The Fintech Blueprint

In this episode, Lex chats with Marc Boiron — CEO of Polygon Labs. Marc shares his journey from law to blockchain, discussing the challenges of navigating crypto’s evolving legal landscape and the complexities of structuring compliant DeFi projects. He explains Polygon’s strategic pivot to focus on stablecoin payments, leveraging its proven blockchain and global partnerships. Marc highlights Polygon’s real-world adoption, competitive edge, and vision to become the leading platform for on-chain payments. The episode offers insights into regulatory hurdles, industry trends, and Polygon’s mission to transform digital money movement. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS: The Labs-Foundation Structure Is a Frankenstein - and Its Creator Knows It: Marc helped architect the legal frameworks behind major DeFi token launches but openly calls the outcome a “complete Frankenstein.” The arm’s-length separation between labs and foundations was necessary to survive regulatory hostility, but makes coherent execution nearly impossible. He argues projects still copying this structure today are doing so out of habit, not legal necessity. Generalist Blockchains Are Dead - Polygon Is Betting Everything on Payments: As chain architectures converge, Boiron believes differentiation through speed and low fees is over. Polygon analysed its actual usage, found stablecoin payments was the standout vertical - $2.3 trillion already moved, fintechs across LatAm, Africa, and Southeast Asia already on-chain - and went all-in. The thesis is binary: if all money moves on-chain within a decade, even the 50th-best payments chain wins big. Polygon’s Real Moat Is Enterprise Trust Built During the NFT Era: The 2022–23 enterprise NFT push looked like a dead end after FTX collapsed, but it left behind institutional due diligence and credibility. Fintechs evaluating payments chains find that Polygon has years of live production use, Fortune 500 relationships, and Stripe already defaulting to it - a trust advantage no newly launched chain can replicate. TOPICS Polygon Labs, Polygon protocol, blockchain, crypto, decentralized finance, DeFi, legal frameworks, token launches, meme coins, stablecoins, payments, fintech, Ethereum, ICO boom, web3, NFT, Stripe, Circle ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’09: From Spreadsheets to Smart Contracts: The Accidental Lawyer Who Found His Edge in Emerging Companies 4’40: Selling Your Soul for Low-Risk Capital: The Case For and Against the JD MBA 9’41: Fake It Till You Make It: How the ICO Craze of 2017 Turned One Niche Bet Into a Crypto Legal Career 13’01: Read the Actual Law: Why Memorizing the Securities Act Beat 20 Years of Legal Precedent in Crypto 18’19: The Crypto Legal Frankenstein: How Regulatory Survival, Not Business Logic, Built the Foundation-Labs-Token Structure 25’16: From Stockholm Syndrome to Meme Coin Mania: The Disorienting Cost of Crypto's Regulatory 180 30’05: The Dichotomy of Success: How Polygon's Most Celebrated Moment Was Secretly Its Most Broken 36’49: All Money on Chain: Why Polygon Is Betting Its Future on Becoming the World's Payments Blockchain 48’29: The channels used to connect with Marc & learn more about Polygon Labs Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex chats with Alex Gluchowski — Cofounder and CEO of Matter Labs, about the transformative impact of zero-knowledge proofs (ZK proofs) on blockchain scalability and privacy. They discuss Matter Labs’ evolution, the development of zkSync, and how ZK proofs enable secure, private, and efficient blockchain transactions. The conversation explores enterprise adoption, regulatory shifts, and the potential for blockchain to revolutionize global finance by enabling privacy-preserving, interoperable networks anchored to Ethereum, ultimately highlighting the growing role of cryptography in advancing financial sovereignty and innovation. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS: Incorruptibility is Blockchain’s Core Value—Not Consensus: Consensus mechanisms solve network liveness without central operators, but the guarantee that your assets can’t be spent without your permission comes from verification. Bitcoin’s “don’t trust, verify” mantra is literal: every node re-executes every transaction. Zero knowledge proofs achieve the same incorruptibility without requiring universal visibility—enabling both scale and privacy. The Regulatory Shift Has Unlocked an Entirely New Market: The post-Trump regulatory environment represents a “great divide” for crypto. Banks and enterprises that previously couldn’t engage are now actively piloting blockchain infrastructure. Matter Labs is working with Deutsche Bank, UBS, and 35+ global financial institutions through initiatives like Presidio Breakthrough. The focus has shifted from building systems to withstand regulatory hostility to integrating crypto into real business processes. Private Enterprise Chains Settling on Ethereum is the Institutional Path: Banks experimented with consortium blockchains (Hyperledger, Corda, R3) for years but failed due to privacy concerns—participants could see each other’s transactions. Zero knowledge proofs solve this by enabling private chains that interoperate trustlessly through Ethereum as a shared settlement layer. Each institution maintains sovereignty over its operations while gaining cryptographic guarantees when transacting with counterparties. TOPICS Matter Labs, zkSync, Ethereum, Consensys, Hyperledger, Arbitrum, Optimism, fintech, blockchain, zero-knowledge proofs, ZK proofs, privacy, institutional adoption, scalability, cryptography, interoperability ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’14: The Incorruptibility Problem: Why Zero Knowledge Proofs Are the Only Path to Private, Scalable Finance 5’19: From Soviet Ukraine to Zero Knowledge: How Hyperinflation and a Hunger for Freedom Built a Crypto Visionary 14’07: Freedom Has a Cost: Squaring Crypto's Libertarian Promise With a Decade of Market Abuse 17’11: The Post-Trump Paradigm Shift: Why Stablecoins Are the Shipping Container Moment for Global Finance 25’19: ZK Rollups Demystified: How a Few Kilobytes of Cryptographic Proof Inherit the Full Security of Ethereum 31’38: The Bank Stack of Ethereum: How Zero Knowledge Proofs Finally Solve the Problem Hyperledger and Corda Never Could 37’11: Ethereum as the World's Chronometer: Why Trustless Interoperability Lives or Dies Within a Single Settlement Layer 39’46: The channels used to connect with Alex & learn more about Matter Labs Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex chats with Yoshi Yokokawa, CEO of Alpaca — a brokerage infrastructure company that provides API-based trading and custody services to fintechs and developers globally. The conversation begins with their shared experience at Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis, where Yoshi worked in fixed income securitization and learned that even when market participants sense a bubble, they keep dancing because timing the exit is impossible. After Lehman's collapse, Yoshi pursued entrepreneurship, building a computer vision AI company acquired by Kyocera before founding Alpaca in 2017. Initially inspired by Robinhood, Yoshi pivoted after experiencing firsthand the friction of accessing brokerage infrastructure—realizing the deeper opportunity was building API-first brokerage rails for developers. Today Alpaca powers 9 million accounts through 300+ partners across 45 countries, recently raising $150 million at a unicorn valuation. The discussion explores how Alpaca follows Robinhood's product roadmap to anticipate partner demand, the challenges of adding crypto, and Yoshi's thesis that finance is undergoing a generational shift from digital to on-chain operations. Lex shares examples of legacy infrastructure dysfunction—from faxing PDFs to TD Ameritrade in 2012 to the Synapse collapse caused by manual CSV uploads—illustrating why Alpaca built its own custody and ledger systems as a path to competing in the $350 trillion global securities custody market. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS: Alpaca’s biggest breakthrough was not a better investing app idea, but recognizing that the real bottleneck was brokerage infrastructure. Yokokawa and team initially explored B2C product concepts, but pivoted once they experienced firsthand how painful broker-dealer setup, custody, and clearing integrations were. For readers building fintech, this is a huge lesson: the highest-value opportunity is often the “invisible” infrastructure pain, not the user-facing feature set. They found product-market fit by starting with a narrow wedge (API for automated traders) and only then expanding into a broader platform (Broker API for fintech apps). Alpaca did not begin by serving large fintechs; it first attracted power users who urgently needed programmable execution, then used inbound demand (“can I build my own Robinhood?”) as proof to build account opening, reporting, and full brokerage APIs. This is a valuable go-to-market pattern for infrastructure startups: win with a sharp use case, then expand into the system of record. Yokokawa’s core strategic edge is full-stack control of licenses, memberships, and ledger technology rather than relying on legacy vendors. He explicitly ties this to lessons from historical fintech fragility (manual workflows, broken reconciliations, middleware failures) and argues that owning the custody/clearing layer is what makes Alpaca defensible long term. For readers, this is the key takeaway on moat-building in financial services: if you don’t control the ledger and operational core, your product may scale faster at first but remains structurally fragile. TOPICS Alpaca, Lehman Brothers, Barclays, Nomura, Neuberger Berman, Blackrock, Robinhood, Interactive Brokers, TD Ameritrade, BNY Mellon, Brokerage infrastructure, API, trading, tokenization, embedded finance, fintech, crypto, web3 ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’08: From Lehman and Subprime ABS to Alpaca: Yoshi Yokokawa’s Origin Story 4’39: Neuberger’s $120B MBO and Lehman’s Core Lesson: Keep Dancing Until the Music Stops 7’17: From AAA Securitized Demand to Startup Conviction: Yoshi’s Post Lehman Pivot From Asia Institutions to Entrepreneurship 10’59: Computer Vision AI at the Deep Learning Inflection Point: Building a Profitable Startup and Exiting to Kyocera 13’29: Web2 Fintech Tailwinds and Robinhood Inspiration: Searching for the Right Investing Product in 2017 15’23: Mockups to Broker API Pivot: Why Trade Execution Pain Beat User Interview Insights in 12 Months 19’46: API Brokerage Go to Market: Winning Automated Traders First Then Expanding Into Global Fintech Infrastructure 24’25: Broker API Expansion and Early Partners: Midas and GoTrade Validate the Shift to Fintech Infrastructure and Crypto 26’53: Global Broker Demand and Crypto Buildout: Using Robinhood Signals to Drive Multi Asset Infrastructure in One API 29’48: Multi Asset Revenue and the Endgame: 300 Partners 45 Countries 9M Accounts and a $350T Custody Ambition 34’07: Tokenization as the Regime Shift: How On Chain Finance Could Disrupt BNY Mellon and Reshape $350T Custody 37’12: Fax Machines CSV Ledgers and the Case for Web3 Finance: Why Owning the Custody Stack and Ledger Matters 45’37: The channels used to connect with Yoshi &

In this episode, Lex chats to Joseph Chalom, CEO of SharpLink, a Nasdaq-listed leader in digital asset treasury management focused on Ethereum. Joseph shares his journey from BlackRock and the Aladdin platform to pioneering digital asset strategies, including staking and tokenization. The discussion explores the evolution of fintech, the integration of crypto into institutional finance, and the future of decentralized finance (DeFi) and AI-powered financial agents. Joseph highlights SharpLink approach to making Ether productive for investors and the growing institutional adoption of blockchain technologies. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS: SharpLink’s scale and “productivity” pitch for ETH We hear that SharpLink (Nasdaq listed since July 2025) has raised a little over $3B in equity, holds ~$3B of ETH, and claims it stakes nearly 100% of its ether—framing itself as a public equities “one click” way to get both ETH upside and yield. A rare behind the scenes look at BlackRock’s crypto playbook We get specifics on how BlackRock approached digital assets through three pillars—Circle/USDC reserves, the Coinbase integration (announced Aug 4, 2022) to make crypto trading “boring” for institutions, and tokenization via BUIDL on Ethereum with Securitize, which he calls the largest tokenized fund. The next wave thesis AI agents + Ethereum rails Chalom argues the underestimated unlock is autonomous AI agents using Ethereum for programmable settlement, continuously reallocating capital across staking, lending, liquidity, and DeFi while monitoring smart contract risk—replacing manual “yield farming” with always on optimization. TOPICS Sharplink, BlackRock, FutureAdvisor, Ethereum, ETH, Buidl, Aladdin, digital assets, treasury management, decentralized finance, tokenization, Bitcoin, AI, AI Agents, Roboadvisors, Autonomous Agents ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’05: SharpLink’s Ethereum Treasury: $3B Raised to Make ETH Productive 4’53: BlackRock’s iShares Era and Aladdin Explained: Risk Tech at $14T Scale 9’07: From Aladdin to Robo Advisors: Why 320,000 Advisors Couldn’t Scale 16’32: The FutureAdvisor Culture Lesson: Balancing Product Builders and Institutional Know How 18’31: BlackRock’s Three Pillar Crypto Bet: Circle Coinbase and Tokenization 25’21: Why BlackRock Picked Coinbase: Making Crypto Trading “Boring” and Institutional 28’44: From Six Week Retirement to ETH Treasury: Why SharpLink Holds “Permanent Capital” 34’12: The Treasury Trade After the Hype: Why SharpLink Beats ETH ETFs on Staking 38’55: NAV Discounts and Mean Reversion: SharpLink’s Plan to Double ETH per Share 43’39: Ethereum’s Next Growth Stack: $300B Stablecoins $14T Tokenization and Institutional DeFi 48’23: From Copilots to Autonomous Agents: Ethereum as the Rails for Machine Finance 52’21: The channels used to connect with Joseph & learn more about SharpLink Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks with John Caplan — CEO of Payoneer, a public fintech company driving over $85 billion in annual cross-border payment volume. With roots as a prepaid card provider, Payoneer has evolved into a global financial operating platform serving 2 million entrepreneurs across 190 countries.Caplan shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey—from building OpenSky and scaling it to $50 million in revenue before its acquisition by Alibaba, to now leading Payoneer’s transformation into a full-service