prediction markets gearing up to disrupt institutional hedging. He also dives into the realities of VC returns, why AI is currently sucking t...

Stablecoins are rapidly evolving from a niche crypto trading tool into the ultimate financial upgrade for multinational corporations. Agora wants to be at the forefront of this shift, building the bank-grade infrastructure needed to bring the Fortune 500 onchain without compromising on compliance.

Nick Van Eck, CEO and co-founder of Agora, joins Crypto In America to reveal why the next major wave of digital asset adoption will be driven by enterprise utility, cross-border payments, and regulatory clarity.

Backed by partnerships with traditional financial giants, Van Eck breaks down how the...

Tokenization has been pitched as the future of finance for years. WisdomTree is trying to prove it can work at scale.

Will Peck, Head of Digital Assets at WisdomTree, joins Crypto In America to explain why the next phase of crypto adoption may be driven less by speculation and more by tokenized funds, stablecoins and financial products that can move 24/7.

With WisdomTree’s digital asset business approaching $1 billion in assets under management, Peck breaks down what is driving institutional demand, why tokenized money market funds may become a critical bridge between crypto and traditional finance, an...

With just days before the Senate's August recess, is the Clarity Act finally headed for a vote?

Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), one of the chief architects of the Senate's digital asset market structure bill, joins Crypto In America to discuss where negotiations stand after nearly a year of work, why she still believes Majority Leader John Thune will bring the bill to the floor, and what the path to passage actually looks like.

Lummis also addresses the latest fights over the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), ethics negotiations, and whether there are enough votes to...

Sunayna Tuteja, the Fed’s first Chief Innovation Officer, spent five years trying to transform one of the world’s most powerful financial institutions from the inside.

She recruited engineers from crypto and fintech, championed AI adoption among everyone from analysts to governors, and worked alongside Governor Christopher Waller on initiatives ranging from ending the central bank’s CBDC work to developing the framework for “skinny master accounts.”

Recorded live at the Injective Summit, Sunayna tells Eleanor what happened when a longtime Fed critic joined the very institution she had spent years criticizing, and why the headwi...

It was another big week for crypto policy in Washington. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce joins us to break down her position on crypto vaults, why some DeFi products could fall under the federal securities laws, and what it means for builders and investors. Mysten Labs General Counsel Sylvia Favretto reacts to the guidance and explains why the ICE-OKX partnership could be a watershed moment for tokenization, what's still holding institutions back from moving onchain, and the next regulatory milestone that could unlock broader adoption. We also unpack the latest on the Clarity Act after Senate Republicans released more than 600...

Today’s guest is Summer Mersinger, the CEO of the Blockchain Association, a policy advocacy organization in Washington. 

In this episode, recorded live at the Injective Summit just days before the expected Senate floor vote on the Clarity Act, our co-host Jacquelyn sits down with Summer to take stock of where the bill actually stands. 

Summer breaks down why ethics has become the one issue that remained a pain point and why she's still very confident of the Clarity Act passing. Summer explains her frustration with banks walking away from a deal crypto had already conc...

Cryptocurrency didn't invent financial fraud, but it changed how money moves and how criminals exploit it. Now, with new US legislation on the table, the industry faces a bigger question: can a system built on decentralization ever become trusted infrastructure?
Eleanor, Jacquelyn, and Gerald were interviewed on the What The Fraud podcast, hosted by Tom Taraniuk for a special crossover episode.
Together they unpack the Genius Act and Clarity Act and what they actually mean for stablecoins, market structure, and consumer protection, why institutions are finally treating crypto as a technology rather than a speculative bet, the...

One year after the GENIUS Act became law, we're taking stock of what it has meant for the U.S. stablecoin industry, where implementation stands today and what comes next. To break it all down, the team is joined by Anchorage Digital co-founder and CEO Nathan McCauley, Circle Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy Dante Disparte, and former Acting Comptroller of the Currency Rodney Hood. We discuss how the law has reshaped the stablecoin market, the growing demand from banks and institutions, the rulemaking process now underway and whether the U.S. is becoming a more attractive...

Johann Kerbrat is Senior Vice President and General Manager of Robinhood Crypto, where he has led the company's crypto business since 2021.

In this episode, Eleanor, Jacquelyn, and Gerald sit down with Johann to discuss Robinhood Chain's explosive start, why memecoins are helping bootstrap liquidity, and how Robinhood plans to bring 27 million accounts onchain.

Johann also reflects on building through the SEC's regulation-by-enforcement era, explains why instant settlement could have changed the GameStop saga, and discusses tokenization, stablecoin yield, and prediction markets as some of crypto's biggest opportunities.

TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 What Crypto in A...

Today's livestream goes into how Judge Torres, the same judge from the Ripple case, just dealt Kalshi a blow, denying its bid for a preliminary injunction and ruling that New York's gambling laws aren't preempted by federal commodities law. Kalshi is already appealing to the Second Circuit, and Governor Hochul and AG James aren't backing down either. Meanwhile, the SEC drops its 2026 agenda with a real timeline for "Regulation Crypto," Better Markets goes on the attack against a potential SEC nominee, and Paradigm closes a $1.2 billion fund with its eyes on AI and robotics.

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Tom Zschach is the former Chief Innovation Officer at SWIFT, the financial messaging network that connects more than 11,500 financial institutions across more than 200 countries and underpins trillions of dollars in cross-border financial transactions every day.

In this episode, Eleanor, Jacquelyn, and Gerald sit down with Tom to unpack why he believes the long-running narrative that blockchain would "replace SWIFT" always missed the point. After more than three decades in finance at firms including Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and Barclays, followed by six years leading SWIFT's digital asset strategy, Tom recently left...