banking alternative for global SMBs.We explore how Payoneer is addressing the complex financial needs of international businesses, competing in a dynamic payments landscape, and preparing for a future that includes stablecoins, workforce management, and potentially $1 trillion in annual volume.NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:Payoneer’s Strategic Evolution from Payout Processor to Global SMB Bank AlternativeUnder John Caplan’s leadership, Payoneer expanded beyond marketplace payouts to become a comprehensive cross-border financial platform, offering AR/AP, intra-network transfers, cards, and global workforce management. This shift has significantly increased customer retention, take rate, and profitability—highlighting how product expansion and upmarket focus can unlock durable growth in fintech.Execution Over Hype in Global Fintech InfrastructurePayoneer operates in 190 countries with 100+ banking partners and 7,000 payment routes—demonstrating the importance of deep regulatory compliance, local licensing, and multi-entity support in building resilient cross-border infrastructure. Unlike crypto-native entrants, Payoneer emphasizes last-mile utility and customer trust as core differentiators for scaling in complex markets.Profitable Scale and Global Demand for SMB Financial ServicesWith $1B+ revenue, $200M+ EBITDA, and $7.5B in customer funds held, Payoneer is proving that serving cross-border SMBs is not just a mission, but a highly profitable business. Their customer base spans from Bangladeshi freelancers to European firms doing $1M+ in volume, signaling massive, underserved global demand for modern financial tools outside the traditional banking system.TOPICSPayoneer, Alibaba, OpenSky, Stripe, Wise, Airwallex, Mercury, NuBank, digital banking, embedded finance, stablecoins, blockchain, regtech, B2B payments, SPAC, supple chain, ecommerce ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’06: John’s Career Journey: From OpenSky to Alibaba to Payoneer6’18: Inside OpenSky: Serving Global Sellers and Financing the Supply Chain9’54: Finding Traction: Failure, Product Market Fit, and China’s E‑Commerce Leap13’42: Global Distribution: Universal Ambitions, Local Execution15’52: Behavior Change Beats Legacy: Why Users Digitize When It Matters17’21: Payoneer at $85B Volume and $1B Revenue: A Platform for Global SMBs20’49: From Prepaid Cards to Core Operating Account: Evolving Payoneer’s DNA25’32: Inside Payoneer’s Architecture: Global Bank Network and Internal Ledger28’26: Global Growth Corridors: LatAm, APAC, and Take Rate Expansion31’13: Staying the Course: Payoneer’s Post-SPAC Journey Through Volatile Markets34’03: Misunderstood Value: Stablecoins, Interest Revenue, and Payoneer’s Real Strengths38’44: Where Global Commerce Bends: Regulation, Platforms, and Resilience40’58: Path to $1 Trillion: Payoneer’s Strategy for Organic and Inorganic Growth43’22: The channels used to connect with John & learn more about Payoneer Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks with Michael Egorov - Founder of Curve Finance and YieldBasis. Kicking things off about his journey from experimental physicist to founder of Curve Finance and YieldBasis, highlighting how theoretical physics concepts influenced his creation of financial invariants in DeFi protocols.Curve pioneered fully automated concentrated liquidity for stablecoins and introduced veTokenomics, a governance model rewarding long-term commitment with voting power and protocol fees. Egorov defends veTokenomics against criticisms of unlock-driven volatility, citing that most CRV locks average over 3 years and behave like permanent commitments. YieldBasis expands Curve’s approach by offering impermanent gain strategies to counter impermanent loss in volatile markets like Bitcoin, aiming to scale toward a $50B market ceiling.The discussion closes with reflections on DeFi token market structure challenges and Egorov’s call for protocols to connect token value to real economic flows by activating fee-sharing mechanisms.NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:veTokenomics Drives Long-Term Alignment and Token Sink EfficiencyMichael Egorov introduced veTokenomics in Curve to address short-termism in token governance by requiring users to lock CRV tokens for up to 4 years to gain voting power and protocol rewards. This mechanism has proven effective in practice, with the average CRV lock time exceeding 3 years, effectively removing tokens from circulation. Egorov notes that veTokenomics removed 3x more tokens from supply than buybacks would have, highlighting its material impact on protocol stability and investor alignment.YieldBasis Aims to Neutralize Impermanent Loss via Engineered Impermanent GainYieldBasis builds on Curve’s AMM infrastructure by combining two layers: a Curve pool experiencing impermanent loss, and a complementary structure engineered to capture “impermanent gain”. This dual-layer approach statistically delivers net profit in volatile assets like Bitcoin, assuming mean-reverting price movements. Egorov estimates the market ceiling for this strategy at $50 billion, positioning YieldBasis as a scalable solution for volatility-based yield generation.DeFi’s Market Structure Issues Stem from Uncertain Token-Economics LinkagesEgorov critiques much of DeFi for failing to connect protocol economics to token value. While Curve distributes fees directly to CRV lockers, most protocols (like Uniswap) have not activated fee-sharing mechanisms (”fee switches”), creating valuation uncertainty. Egorov argues that unless projects “turn the switch on” and reduce economic ambiguity, token pricing will remain volatile and fragile, hindering broader adoption and investment confidence.TOPICSCurve Finance, YieldBasis, Uniswap, MakerDAO, Convex, StakeDAO, Threshold Network, NuCypher, AladdinDAO, Athena, Yearn, DeFi, veTokenomics, AMM, Stablecoin, Tokenomics, Governance, CRV Token, Ethereum, ETH, Bitcoin, BTC ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’17: From Laser Cooling to Stablecoin Swaps: Michael Egorov on Physics-Inspired DeFi and Writing the “Laws” of Money9’12: On-Chain Macro Labs: Designing Economies at Speed14’58: Lockups vs. Liquidity Wrappers: When “Commitment” Becomes a Market for Illiquidity18’57: Delegate Democracy on Chain: Vote Aggregators, Campaign Politics, and Why Ve-Style Governance Drives Higher Participation23’52: Beyond TVL: Why Stablecoin AMMs “Need Less,” and How Yield Basis Targets Bitcoin’s Volatility to Neutralize Impermanent Loss31’00: Who Earns the Volatility Yield: Wrapped Bitcoin Deposits, Market-Maker Liquidity, and the Long Runway Before Strategy Saturation36’58: The Altcoin Valuation Trap: Why Buybacks Barely Move Prices—and Locking Can Shrink Supply40’32: Fixing Token Market Structure: Connecting Cashflows, Killing Uncertainty, and Why “Turning the Fee Switch On” Matters47’23: The channels used to connect with Michael & learn more about Curve and YieldBasis Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks with Gracy Chen - Bitget’s CEO, who transitioned from a fintech entrepreneur to leading one of the top five global crypto exchanges. Bitget processes $10–20 billion in daily trading volume and serves 120 million users across centralized and decentralized platforms. Its geographic base is mostly in Asia, but it’s expanding into Europe through regulatory compliance and new products like tokenized US stocks, which have already surpassed $20 billion in trading volume.Bitget differentiates through security features, including a $600 million protection fund, and user acquisition via both brand campaigns (e.g. Messi sponsorship) and local affiliate (KOL) marketing. Looking ahead, Bitget aims to move beyond crypto-native assets toward mass adoption, focusing on product-market fit and offering tokenized real-world assets and enterprise services.NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:Bitget Is Transitioning Toward Regulatory Compliance and Tokenized AssetsBitget, historically an offshore crypto exchange, is shifting to a compliance-first strategy in key markets like Europe (e.g., under MiCA). It’s also diversifying its product offering beyond altcoins, including tokenized US stocks and forex, which have already generated $20B in trading volume. This reflects a broader industry trend where crypto platforms aim to integrate with traditional finance and support real-world assets (RWAs).Bitget’s User Acquisition Combines Web2 Financial Discipline with Web3 Community TacticsBitget uses a hybrid marketing approach: brand partnerships like the Leo Messi campaign and grassroots affiliate marketing via KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) who earn volume-based rebates. Additionally, local teams are given budget control and tailor acquisition strategies per market. This decentralized yet data-informed model mimics Web2 CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) analysis while leveraging crypto-native community dynamics.Exchanges Are Struggling with Unsustainable Token Launch ModelsGracy Chen criticizes the crypto industry’s overreliance on speculative “narrative-driven” token launches, noting that even well-funded tokens often fail without real product-market fit. Bitget is responding by requiring more tangible utility and sustainability from listed projects and aims to balance value across users, exchanges, and project teams through mechanisms like airdrop campaigns and launch pools with TOPICSBitget, Bitget Wallet, Bitkeep, Coinbase, Binance, FTX, MetaMask, MicroStrategy, BlackRock, crypto, crypto exchange, token, altcoins, digital assets, tokenized assets, tokenizationABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’03: A $300 Revelation: The Unlikely Path to Running a Global Crypto Exchange4’00: From Offshore to Onshore: Scaling a Global Exchange for 120 Million Users10’09: Chasing Real Value: How Product Market Fit Outlasts Hype15’39: Market Structure in Flux: How Speculators Gave Way to Institutions19’14: Inside the Exchange: How Marketing and Trust Drive User Growth26’20: Balancing the Books: Navigating User Acquisition in Web3 vs Web230’38: Speculation and Signal: How Culture and KOLs Drive Crypto Adoption in Asia34’11: Fixing the Feedback Loop: Rethinking Token Launches and Expanding Beyond Altcoins40’42: Beyond the Hype: Building Sustainable Demand for Tokenized Assets Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks Friederike Ernst, co-founder of Gnosis. Together, they explore the evolution of Gnosis from an Ethereum-based prediction market project into a major infrastructure provider powering over $100 billion in DAO treasuries and $10–15 billion in monthly DEX trading via CowSwap. Tracing the company’s journey from a 2017 ICO raising $12.5 million in ETH (now worth ~$450 million) to spinning out critical tools like Safe, CowSwap, and Zodiac, all originally built for internal use.Despite their success, Gnosis recognizes that the crypto-native user base is limited and has now pivoted to building user-centric, mainstream products like the upcoming Gnosis App targeting Gen Z with real-world financial utility. The company emphasizes its founding mission of democratizing financial ownership and warns against complacency as incumbents like Stripe and Robinhood enter the space. Lastly, Gnosis sees a near-term opportunity in AI-agent driven commerce, especially through reverse advertising models that could unlock trillion-dollar markets.NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:The $12.5M ICO That Became a $450M Treasury: Gnosis raised $12.5 million in ETH during their 2017 ICO when ETH was trading at $40. Through conservative treasury management and holding their ETH position, that initial raise has sustained the company for nearly a decade and grown to approximately $450 million today. Friederike attributes this to “conservative treasury management and sheer luck” — a remarkable case study in long-term crypto treasury stewardship.Polymarket Runs on Gnosis Infrastructure: Despite Polymarket’s $10B+ valuation and mainstream recognition, it still uses Gnosis’s conditional token framework that was written years ago. Friederike acknowledges being “a little salty” that infrastructure they built powers such a significant share of the on-chain prediction market economy without Gnosis directly benefiting financially. It’s a stark illustration of the “first up the mountain” dynamic where pioneers clear the path but don’t always capture the value.The 19th Century German Banking Parallel: Friederike draws a compelling historical analogy: impoverished German farmers in the 1800s faced predatory moneylenders charging 25-40% interest. They responded by forming collective community banks, lending to each other at 4-6%. Within decades, tens of thousands existed, and one-third of Germans remain members today. She positions crypto’s ownership model as the modern equivalent — a cooperative financial revolution for a generation economically disenfranchised by incumbent systems.TOPICSGnosis, Gnosis Safe, CowSwap, Zodiac, CPK, Polymarket, Kalshi, ConsenSys, Ethereum, ETH, AI, AI Agents, ICO, Onchain, Governance, Crypto Treasury, Web3, Blockchain, Finance, Banking, Payments, Custody, WalletsABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’25: From Prediction Markets to On-Chain Governance: The Gnosis Journey with Friederike Ernst6’09: Early ICO Bets and Lasting Impact: How Treasury Design and Tooling Shaped On-Chain Governance14’10: Owning the Problem: Turning Internal Crypto Tools into Customer-Facing Products18’08: Beyond Crypto Natives: Building User-Friendly Blockchain Finance for the Next Billion24’34: Beyond the Noise: Staying True to Web3’s Ownership Revolution28’48: Culture as the Catalyst: Building User-Owned Financial Systems for a Disenfranchised Generation32’59: Reinventing Everyday Banking: A Self-Custodial Money App for the Postbank Era36’48: AI Agents With Wallets: Gnosis Chain as the Payment Rail for Autonomous Finance39’49: Reverse Advertising: How AI Agents Will Turn Your Attention Into a Trillion-Dollar Market Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks with David Namdar - CEO of the BNB Network Company, kicking off with his journey from early Bitcoin adoption in 2012 to co-founding Galaxy Digital and now leading the BNB Network Company. Namdar explains the evolution of public markets’ engagement with crypto, highlighting how regulatory hurdles and speculative cycles shaped market participation. He outlines the rise of Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) companies, crediting Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy for pioneering the model by converting $400 million in cash to Bitcoin - now holding over $75 billion in BTC. We examine how Binance, with 290 million users and 40% of global crypto volume, supports BNB as a deflationary asset, burning up to $2 billion per quarter. Finally, Namdar shares why BNB, not Bitcoin, is the focus of his new DAT initiative, offering U.S. investors exposure to an underrepresented but powerful asset.NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:Digital Asset Treasuries Are Emerging as Crypto ETFs in Disguise: Public companies like MicroStrategy and MetaPlanet are turning their balance sheets into crypto holdings, offering indirect exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and BNB. This model is attracting billions and creating a new on-ramp for investors -especially where ETFs or direct access are limited.BNB Is Massively Used Yet Underrepresented in U.S. Markets: With 290 million users and up to $2B in quarterly token burns, BNB is one of the most used tokens globally. Yet it’s largely inaccessible to U.S. investors, creating a major disconnect and a potential opportunity for BNB-focused public vehicles.Crypto Booms Often Rely on Misunderstood, Unsustainable Incentives: Namdar highlights how past cycles inflated demand through staking rewards and nominal yields, not real value. A lack of economic literacy continues to fuel hype over fundamentals, risking long-term sustainability. TOPICSBNB Network Company, Binance, BNB, Galaxy Digital, SolidX Partners, MicroStrategy, Bitcoin, Bitcoin treasury, Ethereum, Digital Asset Treasury, DAT, treasury, crypto, convertible debt, tokenomics, crypto treasury, capital markets ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’09: Building the Crypto Investment Bank: Taking Digital Assets to Public Markets4’43: Why Going Public Matters: Crypto Firms, Capital Access, and Market Credibility7’28: From Fintech to DeFi: How U.S. Markets Mispriced the Crypto Transition11’07: Real Yield vs. Hype: Why Crypto Markets Keep Getting It Wrong14’36: The Rise of Digital Asset Treasuries: How Crypto Became a Corporate Balance Sheet Strategy18’28: Financial Engineering in Crypto Treasuries: How Convertible Debt Fueled Massive Bitcoin Accumulation22’23: Boom, Hype, Exhaustion: The Capital Cycle Behind Crypto Treasuries28’52: From Foundations to Public Markets: Why BNB Is the Next Big Treasury Bet33’25: BNB by the Numbers: Inside the Tokenomics of the World’s Largest Crypto Exchange39’18: Premiums, Discounts, and Buybacks: Managing Value in Crypto Treasury Stocks44’41: The channels used to connect with David & learn more about BNB Network Co. Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks with Jess Houlgrave, CEO of WalletConnect. In this episode Jess explains how WalletConnect bridges wallets and decentralized applications (dApps), simplifying secure blockchain interactions for millions of users.Together, Lex and Jess discuss the platform’s origins, technical innovations, and massive scale - supporting over 700 wallets and 70,000 projects. The conversation covers challenges in integrating traditional finance with Web3, regulatory compliance, and WalletConnect’s decentralized, token-incentivized network. Jess also shares insights on the future of on-chain commerce, global adoption trends, and the evolving relationship between fintech and blockchain infrastructure.NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:WalletConnect Becomes Web3’s Financial Backbone: Once a simple UX fix, WalletConnect now connects 700+ wallets and 70,000+ apps, moving $400B annually. It’s evolving into the universal connectivity layer for on-chain finance - a “Visa for Web3.”Fintechs Are Forcing Crypto to Grow Up: As players like Stripe and Shopify enter Web3, they demand frictionless UX and regulatory-grade compliance, not crypto-native clunkiness. This wave will make crypto invisible but usable through embedded fintech experiences.Stablecoins Will Power On-Chain Commerce and Dollarization: Jess predicts commerce, not trading, will drive the next cycle. As stablecoins become spendable everywhere, users won’t need to off-ramp - accelerating global dollarization via open financial rails. TOPICSWalletConnect, ReOWN, Circle, Stripe, Checkout.com, MetaMask, Solana, blockchain, decentralized finance, DeFi, crypto, wallet, Web3, web2, UX, wallet infrastructure, stablecoins, tokens, token economy ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’03: WalletConnect’s Financial Connectivity Layer: CEO Jess Houlgrave on Helping Build The New Internet4’42: Universal Wallet Interoperability: How a Single Integration Connects Every App to Every Wallet9’06: Building Trust in Web3: How Seamless Wallet Connections Create the ‘Visa Moment’ for Crypto11’51: Scaling Web3 Connectivity: Inside the 50 Million Users and $400 Billion Powered by Wallet Infrastructure14’02: The Next Wave of Adoption: How Better UX and Fintech Integration Are Bringing Millions On-Chain16’53: Beyond Ethereum: How Multi-Chain Support and Compliance Are Driving the Next Phase of Web3 Growth19’41: When Web2 Meets Web3: How Fintechs Are Redefining Crypto UX and Compliance Standards22’34: Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Helping Fintechs Understand the Complexities of Web3 Integration26’37: The New Chain Race: Why Fintechs Are Repeating Banks’ Playbook and Competing for Value Capture in Web330’05: Decentralizing the Network: How Wallet Infrastructure Is Building a Sustainable Token Economy35’44: The Future of On-Chain Commerce: How Stablecoins and UX Advances Will Drive Real-World Payments39’46: The Rise of Digital Dollarization: How Open Financial Systems Are Reshaping Global Currencies40’57: The channels used to connect with Jess & learn more about WalletConnect Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks Mike Sha - the CEO and co-founder of Tandems (formerly SigFig), a leading provider of AI-powered software for wealth management firms and financial institutions. Together, Lex and Mike discuss the evolution of wealth technology through the lens of Mike’s entrepreneurial journey from founding Wikinvest in 2006 to building Tandems. Wikinvest pivoted to portfolio tracking and then to a B2B model, powering major portals like Yahoo Finance and managing over $500 billion in tracked assets. The team’s insights into poor retail investment behavior led to building SigFig, a B2B robo-advisor, eventually serving banks like UBS and Wells Fargo.Today, rebranded as Tandems, the firm offers AI-powered tools for advisors across three key areas: meetings, asset gathering, and investment management, with AI integrated via a modular “wealth OS” platform. Tandems uses an open architecture for AI, prioritizing trust, configurability, and high accuracy tailored to the specific workflows of financial advisors. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:The Realization That Most Investors Struggle on Their Own Sparked the Robo-Advisory Movement - Mike Sha’s early data from tracking $400–500 billion in retail portfolios across Yahoo!, CNN, and other finance portals revealed that most individuals consistently underperform when managing their own investments. This insight directly led to the creation of SigFig, one of the first robo-advisors, designed to make high-quality investment advice affordable and automated. It shows how data-driven observation of user behavior can uncover market inefficiencies and spark new product categories.Distribution and Integration Trumps Pure Innovation in Fintech Partnerships - Tandem’s evolution from a consumer-facing platform to a B2B software provider for major banks underscored a critical lesson: distribution and trust are the hardest parts of scaling in financial services. Rather than trying to replace institutions, Sha’s team embedded within them - learning that success requires deep integration with legacy systems and respect for the bank’s compliance and operational frameworks. The “secret” to working with large financial institutions, Sha notes, is understanding their old infrastructure and designing around it - not fighting it.AI’s Real Impact in Wealth Management Will Begin with Eliminating Repetitive Work - Tandem’s current strategy focuses on AI automation for financial advisors, not as a replacement but as an assistant. Sha highlights that over 90% of an advisor’s day involves repetitive administrative work - meeting prep, paperwork, compliance, follow-ups. Tandem’s “Wealth OS” connects legacy systems and uses AI to automate these tasks first, freeing advisors to focus on human relationship-building and advice. It’s a practical and near-term vision of AI in finance: efficiency before intelligence. TOPICSTandems, SigFig, Wikinvest, wealthtech, wealth management, fintech, ai, artificial intelligence, investment, roboadvisors, finance, financial management, banking, bank partnerships ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’31: From Wikis to Wealth Tech: Mike Sha on How 401(k)s and “Investing-as-a-Chore” Shaped Tandems7’05: Building a Fintech from the First Dot-Com Boom: The Origins of Tandem’s Founding Partnership10’46: Turning Drive-By Traffic into Real Investors: The SEO Strategy That Sparked a $500B Fintech Shift16’25: Following the Money: How Tandems Scaled Through Bank Partnerships and the Hidden Art of Integrating Legacy Systems21’58: Inside the Fintech–Bank Power Dynamic: Lessons from Partnering with UBS and Navigating the Enterprise Maze25’36: Scaling Smart: How Tandems Grew from 25 to 100 People by Blending Finance, Software, and Global Talent29’55: Beyond Robo-Advisors: How Tandems Rebranded to Tackle Wealth Management’s “Unsexy” Problems with AI34’02: AI for Advisors: Automating the 90% of Work They Don’t Want to Do39’32: Open Architecture, Not One Model: How Tandem Builds Reliable AI for Financial Institutions43’53: The channels used to connect with Mike & learn more about Tandems Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks with Marcelo Ruiz de Olano, Co-Founder of KPK (Karpatkey), an on-chain asset management firm born out of Gnosis DAO. Marcelo recounts KPK’s evolution from stewarding Gnosis’s $1B treasury to advising on more than $2B for leading protocols like ENS, Balancer, and the Ethereum Foundation. The discussion dives into the mechanics of non-custodial treasury management - balancing governance, security, and risk - along with strategies across lending, liquidity provision, and stablecoin yields. Marcelo also shares why the rise of large Ethereum treasury companies could be a turning point for DeFi, injecting institutional-scale liquidity and potentially making ETH more liquid than Bitcoin. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:Origins and Scale of On-Chain Treasury ManagementKPK spun out of Gnosis DAO, which had one of the earliest and largest on-chain treasuries (~$1B). From there, KPK evolved into an independent manager now advising on over $2B of DAO and foundation treasuries (ENS, Balancer, Ethereum Foundation, etc.), pioneering non-custodial, fully on-chain asset management practices.Conservative, Mission-Driven Approach vs. Yield-ChasingUnlike many DeFi actors during “DeFi Summer,” KPK deliberately rejected risky high-yield strategies. Instead, they prioritized capital preservation and mission alignment—for example, ensuring ENS’s treasury only supports Ethereum-strengthening initiatives (like minority client staking or avoiding centralization risks). This contrarian, values-driven approach built trust and positioned them as long-term stewards of DeFi treasuries.Transformative Potential of Ethereum Treasury CompaniesMarcelo highlights that emerging Ethereum treasury firms (similar to MicroStrategy’s BTC play) could deploy $10B+ in ETH treasuries. A single such “mega whale” could inject unprecedented liquidity into DeFi—making ETH potentially more liquid than BTC, bootstrapping entire verticals (DEX liquidity, lending, insurance), and creating a flywheel where treasury strategies directly accelerate Ethereum’s adoption and price stability. TOPICSKPK, Gnosis, Gnosis Safe, Balancer, Aave, Maker, Sky, Uniswap, Morpho, Ethereum Foundation, on-chain asset management, DAO, decentralized autonomous organization, treasury management, DeFi, tokenization, ETH, Ether, stablecoin, USDC ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’08: From Gnosis to KPK: Building the Infrastructure for On Chain Treasury Management8’00: Playing It Safe: How KPK Built Long Term DeFi Strategies in a Risk Obsessed Market11’50: DeFi Lending Unlocked: How KPK Assesses Risk and Builds Yield Strategies with Stablecoins and Leverage17’11: Treasury Playbooks: Matching DeFi Investment Strategies to Risk Profiles and DAO Values20’32: Stablecoin Farming and DAO Drama: Navigating Risk, Governance, and Community Conflicts23’18: From Impermanent Loss to Long Term Gain: Liquidity Provision and the Case for OG DeFi Protocols26’33: Behind the Smart Contracts: Why Human Ops and Governance Still Run On Chain Asset Management30’11: The Rise of Ethereum Treasury Companies: How On Chain Giants Will Supercharge DeFi Liquidity and Revenue36’34: The Ten Billion Dollar Whale: How Ethereum Treasury Giants Could Reshape Liquidity and Supercharge DeFi40’51: The channels used to connect with Mercelo & learn more about KPK Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions. Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this episode, Lex speaks with Ravi Adusumilli - President and GM of the Americas at Airwallex. Ravi and Lex discuss how Airwallex has evolved into a global financial platform by offering businesses an integrated suite of cross-border payments, treasury, and banking services. Founded in 2015, Airwallex now supports 150,000 customers, processes $130 billion in annualized volume (up 73% YoY), and projects a $1 billion revenue run rate by year-end.The company’s success stems from its end-to-end infrastructure, homegrown payment rails, and multi-product strategy, with 80% of revenue now coming from customers using more than one product. Airwallex differentiates itself by focusing on global-first B2B use cases and building regional autonomy alongside centralized infrastructure. While not prioritizing stablecoins today, the company is exploring AI-driven financial operations and aims to reach $1 trillion in transaction volume by 2030. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:Airwallex’s Infrastructure: Proprietary Global Payment NetworkAirwallex operates a proprietary global payment infrastructure that processes 95% of its $130 billion in annualized transaction volume. The company has developed its own technology and regulatory framework in partnership with over 60 banks worldwide. This approach reduces dependence on legacy systems such as SWIFT and supports greater control over transaction speed, cost, and compliance.Expansion Through Multi-Product OfferingAirwallex has expanded its services beyond cross-border payments to include card issuance, spend management, treasury functions, and merchant acquiring. According to company data, 80% of revenue is generated from customers using multiple products. Payments now account for 70% of net revenue and are growing at three times the rate year over year.Decentralized Go-To-Market StructureAirwallex employs a regional management model, with General Managers responsible for performance and operations in specific geographies. This structure is supported by centralized functions such as product development, compliance, and engineering. With 1,700 employees in 26 offices, the company uses this hybrid model to manage growth and adapt to local regulatory environments across multiple regions, including Latin America and Asia-Pacific. TOPICSAirwallex, Stripe, Brex, Rippling, Shopify, Pinterest, Visa, fintech, global payments, e-commerce, cross-border transactions, paytech, embedded payments, CFO stack, stablecoins, AI ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’02: Building Through Partnerships: The Platform Strategy Behind a $130B Fintech7’24: Why It’s Working: Scaling B2B Payments in a Crowded Fintech Market12’21: From Coffee Beans to Global Rails: How Cross-Border Payments Became the Wedge for Platform Expansion19’02: Sticky by Design: How Regional Autonomy and Multi-Product Depth Drove Global Expansion25’31: From Credibility to Scale: When Partnerships Start Driving Growth29’33: Beyond Point Solutions: Why Global Platforms Are Replacing Fragmented Payment Stacks34’47: Solving the CFO Stack: A Unified Approach to Global Money Movement38’14: Resilient by Design: How Airwallex Manages Multi-Bank, Multi-Market Complexity42’51: The Hidden Cost of Scale: Inside the Engineering Behind a $130B Network46’15: The Next Phase: Airwallex’s Vision for a Global Financial OS49’54: The channels used to connect with Ravi & learn more about Airwallex Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions. Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Matthew Le Merle - CEO of Blockchain Coinvestors, a leading blockchain and AI fund-of-funds. He reflects on the limitations of large institutions in adopting disruptive technologies and why he chose to back innovators over incumbents, using stablecoins as an example of asymmetric value creation. Le Merle explains his evolution from angel investor to institutional LP, highlighting the benefits of leveraging top-tier venture capitalists’ expertise in inefficient early-stage markets. He outlines the psychological challenges of venture investing, where failures appear early and outsized wins often take a decade, contrasting this with the faster liquidity but higher existential risk in token markets. Finally, he critiques institutional allocators for over-relying on efficient markets, under-allocating to venture despite its role in driving future value, and positions his strategy as fully committed to early-stage blockchain and AI as the highest-returning segments. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:1. Innovation Threatens Incumbents, Benefits Disruptors: Major technological shifts, from the internet to blockchain and AI, create winners and losers. Incumbents often resist disruptive change because it threatens existing revenue models, while nimble startups and tech-first companies can rapidly capture new market opportunities.2. Venture Success Requires Navigating High Failure Rates: In early-stage investing, most portfolio companies will fail, often within the first 3–4 years. Returns are driven by a small number of outsized successes, usually via acquisitions rather than IPOs, requiring patience, resilience, and a disciplined investment strategy.3. Inefficient Markets Offer the Greatest Asymmetric Upside: Early-stage venture and emerging technologies like blockchain and AI are inefficient markets where superior access, insight, and execution can generate returns far above those available in traditional, efficient markets like public equities or bonds. TOPICSBlockchain Coinvestors, Band of Angels, AngelList, Blockchain Capital, Pantera, Sequoia, Andreessen, BlackRock, Fidelity, Blockchain, DeFi, Decentralized Finance, Investment, Venture Capital, Angel Investment, Fund of Funds ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS1’33: From Consulting to Disruption: Matthew Le Merle on Pivoting from Advising Incumbents to Backing the Innovators9’56: From Angel Checks to Global Funds: Building One of the World’s Largest Blockchain Co-Investment Platforms16’50: Leveraging Top Venture Funds to Capture Blockchain and AI’s Biggest Winners: Evolving from Direct Deals to an LP Strategy24’50: The Emotional Reality of Venture Investing: Coping with Early Failures, Long Timelines, and Rare Big Wins32’13: Early Liquidity, Higher Risk: Why Most Token Projects Fail Without Ever Delivering Software35’20: Backing Winners in Inefficient Markets: What Makes a Venture Fund Worth Investing In42’59: Why Institutional Portfolios Miss the Future: The Case for Shifting Capital from Efficient to Inefficient Markets51’08: The channels used to connect with Matthew & learn more about Blockchain Coinvestors Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions. Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Harish Natarajan - Practice Manager, Financial Inclusion and Infrastructure, Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation at the World Bank, and Carlos Brandt - The Senior Advisor for Pix at the Central Bank of Brazil. Together they discuss the remarkable success of Pix, Brazil's real-time payment system, which now sees over 6 billion transactions per month and is used by more than 90% of the adult population and 80% of companies. Lex explores how Pix was created by the Central Bank of Brazil with strong public-private collaboration, backed by regulatory authority and supported by a co-creation model with stakeholders. Key to its adoption were a low-cost centralized infrastructure, clear branding, mandatory participation by large banks, and a robust national communication strategy. Globally, Pix is seen as a leading example of fast payment system deployment, driven by the central bank acting as a neutral coordinator and scheme owner. Lex also examines the technical architecture, built in-house by a surprisingly small team of 55–65 people, and how scalable infrastructure and extensibility have enabled rapid growth and innovation. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS: 1. Pix achieved mass adoption through public-private co-creation and legal mandate:Pix now processes over 6 billion transactions per month, with 90% of Brazil’s adult population and 80% of businesses actively using it. Its success stems from a strategic legal mandate in 2013 granting the Central Bank regulatory and operational authority over retail payments. The Central Bank then led a co-creation process involving both public and private stakeholders through the Pix Forum, fostering alignment, inclusivity, and strong network effects.2. A lean but powerful team built a nation-scale real-time payments system:The Pix infrastructure was built entirely in-house by a relatively small team, 30-40 people for the technical infrastructure layer and around 25 for the payment scheme layer. It operates 24/7 with real-time settlement and uses centralized infrastructure separate from Brazil’s traditional large-value payment rails. This centralized, purpose-built architecture dramatically lowered costs and enabled rapid rollout.3. Strategic communication and mandated participation drove adoption at scale:The Central Bank led a national communication campaign to build trust, establish a strong brand identity, and educate the public. Simultaneously, it mandated major banks (with over 500,000 active accounts) to join Pix, triggering widespread voluntary adoption from smaller PSPs. The rollout included a restricted pilot phase and emphasized user-friendly features like QR codes and aliases to boost convenience and usage from day one. TOPICS Pix, Central Bank of Brazil, World Bank, Visa, Citibank, M-Pesa, Alipay, SPI, fintech, payments, PSP, API, Fast Payments, Payments Infrastructure, PayTech ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’19: Building Pix from the Ground Up: Carlos Brandt on Modernizing Brazil’s Payment Infrastructure 3’03: Fast Payments for Financial Inclusion: Harish Natarajan on the World Bank’s Role in Modern Payment Infrastructure 4’29: From Cash to 5 Billion Transactions a Month: How Pix Transformed Brazil’s Payment Ecosystem Through Public-Private Collaboration 10’41: Why Pix Succeeded Where Others Struggled: The Power of Neutral Coordination and Public-Private Synergy 12’40: Inside the Pix Forum: How Brazil Built a Collaborative Process for Payment Innovation 15’07: Fast Payments at Scale: Market Coordination, Infrastructure, and Global Lessons from Pix 20’55: Engineering Pix: How a Small Team Built Brazil’s 24/7 National Payments Infrastructure from Scratch 27’28: Driving Nationwide Adoption: How Strategic Communication and Mandates Powered Pix’s Rollout Across Brazil 34’14: Scaling for Success: Why Communication, Extensibility, and API Design Are Key to Evolving Payment Systems 37’23: Building Trust Through Cooperation: How Regulators Can Foster Innovation While Balancing Public and Private Interests 40’06: The channels used to connect with Carlos & learn more about The Central Bank of Brazil. 40’39: The channels used to connect with Harish & learn more about The World Bank Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex speaks with Ali Niknam, CEO and founder of Bunq, a leading European neobank. Ali shares Bunq’s journey from its founding during the financial crisis to becoming Europe’s second-largest neobank. The conversation explores Bunq’s user-centric philosophy, innovative products, and unique organizational design. Ali discusses overcoming regulatory challenges, prioritizing cultural values, and fostering accountability within teams. The episode also examines the complexities of the European fintech landscape and Bunq’s mission to revolutionize banking by focusing on user needs and continuous improvement. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Bunq, ING, Revolut, Betterment, Synapse, TransIP, Fintech, banking, crypto, neobank, challenger bank, culture, Europe, VC ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’09: Bunq’s Bold Mission: Ali Niknam on Reinventing Banking for the Modern User 6’27: Building from the Core: Why Bunq Chose the Hard Road to Reinvent Banking 10’08: Bootstrapped Banking: Building Bunq Without External Capital or Compromise 13’56: Launching the Future: Bringing Innovation to Market with Bunq’s First 45-Person Team 17’35: From Payments to Personalization: How Users Drove a Decade of Product Innovation 19’52: Designing for Eva: How Bunq Rebuilt Its Organization Around the User, Not the Org Chart 22’02: Beyond Titles: How Bunq’s Ownership-Driven Culture Redefines Teams, KPIs, and Hierarchy 28’14: Culture Over Compensation: How Bunq Attracts Mission-Aligned Talent Without Relying on Equity 35’06: Europe’s Tech Paradox: Why Innovation Thrives Despite Fragmentation—and What Must Change 39’11: The channels used to connect with Ali & learn more about Bunq 43’07: The channels used to connect with Edward & learn more about Zerohash Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Edward Woodford - CEO of Zerohash. They discuss Zerohash’s growth, the rise of stablecoins, and the evolving fintech landscape. Edward explains how stablecoins now make up half of Zerohash’s volume, highlights regulatory shifts in the U.S. and abroad, and explores the distinction between crypto and stablecoins. The conversation covers usability challenges, emerging payment use cases, and the future of embedded finance, emphasizing the need for regulatory clarity and collaboration between fintechs and traditional financial institutions. Notable discussion points: 1. Stablecoins Overtake Crypto in Volume: Stablecoins now make up over 50% of Zerohash’s volume, driven by regulatory clarity and real-world use cases like payments and treasury. Institutions prefer them for their centralized control and ease of integration.2. Brokerage and Payments Are Converging: Zerohash sees strong demand across brokerage and payment rails, with banks and fintechs embedding stablecoin infrastructure. Global payouts, account funding, and subscriptions are key growth areas despite UX friction.3. Regulatory Climate Is Rapidly Improving: U.S. policy has shifted from regulatory overreach to bipartisan support for stablecoin legislation. This change is unlocking institutional adoption, with banks now moving aggressively into crypto and digital assets. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Zerohash, MoonPay, Transak, Ramp, Stripe, BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Hamilton Lane, Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab, SoFi, Uniswap, fintech, web3, digital assets, blockchain, tokenization, rwas, stablecoin, crypto, regulation ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’51: From Crisis to Convergence: Edward Woodford on Scaling Zerohash and the Future of Embedded Crypto Infrastructure 5’06: Scaling the Pie, Not Stealing Slices: Rethinking Volume, Margins, and Meaningful Growth in Digital Asset Infrastructure 10’02: The Great Rebrand: How Stablecoins Are Shedding the 'Crypto' Label and Reshaping Digital Finance 15’22: From Overreach to Opportunity: How Regulatory Pushback in the U.S. Sparked a Global Shift Toward Stablecoin Adoption 20’31: The Semantics of Trust: Why ‘Stablecoin’ Sells and ‘Crypto’ Scares - and Why the Framing Now Matters More Than Ever 22’36: Unlocking Real Utility: Why Stablecoin Payments Are Finally Poised to Scale Across Commerce and Subscriptions 30’50: Disrupting the Rails: How Stablecoins Are Reshaping the Power Dynamics of Global Payments 34’49: The New Brokerage Mandate: Why Every Platform Is Racing to Add Crypto - and What’s Unlocking the Shift 39’03: Rewiring Financial Infrastructure: How Stablecoins and Super Apps Are Forcing Banks to Rethink Risk and Relevance 43’07: The channels used to connect with Edward & learn more about Zerohash Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Yuval Rooz, CEO and co-founder of Digital Asset, about the company’s transformation from its early institutional blockchain experiments to launching the Canton Network - a purpose-built, privacy-enabled smart contract platform designed for financial markets. Rooz shares insights into why Digital Asset was inspired by Bitcoin’s financial principles rather than its technical assumptions, highlighting the importance of rethinking blockchain infrastructure rather than replicating flawed legacy models. He also unpacks the hard lessons from high-stakes projects like the Australian Stock Exchange overhaul, emphasizing why large-scale financial infrastructure must evolve incrementally to succeed. Finally, the conversation dives into Canton’s unique tokenomics, where 70% of block rewards go to the developers and users who create economic activity on the network, challenging traditional validator-centric models and aligning incentives more fairly for long-term ecosystem growth. Notable discussion points: 1. Canton’s innovative tokenomics: Unlike Ethereum, where validators capture most of the rewards, Canton allocates 70% of block rewards to developers and applications, creating sustainable alignment. 