The best crypto use cases haven't been invented yet according to Adrian Wall, Senior Director of U.S. Policy at Tron DAO and Managing Director of the Digital Sovereignty Alliance. A former finance executive turned crypto policy advocate, Adrian has helped shape some of Washington's biggest digital asset debates, including around the GENIUS and Clarity Acts.

In this episode, Adrian breaks down his "Clean Slate" proposal to protect good-faith crypto builders from retroactive liability, explains why Jamie Dimon's reversal on stablecoin yield felt like "a kick in the teeth" after months of negotiations, and...

This week, we break down the latest market selloff as bitcoin slips below $60,000, Strategy's mounting paper losses, and a wave of crypto industry layoffs. We also examine the escalating legal fight over Illinois' proposed crypto transaction tax, what Congress' summer recess means for pending crypto legislation, and the growing uncertainty surrounding the Clarity Act.

Then, we sit down with three expert guests: StarkWare General Counsel Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos to unpack the CME Group's lawsuit against the CFTC over perpetual futures, Sumsub Chief Growth Officer Ilya Brovin to discuss how AI is transforming compliance and...

The clock is ticking on the Clarity Act.

In this episode, recorded at the Solana Policy Institute's Washington and Wall Street event in Chicago, SPI founder and CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine explains why he believes August 7 is the Senate's last real opportunity to pass crypto market structure legislation this Congress and why he's grown frustrated with calls for more time after 18 months of negotiations.

Miller breaks down the final hurdles standing in the bill's way, including the battle over the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), why he believes the provision is essential to protecting software developers...

The crypto industry is closely watching a lawsuit between CME and the CFTC that could shape the future of innovation in U.S. derivatives markets. We break down what's at stake for perpetual futures and other crypto-native products with Hyperliquid Strategies CEO David Schamis and 250 Digital CEO Chris Perkins. Plus, a new coalition backed by some of Wall Street's biggest names is pushing to modernize the regulatory framework for tokenized markets. Chris Hayes, Executive Director of the Coalition for Tokenized Markets, joins us to discuss the policy changes still needed to make the U.S. a global leader in...

Rep. Dusty Johnson says the window for passing crypto market structure legislation is rapidly closing. In this episode, the House Agriculture Committee’s Digital Assets Subcommittee Chair explains why the Senate needs to move quickly on the Clarity Act, where he believes lawmakers should land on DeFi regulation, how Congress is thinking about CFTC funding, and what happens if the Senate sends the House a bill it can’t support.

Johnson also explains why he compares today’s crypto industry to the early days of the internet and argues that the Clarity Act could do for...

The largest IPO in history has arrived. Elon Musk's SpaceX begins trading at a roughly $1.8 trillion valuation as the crypto market looks to recover from recent lows. Meanwhile, Clarity Act negotiations continue in the Senate, but progress on at least one key sticking point appears to have slowed with just a month left before lawmakers depart for the August recess. White House Crypto Council Executive Director Patrick Witt joins us with the latest from Washington. We also dive into the House's renewed focus on crypto taxes with former IRS Digital Assets Senior Advisor and Crypto Tax Girl Tax Director...

Adam Back is the co-founder of Blockstream, the Bitcoin infrastructure company behind the Liquid Network, and one of the original figures in the cypherpunk movement. Jenny Johnson is the CEO of Franklin Templeton, the $1.8 trillion asset manager that was the first traditional finance firm to tokenize a money market fund.

In this episode, recorded live at the 2026 Proof of Talk Conference, Eleanor sits down with both guests to discuss the convergence of Wall Street and crypto, what institutional adoption means for Bitcoin’s original vision, why tokenization is gaining momentum, the future of wallet-native fi...

Crypto is having its worst week in two years. We break down what's behind the selloff, from the AI trade to the fallout from Michael Saylor's recent bitcoin sale, with Bitwise Head of Research Ryan Rasmussen. Plus, Illinois moves to impose a new 0.2% tax on crypto transactions, and Executive Director of the Illinois Blockchain Association Olta Andoni explains why some fear it could drive users and businesses out of the state. And a new PAC launches to support pro-developer lawmakers as legal protections for software developers become one of the biggest fights in the Clarity Act. The PAC's founder...

Mike Belshe is the co-founder and CEO of BitGo, the digital asset infrastructure firm that custodies more than $100 billion in digital assets and handles roughly one-fifth of all bitcoin transaction value moved onchain.

In this episode, Mike explains why BitGo went public in January despite a choppy market, how he thinks about the wave of digital asset treasury companies following in Michael Saylor’s footsteps, and why he believes the current regulatory tailwinds are separating real builders from those simply chasing the latest cycle. He also shares his candid views on why traditional banking mo...

In a move it's been teasing for months, the CFTC greenlighted bitcoin perpetual futures contracts in the U.S. Gerald walks us through what this means and how it could impact offshore crypto companies like Hyperliquid. Plus, crypto-backed candidates swept key Texas primary runoffs. We speak with former NRSC Executive Director Jason Thielman about the industry's growing political influence and strategy heading into the midterms. And Stellar Development Foundation CEO Denelle Dixon joins us to discuss a new initiative with DTCC to bring DTC-custodied assets on-chain and what it could mean for the future of tokenization.

Scott Shay is the founder of N3XT and the founder and former chairman of Signature Bank. In this episode, Scott gives a masterclass on fractional reserve banking versus narrow banking and takes us behind closed doors of Signature Bank’s collapse during the 2023 regional banking crisis. He also offers a rarely heard perspective on Wall Street’s rush into crypto, explaining why he believes some of the industry may be moving too fast.

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