2. Lessons from ASX: Rooz reflects on the failed ASX blockchain migration, advocating for iterative upgrades rather than “big bang” infrastructure transformations. 3. True tokenization: Rooz critiques superficial on-chain IOU models, asserting that real tokenization must place the asset’s books and records natively on-chain to unlock the benefits of DeFi and composability. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Digital Asset, Canton Network, DRW, ASX, Ethereum, Bitcoin, Plaid, DAML, fintech, web3, tokenization, digital assets, financial infrastructure, DeFi, onchain ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’28: From Wall Street to Web3: Yuval Rooz on Founding Digital Asset and the Birth of the Canton Network 4’29: Rethinking Blockchain: Rejecting Ethereum’s Assumptions to Build a Better Financial Infrastructure 8’18: Getting Banks to Say Yes: Bridging Blockchain Innovation with Regulatory Reality 12’43: Blockchain at Scale: Lessons from the ASX Project and Why Incremental Innovation Beats Big Bang Deployments 21’27: Agile by Design: How Canton Aims to Bring Continuous Delivery to Decentralized Blockchain Networks 23’50: Beyond the Hype: Why Crypto Needs Pragmatism, Not Just Vision, to Integrate with Financial Institutions 27’08: From DAML to Canton: Building Scalable, Privacy-First Infrastructure for Real-World Finance 30’52: Redefining Tokenization: Real On-Chain Finance at Scale with Trillions in Assets on Canton 35’34: Solving the Tokenization Gap: Bridging Legacy Infrastructure with Decentralized Architecture 39’13: Seeding Web3 with Real Assets: Canton’s Strategy to Power DeFi with Institutional-Grade Infrastructure 41’33: Custom Rules, Shared Rails: How Canton Balances Decentralization with Regulatory Flexibility 44’30: Aligning Incentives: How Canton’s Tokenomics and Fair Launch Redefine Value Creation on Chain 49’35: The channels used to connect with Yuval & learn more about Digital Asset and Canton Network Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Stani Kulechov - founder and CEO of Aave, a leading decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol. They explore the evolution of DeFi, Aave’s growth, and its architectural shift from a peer-to-peer model to pooled liquidity. Stani reflects on the early days of DeFi, the impact of the FTX collapse, and the increasing adoption of DeFi over centralized exchanges. They discuss Aave’s strategies for attracting assets, the importance of capital efficiency, and future innovations, including the tokenization of real-world assets and the role of stablecoins. Notable discussion points: 1. Aave Reaches $40 Billion in Net Deposits: Stani Kulechov shared that Aave has achieved a record-breaking $40 billion in net deposits and $25 billion in active liquidity, making it the largest DeFi lending protocol ever by total value locked (TVL). 2. DeFi’s Evolution from Peer-to-Peer to Liquidity Hubs: The conversation detailed Aave’s architectural shift from early peer-to-peer lending models to pooled liquidity and now to a hub-and-spoke model with Aave V4 — designed to balance capital efficiency and risk segregation for both native crypto and real-world assets (RWAs). 3. The Rise of Real-World Assets and Stablecoins in DeFi: Kulechov emphasized that tokenized real-world assets (like treasuries) and decentralized stablecoins (such as Aave's GHO) are reshaping the DeFi landscape, predicting RWAs will outgrow both stablecoins and native crypto assets in total value locked within five years. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Aave, Lens Protocol, GHO, Horizon, FTX, Project Guardian, AaveDAO, MakerDAO, Web3, DeFi, Lending, stablecoins, tokens, RWA, decentralized finance, capital markets, DAO, Digital Assets ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’11: DeFi at $40B: How a Lending Protocol Redefined Blockchain Finance 9’06: From Peer-to-Peer to Liquidity Hubs: Evolving the Architecture of DeFi Lending 15’01: DeFi's Growth Curve: From Airdrops to Institutional Adoption After FTX 20’49: Scaling Safely: How a Lending Protocol Outpaced Rivals Through Capital Efficiency and Brand Trust 24’34: Beyond Infrastructure: Why Token Issuers Need Capital Markets, Not Just DeFi Hype 28’33: Building Beyond Lending: How a Stablecoin and Institutional Arm Power DeFi Profitability 31’33: From JPMorgan to BlackRock: How Horizon Bridges Institutions to On-Chain Finance 35’18: Tokenized Treasuries and the Future of DeFi: Why RWAs Will Eclipse Stablecoins by 2030 39’36: From Fragmentation to Focus: Why DeFi’s Future Depends on Application Layers, Not More Chains 41’47: The channels used to connect with Stani & learn more about Aave and Avara Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Avlok Kohli - the CEO of AngelList, about the company's significant evolution. Initially a platform for startups to connect with venture capitalists, AngelList has transformed into a comprehensive fintech entity encompassing private equity and cryptocurrency. Avlok discusses the strategic pivots, including the introduction of syndicates and rolling funds, that have redefined the company's business model. The episode also explores the broader implications of crowdfunding and the unique challenges in the crypto space, offering a deep dive into AngelList's impact on the financial services industry. Notable discussion points: 1. AngelList’s Second Founding: Reinvention as a Fintech Platform: Since 2019, AngelList has transformed from a mixed-use startup platform into a focused fintech infrastructure business for fund managers. Avlok Kohli spun out the syndicates arm and built a scalable product offering that includes SPVs, venture funds, and innovative structures like Rolling Funds and Roll Up Vehicles. This pivot catalyzed explosive growth—from ~$1B in AUM in 2019 to $171B+ today—by enabling fund creation and deployment at scale. 2. Product Innovation as a Strategic Advantage: Instead of competing with well-capitalized incumbents like Carta on sales and marketing, AngelList focused on building category-defining products. The launch of Rolling Funds—allowing fund managers to raise publicly and continuously—was a breakout moment. It created viral word-of-mouth growth and redefined how emerging fund managers could access capital, illustrating the principle: “You can’t win by playing someone else’s game.” 3. AI and the Future of Private Markets Infrastructure: AngelList is embedding AI across three strategic layers: (1) Back-office automation, replacing manual workflows, (2) Customer service enhancement, enabling agents to respond to LPs with real-time data, and (3) Data reasoning products, like Fin, which analyzes anonymized fund and secondary data to deliver actionable private market insightsThis positions AngelList not only as an admin platform but as a data intelligence layer over the private capital markets. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Fintech, Web3, Venture, VC, Venture capital, private markets, fundraising, crowdfunding, crypto, web3, AI, Angellist, Coinlist, Carta, Gumroad ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’09: AngelList Reimagined: How Avlok Kohli Transformed a Startup Directory into a Fintech Powerhouse 6’43: Syndicates vs. Crowdfunding: Solving the Signal Problem in Startup Investing 11’43: From Community to Capital: Rebuilding AngelList Through Business Model Reinvention and Rolling Fund Innovation 16’49: Playing a Different Game: How AngelList Scaled by Redefining the Category Through Product Innovation 21’59: Creating the Category: How Rolling Funds Sparked a Movement and Redefined Venture Fundraising 28’51: From $1 Billion to $125 Billion: How AngelList Scaled by Saying No Before Saying Yes 32’56: The Liquidity Mirage: Why Private Market Access Remains Elusive for Most Investors 37’57: AI Meets Private Markets: Automating Back Offices, Enhancing Customer Touchpoints, and Powering Intelligent Fund Infrastructure 42’26: The channels used to connect with Avlok & learn more about Angellist Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Jamie Burke - founder of Outlier Ventures, about the current state and future of Web3, decentralized finance, and the metaverse. Jamie highlights Outlier Ventures' impressive growth, with a portfolio of around 400 startups, and discusses successful projects like IOTA and Fetch.ai. The conversation delves into the open metaverse, emphasizing the importance of infrastructure and middleware in blending physical and digital realities. Jamie also explores the transformative role of AI in the metaverse and offers practical advice for entrepreneurs navigating this rapidly evolving landscape. Notable discussion points: 1.The “Post-Web” Is an Intent-Led Internet: Jamie Burke outlines a shift from today’s attention-based web to an intent-driven internet, powered by AI agents, Web3 infrastructure, and DePIN. In this model, agents act on user intent, radically streamlining interactions and replacing much of today’s web interface. 2. Web3 Will Be Run by Machines, Not People: Burke predicts that autonomous agents—not humans—will become the primary users of blockchains, making crypto “machine money.” As a result, products, brands, and processes matter less, while incentive systems and on-chain automation take center stage. 3. Founders Must Embrace Systems Thinking: In the Post-Web era, survival depends on designing self-optimizing systems, not just building products. Burke stresses that token engineering, incentive design, and value flow mapping will define the next generation of durable startups. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Web3, decentralized finance, metaverse, Open metaverse, Post web, Outlier Ventures, IOTA, Fetch.ai, accelerator program, AI, artificial intelligence, Agentic AI, agents, Web3, post-web, digital economy, blockchain technology ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’18: Outlier Ventures in 2025: From IOTA to Fetch.ai, Backing the Infrastructure Behind Intelligent Web3 10’24: The Open Metaverse Revisited: Outlier’s Long-Game Bet on Augmented Reality, Middleware, and AI-Driven Agents 26’01: FThe Post-Web Era: How AI Agents, Web3 Infrastructure, and Delegation Will Redefine the Internet 35’57: From Attention to Intention: How AI Agents and Web3 Are Flipping the Internet on Its Head 49’39: Surviving the Post-Web Paradigm: Why Founders Must Shift from Startup Thinking to Systems Design 57’49: The channels used to connect with Jamie & learn more about Outlier Ventures Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Josh Reeves, co-founder of Gusto, a company specializing in payroll, HR, and benefits solutions for small businesses. Josh shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, highlighting the challenges and strategies involved in building Gusto. The discussion covers the evolution of technology from Web 2.0, the importance of understanding customer needs, and maintaining strong unit economics. Josh emphasizes Gusto's mission to simplify payroll and HR tasks for small businesses, aiming to improve their survival rates and overall efficiency. The episode underscores the significance of product quality and customer satisfaction in navigating industry competition. Notable discussion points: 1. Solving Payroll as a Massive, Underserved SMB Pain Point: Reeves highlighted how in 2011, 40% of small businesses were fined annually due to manual payroll errors. Gusto addressed this pain using cloud and mobile tech, making payroll fast, accurate, and accessible—especially for non-experts. 2. Product Sequencing and the Power of a Payroll-Centric Ecosystem: Starting with payroll, Gusto built a sticky, horizontal product with strong retention. From there, they expanded into benefits, time tracking, and more—adding products based on customer pull and reinforcing their ecosystem. 3. Organizational Evolution: From Founder-Led to Functional and Matrixed: Gusto grew from 3 co-founders to 2,600+ employees by evolving from a hands-on team to a matrix structure. Reeves emphasized hiring leaders suited to each stage and giving small, focused teams autonomy to drive new product development. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Fintech, Gusto, Payroll, HR, Zazzle, SMB, CAC, Customer, Scaling, Growth, Web2.0 ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’13: From PhD Dropouts to Payroll Pioneers: Joshua Reeves on Building Gusto and Solving Real Problems with Technology 4’21: The Web2 Reawakening: Democratizing Creation and Commerce Through the Internet 8’14: From Pen and Paper to the Cloud: Tackling Payroll Pain and Modernizing SMB Operations 11’15: Is Gusto a Fintech?: Ignoring Labels, Solving Problems, and Building for Small Business from Day One 16’07: Cracking the SMB Code: Building Scalable Products with Strong Unit Economics and Organic Growth 19’39: The Fundamentals of Scaling: Navigating CAC, LTV, and Retention in Subscription Businesses 22’49: Building Beyond Payroll: How Customer Demand and Smart Sequencing Shaped a Scalable Product Organization 27’16: Scaling with Intention: Evolving Leadership, Structure, and Talent from 10 to 2,600 People 33’00: Structuring for Scale: Balancing Autonomy, Focus, and Flexibility in a Multi-Product Organization 36’22: From Traction to Tenure: Scaling Impact, Navigating Competition, and Building for the Next Decade 41’12: The channels used to connect with Joshua & learn more about Gusto Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews David Snider - founder and CEO of Harness Wealth. David shares his extensive fintech journey, including his pivotal role at Compass, a real estate technology firm. He discusses the challenges of aligning agents with new technology and the evolution of Compass's business model to empower agents with better tools and incentives. Transitioning to Harness Wealth, David explains his vision to enhance tax advisory services through a modern platform, addressing complex financial needs. The episode underscores the importance of innovation and human expertise in fintech and real estate. Notable discussion points: Empowering Advisors in Complex Industries: David Snider has built platforms that enhance human advisors rather than replace them—first in real estate with Compass - a technology-powered real estate brokerage, now in tax with Harness Wealth. In industries with high complexity and large transaction sizes, like wealth management and real estate, human expertise remains essential. His approach emphasizes that technology should enable, not displace, trusted advisors. Compass Pivoted to Power Top Agents: Compass began with a plan to disrupt real estate agents but pivoted to support top performers with better tech and economics. This shift—paired with smart execution—enabled rapid growth and market leadership by focusing on high-value agents and transactions, rather than cutting them out of the process. Harness Wealth Modernizes Complex Tax Advisory: Harness Wealth applies a Compass-like model to tax, serving clients with equity comp, crypto, and private investments by connecting them to top advisors through a modern, tech-enabled experience. The platform improves both advisor workflows and client usability, targeting a large, underserved market that DIY tools can’t effectively serve. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Fintech, Harness Wealth, Compass, AI, RealEstate, Platform-As-A-Service, Advisory, Data, Tax, WealthTech, TaxTech, CryptoTax, PersonalFinance, FinancialAdvisors ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’06: From Bain to Compass: David Snider on Navigating Finance, Real Estate, and the Rise of Advisor-Enabled Tech 5’42: Evolving Real Estate Through Tech: Market Levers, Rollups, and Building Compass's Super Agent Model 13’20: Digital vs. Human: Why Tech Wins in Some Industries—and Advisors Thrive in Others 17’16: Scaling Compass: How Tech, Economics, and a New Go-to-Market Strategy Fuelled Rapid Agent Growth 22’20: Overcoming Resistance: The Grind Behind Compass’s Data Integration and Agent Tech Adoption 26’13: From Compass to Harness: Building a Tech-Driven Platform to Simplify Complex Tax and Financial Advice 31’05: Serving the Underserved: How Harness Wealth Empowers Advisors and Clients Navigating Complex Tax Needs 34’16: Building Smarter Tax Tech: Harness’s Curated Approach to Streamlined Data, Insights, and Advisor Collaboration 36’02: Scaling with Purpose: Harnessing Data, Advisor Value, and a Massive Market Opportunity in Tax 37’46: The channels used to connect with David & learn more about Harness Wealth Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Scott Woody, CEO and founder of Metronome, a usage-based billing platform. Scott shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, detailing his experiences at UC Berkeley, D.E. Shaw, and Stanford, where he studied biophysics. His tenure at Dropbox, where he tackled billing system challenges, inspired the creation of Metronome. The discussion highlights Metronome's real-time billing data capabilities, which aim to improve business efficiency and customer experience. Scott also explores the broader implications of AI in fintech, emphasizing the shift towards usage-based business models and the importance of real-time data. Notable discussion points: Metronome emerged from firsthand frustrations at Dropbox, where Scott Woody experienced how rigid billing systems slowed growth, confused customers, and blocked real-time insights. He built Metronome as a flexible, real-time billing engine that merges usage data with pricing logic—powering the monetization infrastructure for top AI companies today. Real-time billing isn’t just about invoices—it's a strategic revenue lever. For AI and SaaS businesses alike, Metronome enables teams to run dynamic experiments, optimize GPU allocation, and make last-minute decisions to hit quarterly targets—turning billing into a core growth engine. The rise of AI is accelerating a shift to usage-based models. As AI becomes specialized labor across verticals (from loan collection to customer service), companies are rapidly replatforming, and entire industries may flip from seat-based to outcome-based pricing within quarters—Metronome is positioned as the "payment processor" for this AI economy. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Metronome, Dropbox, Datadog, OpenAI, AI, AGI, machine learning, pricing models, financial services, business optimization, operational frameworks, analytics, financial modeling ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’05: Talent Spotting and Swag Strategy: How Scott Woody Recruited the Brightest Minds at Berkeley 7’27: From Biophysics to Startups: How Stanford and Protein Folding Led Scott into Tech 9’28: Lessons from Dropbox: Why Talent Density Beats Perks in Building Scalable Tech Teams 14’09: Solving the Billing Bottleneck: How Metronome Powers Real-Time Monetization for Modern Tech 19’45: Real-Time Revenue Intelligence: How Metronome Helps Teams Optimize Pricing, Experiments, and GPU Allocation 24’55: Optimizing AI Economics: Metronome’s Real-Time Matching of Model Usage, Customer Spend, and GPU Allocation 29’03: The Rise of Usage-Based AI: Why Real-Time Monetization Is Reshaping Business Models Across Tech 34’25: Specialized AI as Labor: Why Purpose-Built Agents Are Shaping the Future of Work and Software Integration 40’46: The Tipping Point for AI Adoption: Why Clear ROI and Competitive Pressure Are Rewriting Entire Industries 48’39: The channels used to connect with Scott & learn more about Metronome Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Sam Williams - founder of Arweave. This episode delves into the innovative aspects of Arweave, a protocol designed for permanent data storage and computation within the Web3 ecosystem. The discussion covers a range of topics, from the economic models underpinning Arweave to its potential applications in decentralized finance (DeFi) and beyond. Notable discussion points: The Founding of Arweave and its Mission – Sam Williams’ interest in distributed computing and concerns about authoritarianism led him to create Arweave in 2017. Inspired by the Snowden leaks, he saw the need for a blockchain-based permanent storage solution to protect journalism, historical records, and digital assets from censorship. Decentralized vs. Distributed Storage – Williams explained how Arweave differs from alternatives like IPFS and Filecoin. Unlike traditional storage, which requires ongoing payments, Arweave uses a one-time payment model. This storage endowment leverages declining storage costs to ensure long-term data persistence without relying on centralized infrastructure. Arweave’s Expansion into Decentralized Compute – Arweave has evolved beyond storage to develop decentralized computing through "Arweave IO." This enables parallelized smart contract execution, making it possible to run AI models, financial automation, and decentralized apps on-chain—aligning with Web3’s shift toward autonomous, intelligent systems.MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Arweave, permanent data storage, Web3, decentralized systems, distributed systems, blockchain, economic models, IPFS, Filecoin, decentralized computing, decentralized finance, compute ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’06: From Distributed Computing to Decentralized Truth Preservation: A Journey into Web3 4’31: Decentralization vs. Distribution: Defining the Future of Web3 Infrastructure 9’41: Building a Decentralized Archive: Arweave’s Journey from Vision to Adoption 16’28: Web3 Storage Economics: Arweave vs. IPFS and the NFT Data Dilemma 22’42: Arweave’s Endowment Model: A Blockchain-Native Approach to Permanent Storage 27’13: Arweave’s Next Chapter: From Permanent Storage to Decentralized Supercomputing 31’36: Decentralized AI and Agent Finance: Expanding Arweave’s Computational Power 36’26: Decentralized AI and Blockchain: Overcoming Computation and Consensus Challenges 41’34: The Future of Decentralized Intelligence: Trustless Finance and Digital Immortality 44’59: The channels used to connect with Sam & learn more about Arweave Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Andrew Jamison - CEO and Co-founder of Extend - a financial infrastructure platform that helps banks innovate financial product development with capabilities while working with their existing systems, starting with virtual cards. Andrew shares his journey into fintech, detailing his experiences at American Express and the evolution of virtual cards. He discusses the challenges and opportunities in the virtual card space, the founding of Extend, and its innovative approach to simplifying spend management. The episode highlights Extend's rapid growth, unique market position, and the future of financial management, emphasizing real-time transactions and integrated solutions for businesses. Notable discussion points: Virtual Cards = Smarter Spend ManagementVirtual credit cards revolutionize payments by enabling real-time reconciliation, reducing fraud, and improving financial control—especially for SaaS, digital ads, and legal expenses. Extend’s Edge: Partnering with Banks, Not Disrupting ThemUnlike Brex and Ramp, Extend powers virtual cards on existing bank-issued cards, making adoption seamless for businesses while strengthening bank relationships. B2B Payments Go EmbeddedThe future of finance is embedding payments directly into platforms like SAP Concur - letting CFOs manage expenses within the tools they already use. From Enterprise-Only to Instant AccessVirtual cards once took months to implement. Extend’s API-first approach makes them deployable in minutes, bridging the gap between legacy banking and modern finance. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Extend, American Express, AMEX, SAP, fintech, credit cards, spend management, virtual cards, B2B, API, banking infrastructure, embedded payments ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’10: From Green Screens to the Cloud: How Early Tech Shaped Andrew Jamison’s Approach to Business and Automation 5’12: Scaling Amex: Expanding Beyond Travel to B2B Payments and Virtual Cards 10’27: Virtual Cards in Travel: Solving Payments but Struggling with Scale 15’19: Virtual Cards and On-Demand Growth: How APIs Unlocked a New Payments Model 19’17: From Amex to Extend: Reinventing Virtual Cards for Everyday Business 26’00: Scaling Smart Payments: How Extend is Reshaping B2B Credit Cards 29’33: Rethinking Spend Management: How Extend Partners with Banks Instead of Replacing Them 31’47: Built for CFOs: How Extend Streamlines Payments and Expense Management 35’08: The Future of Finance: How Embedded Payments and APIs Are Reshaping the CFO’s Role 40’34: The channels used to connect with Andrew & learn more about Extend Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Jayendra Jog - co-founder of Sei Labs, about his professional journey and the innovative Sei protocol—a high-performance parallel blockchain. Jay shares insights from his time at Robinhood, emphasizing the importance of distribution over technology and the challenges of scaling a fintech company. He discusses the limitations of Ethereum's transaction processing and how Sei Labs aims to address these through parallelization. The conversation also covers the future of blockchain in finance, the need for regulatory clarity, and the potential of high-performance blockchains to support emerging industries like AI and decentralized science. Notable discussion points: Impact Over Paychecks – Jog’s career leap from SAP to Facebook, Pinterest, Robinhood, and Sei Labs was driven by impact, not salary. He thrived in small, high-talent teams where he could truly move the needle. Robinhood’s Growing Pains – Early Robinhood was fast and scrappy, but as it scaled, bureaucracy slowed innovation. The shift from “missionary” to “mercenary” employees hurt culture and velocity. Tech Doesn’t Win—Distribution Does – The best crypto projects don’t just have great tech; they win by getting users. Sei Labs focuses on real-world adoption, not just engineering breakthroughs. Sei’s Parallelized EVM: A Game Changer – Ethereum is slow. Sei Labs fixes this by parallelizing transactions, enabling high-speed trading and complex on-chain applications. It’s Ethereum’s power with Solana’s speed. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: fintech, blockchain, Sei Labs, Sei protocol, Ethereum Virtual Machine, EVM, Robinhood, decentralized applications, DeFi protocols, DePIN ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’29: From Silicon Valley Roots to Startup Hustle: Jayendra Jog’s Journey Through Tech’s Elite Ranks 7’53: Scaling Robinhood: From Scrappy Startup to Corporate Bureaucracy 12’56: Why Robinhood Won: Distribution Over Technology in Fintech and Crypto 17’38: Sei and the Parallelized EVM: Scaling Blockchain for High-Performance Trading 25’18: Parallelization in Blockchain: Unlocking Scalability Without Breaking the System 28’03: Building Sei: Solving the Blockchain Adoption Puzzle for Finance and Developers 33’50: The Blockchain Race: Competing for Killer Apps and Market Dominance 38’02: The Next Wave: Sei’s Vision for AI, DePIN, and High-Performance Blockchain Applications 41’34: The channels used to connect with Jay & learn more about Sei Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Arun Kumar, the CTO of Socure, an identity management and risk assessment company. In this exciting episode, Arun touches on: (1) his experience building large-scale, high-throughput, and low-latency systems at companies like Amazon and Citadel, and how he applies that expertise to the identity verification and fraud detection challenges at Socure. (2) Socure's rapid growth, serving over 2,700 customers including 9 of the top 10 U.S. banks and over 30 state agencies, processing hundreds of millions of transactions per month. (3) Socure's approach to building a real-time identity graph by aggregating signals from devices, phone numbers, IPs, and other data points to detect and prevent sophisticated fraud tactics like deepfakes and fraud GPTs. (4) The company's recent acquisition of Effectiv to simplify the integration process for customers and improve efficiency, as well as its use of Generative AI to automate various tasks. Lastly, (5) Socure's future plans to expand beyond account opening and login into transaction monitoring, as well as exploring opportunities in the growing embedded finance and digital identity spaces. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Socure, Effectiv, Citadel, Amazon, Identity management, digital identity, generative AI, deepfakes, fraud prevention, machine learning, identity verification ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’02: Scaling Innovation: Exploring High-Performance Systems and Real-Time Technology 4’04: From Financial Data to Machine Learning: Scaling Systems and Solving Edge Cases 8’49: Bridging Big Tech and Quant Finance: Exploring Technology Overlaps and Ultra-Low Latency Systems 11’12: Protecting Digital Identity at Scale: The Journey to Socure and Solving Real-Time Fraud Challenges 15’50: Building the Network Effect: How Socure Became a Leader in Identity Verification and Fraud Prevention 21’00: Battling Modern Fraud: Deepfakes, Generative AI, and the Evolving Landscape of Digital Security 26’30: Revolutionizing Customer Success: Simplifying Integrations with No-Code Solutions and Real-Time Performance Insights 29’57: Scaling Customer Integration: Fixed Costs, POCs, and Generative AI-Driven Value Propositions 34’00: Driving Efficiency and Scale: Socure's Evolving Product Roadmap and Future Vision 36’14: Learning from Customization: Standardizing for Scalability and Long-Term Growth 38’58: Expanding Horizons: Growing Market Share and Addressable Markets in Digital Transactions 41’00: The channels used to connect with Arun & learn more about Socure Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Shachar Bialick, the founder and CEO of Curve, a fintech mobile wallet. In this exciting episode, Shachar touches on: (1) his background as a serial entrepreneur and his experience in the Israeli military shaped his ability to solve problems and work in high-stress environments, which are key traits for a successful founder. (2) The initial idea behind Curve was to create a "wallet to rule them all" - a single interface that could consolidate and manage multiple payment cards and accounts, providing more value and convenience to customers. (3) Building Curve involved navigating complex challenges, such as convincing payment networks like Mastercard and Visa to change their rules to allow Curve's back-to-back wallet technology. This required a resilient, innovative, and persistence approach. (4) Shachar emphasizes the importance of building a company culture that fosters curiosity, adaptability, and a belief that "everything is possible" rather than focusing on perceived limitations. (5) Lastly, Shachar discusses the evolution of the fintech landscape, including the challenges faced by neobanks in creating true financial marketplaces, and the ongoing issues with the implementation of open banking standards. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Curve, ApplePay, Google Wallet, PayPal, Tink, neobank, fintech, wallets, payments, paytech, NFC, Open Banking ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’02: From Military Service to Fintech Success: Shachar Bialick on Founding Curve and Redefining Payments 9’10: The Resilient Founder: Risk-Taking, Leadership, and the Cultural Mindset Behind Entrepreneurship 14’59: From Unbundling to Rebundling: Building Curve to Solve Financial Fragmentation 20’50: Revolutionizing Payments: Curve's Ambition to Unite Financial Ecosystems 24’26: Trailblazing Curve: Overcoming Challenges to Redefine Payments and Build a Global Fintech Ecosystem 30’23: Project Elah: How Curve Challenged Apple’s NFC Restrictions to Redefine Digital Wallets 34’50: Shaving the Lion: How Curve Built a Culture to Overcome Industry Challenges and Innovate 39’05: Challenging Apple Pay: Curve’s Strategy to Deliver Tangible Customer Benefits 42’01: The Evolution of Fintech Infrastructure: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Role of Open Banking 51’54: The channels used to connect with Shachar & learn more about Curve Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Michael Heinrich, co-founder and CEO of 0G (Zero Gravity) Labs. In this exciting episode, Lex and Michael explore the concept of decentralized artificial intelligence (AI) and how it differs from centralized, closed-source AI models provided by big tech companies. Michael kicks off with his background in tech and finance, and how he became interested in decentralized AI as a solution to the issues with closed AI systems. Notable discussion points: (1) Decentralized AI provides transparency and verifiability around the data, training, and model alignment used, unlike closed AI systems. (2) Blockchain-based systems can help enforce a "code of conduct" for AI models and ensure fair rewards distribution for data contributors. (3) 0G Labs is building a decentralized AI operating system focused on key components like decentralized storage, data availability, and a serving layer for AI inference. (4) And lastly, the company is working with various providers of AI verification mechanisms (zKML, OPML, TEML, etc.) to integrate with their decentralized AI platform. The ultimate goal is to provide a seamless user experience for building and deploying decentralized AI applications, similar to how centralized tech platforms operate today. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: 0G, 0G Labs, Zero Gravity Labs, Bridgewater Associates, ORA, Story Protocol, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Decentralized AI, Tokenized AI, Web3, Blockchain, zkML, TeeML, OPML, SPML ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’10: Decentralized AI: From Early Tech Fascination to Innovating the Future 4’08: From Finance to Founding: A Journey of Passion, Growth, and Resilience 9’07: Web3 Meets AI: Building a Human-Centric Future Through Blockchain Innovation 13’45: Decentralized AI Explained: Trustless Systems vs. Closed AI Paradigms 17’21: Decentralized AI Solutions: Addressing Bias, Censorship, and Fair Rewards 23’30: Decentralized AI Framework: Building Open, Trustless Systems for Developers 27’28: Data Availability in Decentralized AI: Supercharging Blockchain for High-Performance Applications 31’24: Integrating Decentralized AI: From User Queries to Scalable Inference Frameworks 34’38: Tokenized AI Ecosystems: Economic Flows and Emerging Inference Networks 40’04: Ensuring Trust in AI Outputs: Bridging Verification Mechanisms with Decentralized Systems 42’13: Decentralized AI's Future: Breakout Use Cases and the Path to Mainstream Adoption 44’40: The channels used to connect with Michael & learn more about 0G Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Tom Duff Gordon, the Vice President of International Policy at Coinbase, where he drives the company’s engagement with policymakers in global markets across the UK, Europe, APAC, LatAm, and the MENA region. Together, Tomm and Lex discuss the importance of policy work in the financial services industry, especially after the 2008 financial crisis, and how policy teams collaborate with regulators to shape the regulatory environment; the reasons why the financial services industry is heavily regulated, including the systemic and interconnected nature of the financial system and the need to protect retail consumers; the regulatory approaches to cryptocurrency and digital assets in different jurisdictions, with Europe (MiCA), the US, and other regions like Asia. The discussion highlights the diverse and evolving nature of crypto regulation globally; the challenges faced by the US in developing a coherent regulatory framework for crypto assets, particularly the jurisdictional tussle between the SEC and CFTC; Coinbase's efforts to advocate for clear and balanced crypto regulation, including through grassroots initiatives like "Stand with Crypto"; and lastly, Coinbase's evolving product strategy, expanding beyond its core exchange business into areas like custody, lending, and infrastructure for the broader crypto ecosystem. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Coinbase, Credit Suisse, SEC, Circle, MiCA, Stand With Crypto, FIT21, financial regulation, financial policy, crypto, exchange, USDC ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’02: Shaping the Future of Finance: Tom Duff Gordon’s career involving Policy, Crypto, and Global Regulation 7’30: Preventing Financial Panic: How Regulation Mitigates Systemic Collapse 13’12: From Bank Runs to Balance Sheets: Tackling Systemic Risk and Preventing Financial Contagion 16’32: Regulating Crypto: Global Progress and Emerging Frameworks 19’42: Expanding Crypto Regulation Worldwide: Frameworks, Challenges, and the Road Ahead 28’18: Crypto and the SEC: Unpacking America’s Contradictory Approach to Regulation 34’30: Crypto Politics: Why the US is Divided While Europe Stays Unified 41’30: Scaling Crypto: Coinbase's Multi-Vertical Strategy and Ecosystem Vision 45’28: The channels used to connect with Tom & learn more about Coinbase Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex interviews Alessandro Chesser - CEO of Dynasty, a San Jose-based online platform for trust creation and management. In this episode, the key topics discussed include: The importance of aligning business and product teams, and the challenges Chesser faced when this alignment broke down during Carta's unsuccessful foray into the private markets business. Chesser's decision to leave Carta and co-found Dynasty, a startup that aims to simplify the process of creating trusts to avoid probate and protect assets. Dynasty's go-to-market strategy, which focuses on driving organic growth through short-form video content on platforms like TikTok. And lastly, the technical and legal complexities of automating the trust creation process, and how Dynasty is navigating those challenges. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: Dynasty, GetDynasty, Carta, eShares, fintech, trusts, legaltech, private markets, legal, SaaS, social media, TikTok, Instagram, LegalZoom ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’24: From Sales Pioneer to Scaling Success: Alessandro Chesser on Building Carta’s Sales Organization and Transforming the Cap Table Market 5’38: Building Carta's Success: Strategic Partnerships, Demand Generation, and Sales-Product Synergy 9’57: Navigating Growth and Product Alignment: Carta's Scaling Challenges and the CartaX Experience 14’19: The Journey from Carta to Founding Dynasty: The Lessons Learned and Taking the Leap 16’55: Democratizing Estate Planning: Dynasty’s Mission to Make Trusts Accessible for Everyone 23’11: Unlocking Wealth Protection: Directed Trusts, Asset Security, and Tax Strategies for Founders and Investors 26’00: Trusts for the Middle Class: Simple Solutions for Inheritance and Probate Avoidance 28’19: Privacy and Protection: Using Trusts to Safeguard Real Estate and Build Awareness Through Organic Growth 32’02: Cracking the Viral Code: Leveraging Short-Form Video to Drive Customer Acquisition in Estate Planning 35’09: Building a Viral Marketing Team: Crafting Convincing Content for Organic Growth in FinTech 39’35: Engineering Simplicity in Legal Tech: Automating Trusts and Navigating Legal Complexities 42’52: The channels used to connect with Alessandro & learn more about Dynasty Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex is interviewing Sankaet Pathak, the former CEO and founder of Synapse, and CEO and current founder of Foundation, to explore what happened with Synapse, the banking as a service industry, and key lessons learned. The discussion covers Synapse's origins, the reliance on bank partners like Evolve, the discovery of reconciliation issues and missing payments, and the eventual sale of Synapse to TabaPay. Pathak shares details on the various categories of "breaks" they uncovered, including debits from customer accounts, undisclosed fees, and the challenges around the Mercury migration. The episode also touches on potential regulatory oversights, the role of blockchain technology, and Pathak's perspective on his critics. The summary provides a comprehensive overview of the issues faced by Synapse and the broader implications for the banking infrastructure space. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Topics: BaaS, API, Open Banking, payments, banking, Fintech, Embedded Finance, regulation Tags: Synapse, Foundation, Evolve Bank, Mercury Bank, TabaPay, Yotta, FDIC ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’06: Synapse and the Evolution of Banking-as-a-Service: Sankaet Pathak’s introduction 3’26: The Synapse Story: Inside the Banking Infrastructure and Its Collapse 6’17: Behind the Rise and Reliance: How Evolve Bank Became Synapse’s Key Partner 9’16: Uncovering Reconciliation Issues: How Synapse Detected Problems with Evolve Bank 11’05: Tracking Customer Funds: How Synapse Managed User-Level Data with Pooled Bank Accounts 14’41: Uncovering Payment Breaks and Fee Issues: The Challenges Synapse Faced with Evolve Bank 21’16: Tracing Missing Funds: Synapse’s Financial Breakdowns and Evolve Bank’s Alleged Deception 24’44: From Billion-Dollar Valuation to Fire Sale: The Synapse Collapse and TabaPay Deal 29’04: Missing Millions: How a Migration Error with Mercury Led to a $49 Million Discrepancy 33’37: Lessons from Synapse’s Collapse: Reflecting on What Could Have Been Done Differently 39’10: Reflecting on Mistakes: Scaling Too Fast and the Complexities of Synapse’s Brokerage Service 43’11: Rethinking Financial Oversight: The Need for Bank Accountability and Direct Regulation of Bank-Adjacent Companies 45’59: Addressing the Critics: Sankaet Pathak on Misunderstandings and Missed Opportunities in the Synapse Collapse Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Zuben Mathews - CEO and Co-founder of Brigit. Brigit is a leading consumer financial app in the United States that offers a suite of holistic financial products including budgeting, financial insights, access to paychecks, and credit building. Zuben kicks off the conversation discussing his journey from investment banking at Deutsche Bank to founding one of the largest financial health apps in the U.S. Mathews reflects on his early experiences in banking, where he launched a small entrepreneurial team within Deutsche to leverage the bank’s data and client relationships to drive revenue. This experience helped shape his approach to solving real financial pain points, which became the foundation of Brigit. Zuben explains Brigit’s focus on addressing the U.S. financial crisis of living paycheck-to-paycheck, a problem he personally experienced as an immigrant student. Brigit’s initial product leverages cashflow data to provide instant cash advances, helping users avoid overdrafts and predatory loans. Mathews emphasizes that Brigit’s success stems from a commitment to solving users’ deepest financial issues and using real-time cashflow data, not traditional FICO scores, to provide financial solutions. The conversation delves into Brigit’s subscription-based business model, which offers transparency and value to users, helping them save money while improving financial stability. Zuben discusses how the app has grown to serve over a million users, generating more than $100 million in revenue with a small team of 90. He also addresses challenges in fintech, such as data access in the U.S. compared to Europe’s open banking regulations, and calls for more balanced regulation that encourages innovation while protecting consumers. The discussion concludes with Zuben advocating for greater access to bank data and better infrastructure for fintechs, highlighting the importance of innovation in improving customer outcomes in the financial space. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Brigit's Website: https://bit.ly/4d8tqohZuben's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3XvsEvT Topics: Fintech, neobank, overdraft, cash advance, subscription, financial wellbeing, PSD2, regulation Tags: Brigit, Deutsche Bank, Plaid, Chime, Revolut, Monzo, Yodlee, Synapse, Coastal Community Bank ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’36: From Deutsche Bank to Brigit: Zuben Mathews' Journey in Finance and Entrepreneurship 5’03: Bridging Silos at Deutsche Bank: Detailing Strategic Vendor Partnerships and Fintech Insights 9’06: From Startup Struggles to Success: Building Brigit and Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship 15’41: Solving America's Deepest Financial Pain Point: The Vision Behind Brigit's Differentiation in a Crowded Fintech Market 21’07: Leveraging Cashflow Data to Outperform Banks: How Brigit Built a Product to Tackle Overdraft Fees and Expand Financial Access 24’47: Beyond Overdraft Protection: How Brigit Uses Cashflow Data to Reduce Financial Stress and Drive User Engagement 29’01: Balancing Affordability and Financial Health: How Brigit's Subscription Model Empowers Users While Lowering Costs 33’25: Challenges of Data Access in US Fintech: Navigating Bank Transactional Data and the Push for Open APIs 40’36: Navigating US Banking Rails: The Role of Regulation, Innovation, and Customer-Centric Solutions in Fintech 45’24: The channels used to connect with Zuben & learn more about Brigit Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Till Wendler, Founder of Peaq Network - a leading DePIN Layer 1 in the blockchain space. In this episode, Till discusses his journey into entrepreneurship and the blockchain space. He talks about his early involvement with Ethereum and building a business around e-commerce payments using cryptocurrencies. Till also explains the concept of decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePINs) and their role in the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Economy of Things (EOT). He highlights the limitations of current IoT systems and the potential for value exchange between devices. Till discusses the success of Peaq in attracting over 800,000 devices onto the network and the challenges of building demand for data-driven projects. He emphasizes Peaq's role in catalyzing the sector by providing support on product optimization, go-to-market strategies, and financial assistance. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Peaq's Website: https://bit.ly/3XjsaKoTill's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4cGvSSJ Topics: Blockchain, web3, decentralized applications, dapps, economy of things, EOT, depin, iot, decentralized physical infrastructure networks Tags: Peaq, IOTA, Exonum, DMG MORI, Silencio, MapMetrics, Helium ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’09: From the Valley to Blockchain: Till’s Journey into Entrepreneurship and Crypto 4’59: Building Peaq: From Berlin's Blockchain Scene to IoT Innovation 8’26: Connecting Machines to Blockchain: The Use Case Discovery and Peaq's Evolution 13’31: From IoT to the Economy of Things: The Evolution of Connected Devices 17’53: Unlocking the Machine Economy: The Role of Web3 and DePINs in Decentralized Infrastructure 20’50: Scaling the Machine Economy: Successful Use Cases Built on Peaq's Decentralized Network 23’34: Driving Network Growth: How Peaq Reached 800,000 Connected Devices Through Strategic Go-to-Market and Product Market Fit 29’15: Streamlining DePIN Success: How Peaq Simplifies Tokenomics and Focuses on User Demand 32’56: Empowering Ecosystem Growth: Peaq's Role in Supporting Projects from Integration to Funding 34’45: The channels used to connect with Till & learn more about Peaq Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Luke Voiles, the CEO of Pipe - a modern capital platform built to connect business owners to fast, frictionless, dilution-free funding. Luke kicks off discussing his experience in the FinTech industry. He talks about his transition from being an investor to working in FinTech. Luke shares his background in distressed credit investing and how it led him to focus on lending money to other lenders. He then discusses his role at Intuit, where he helped build QuickBooks Capital and gained valuable experience in tech, leadership, and product development. Luke also talks about his time at Square and Square Banking, where he learned about being a true CEO and P&L owner. He then joined Pipe and discusses the stage at which the company was when he joined and the core concept of revenue-based financing. Luke explains the differences between revenue-based financing, invoice factoring, and other fixed income instruments. He also talks about the pivot that Pipe made and the focus on Pipe Capital as a service. Luke discusses the importance of platforms and embedded finance in reaching small businesses and explains how Pipe works with SaaS vertical software providers. He emphasizes the value of giving small businesses access to credit and criticizes other FinTechs that have made mistakes in scaling their businesses. Luke concludes by providing contact information for himself and Pipe. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Pipe's Website: https://bit.ly/3WGQrJNLuke's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4dpDh9P Topics: Fintech, revenue-based finance, embedded finance, unicorn, SaaS, entrepreneur, lending, capital Tags: Pipe, Square, Stripe, PayPal, Intuit, OnDeck, Alloy, Increase ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’07: From Distressed Credit to FinTech Leadership: Luke's Journey from Sixth Street Partners to Intuit and Beyond 7’17: Square Banking and the Evolution of Leadership: Navigating Single-Threaded and Functional Structures 14’53: Pipe's Transformation: Joining and Steering one of the Fastest Unicorns in History 18’46: Understanding Revenue-Based Financing: Defining Factoring, Merchant Cash Advances, and More 26’39: The Power of Storytelling: How Pipe's Vision and Innovation Led to Unicorn Status 28’39: Pivoting Pipe: Adapting Strategy and Overcoming Growth Challenges 37’25: The Future of Small Business Banking: Embedded Finance and SaaS Vertical Platforms 41’35: Navigating Regulatory Challenges: Pipe's Embedded Finance and Compliance Strategy 46’23: The channels used to connect with Luke & learn more about Pipe Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Danielle Sesko about insurance and innovation in the fintech sector. They discuss the purpose of insurance and why it exists, the structure of insurance companies, the challenges of insurance innovation, and the integration of insurance into digital lending platforms. Sesko explains that insurance is necessary because most people cannot sustain a total loss of their assets, such as their homes or businesses. She also discusses the regulatory structure of insurance in the US, which is regulated on a state-by-state basis. Sesko describes the product she is working on at TruStage, which provides insurance coverage for loans in the digital lending space. The insurance is designed to protect both the borrower and the lender in case of unexpected events, such as job loss or disability. Sesko explains the technology integrations between insurance and digital lending platforms and the economics of the product. She also discusses the challenges and opportunities in the insurtech industry. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION TruStage's Website: https://bit.ly/3WibyC1Danielle's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3XUZNmp Topics: InsurTech, Insurance, Digital Lending, Lending, embedded finance, embedded insurance, API, fintech Tags: TruStage, Payment Guard, Lending Club, FDIC ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’27: From Financial Consulting to Insurance Innovation: Danielle Sesko’s Journey in Financial Services 4’58: The Role and Necessity of Insurance: Insights on Financial Resiliency and Industry Structure 9’52: Innovation in Insurance: Creating Relevant Products and Navigating Regulations 13’39: Navigating US Insurance Regulations: Engaging State Regulators and Structuring Underwriting for New Products 17’59: Adapting to FinTech: How Established Underwriters Leverage Experience for Digital Lending Innovation 20’48: Assessing the Rise of Digital Lending: Timing, Consumer Preferences, and Regulatory Challenges in FinTech and InsurTech 27’39: Bridging the Gap in Digital Lending: Ideal Customers for PaymentGuard and Their Unique Needs 31’21: Defining Digital Lending Coverage: Target Workflows and Payment Flows for Embedded Insurance Solutions 34’36: Understanding PaymentGuard's Economics: Coverage Duration, Cost Structure, and Value for Digital Lenders 37’42: Integrating InsurTech and Digital Lending: The Technology and Processes Behind Embedding Insurance Solutions 40’11: The channels used to connect with Danielle & learn more about TruStage Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Anthony Moro, CEO of Provenance Foundation. Provenance is a blockchain platform for real-world assets and has a focus on financial services. Moro discusses his background in the traditional financial industry, particularly in security servicing, and explains how Provenance is positioning itself as a good control location for ownership of securities. He highlights the inefficiencies and high costs associated with intermediated securities transactions and explains how Provenance aims to provide a more efficient and secure alternative. Moro also discusses the technology stack of Provenance, which is built on the Cosmos network, and explains the importance of purpose-built blockchain networks for financial services. He also touches on the topics of noncustodial networks, ledgering, and the importance of network uptime in financial services. Moro concludes by discussing the future vision for Provenance, including the tokenization of trillions of dollars of financial assets and the role of Provenance in enabling asset issuers and service providers to transact efficiently on the platform. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Provenance's Website: https://bit.ly/3xLpXx6Anthony's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3VIl3Jn Companies: Provenance, Sofi, Provenance Blockchain Labs, ProvLabs, Ethereum, Cosmos, Merrill Lynch, Figure Technologies, Figure MarketsTopics: Blockchain, tokenisation, capital markets, DeFi, TradFi, NFT, Financial Services, Governance, crypto ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’28: From Traditional Finance to DeFi: Insights on Provenance and Financial Services 4’48: The Complexities of ADRs: Insights on Traditional and Decentralized Financial Systems 8’54: Provenance and Blockchain Innovation: From SoFi Founders to Cosmos Network Integration 13’17: Transforming Capital Markets: The Evolution of Figure's HELOC Business and Blockchain Integration 17’28: Revolutionizing Mortgages with Blockchain: The Impact of NFT Mortgages and Disinflationary Technology 21’20: Exploring Alternative Investments: The Value of Pork Bellies and the Unexpected Tale of Uranium 26’39: Bridging Provenance and Ethereum: Open Source Development and Financial Services Security 30’01: Revolutionizing Governance in Financial Services: Provenance's Approach and Future Directions 32’56: Navigating Centralized Exchanges: Bringing an Institutional Network to Retail Markets 39’20: Regulatory Shifts in Crypto and FinTech: Navigating the Evolving Landscape Ahead of US Elections 42’49: Embracing the Future of Tokenization: Provenance's Vision for Retail Inclusion and Financial Services 46’31: The channels used to connect with Anthony & learn more about Provenance Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Lu Zhang, the founder and managing partner at Fusion Fund, a venture fund that invests in deep technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare. They discuss Lu's experience as an entrepreneur and the challenges she faced in building her own company. Lu also shares her investment thesis on AI, highlighting the opportunities in AI application and infrastructure. She believes that while large tech companies dominate the consumer AI market, there are still opportunities for startups in enterprise AI, particularly in industries with high-quality data and a need for AI solutions. Lu also discusses the potential of edge computing and the importance of addressing energy consumption and data privacy in AI infrastructure. She emphasizes the coexistence of large and small AI models and the need for practical, cost-efficient solutions. Finally, Lu discusses the revenue pools for AI companies and the growing awareness and adoption of AI in enterprises. She encourages startups to focus on reducing energy consumption in AI and addressing sustainability challenges. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Fusion Fund's Website: https://bit.ly/4egJMgpLu's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3KIWozf Topics: Venture Capital, VC, Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, Startup, Infrastructure, LLM, Decentralized AI, HealthcareCompanies: Fusion Fund, OpenAI, IBM, Microsoft, Nvidia, AMD ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’30: From Entrepreneur to VC: Insights from Building and Exiting a Successful Healthcare Startup 5’50: Navigating Startup Challenges: Overcoming Obstacles and Embracing Growth in My Entrepreneurial Journey 9’56: From Founder to Investor: Experiencing the Transition and Learning to Say No 15’16: Fusion Fund’s AI Investment Thesis: Identifying Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges in Artificial Intelligence 23’03: Comprehending Enterprise AI: Ensuring Startups Thrive Without Being Captured by Big Corporates 26’48: The Challenges and Opportunities in Selling Large AI Models to Enterprises: Fine-tuning The Sales Process and Building Strategic Partnerships 30’31: Exploring AI Infrastructure Investments: Paths to Acquisition and IPO in a Competitive Landscape 36’24: AI Infrastructure Gaps: Identifying Opportunities and Challenges in the Evolving Value Chain 40’53: The Future of Decentralized AI: Commercial Opportunities and Economic Dynamics in a World of Personal AI Models 47’07: Key Opportunities in AI: Unmet Needs and Ideas for Future Startups 48’08: The channels used to connect with Lu & learn more about Fusion Fund Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Vishal Garg, the CEO of Better Mortgage. Better is an all-in-one digital homeownership company. From finding a real estate agent and getting a mortgage, to shopping for homeowners insurance and title services, Better and its affiliates take customers through the entire homebuying process online. Garg shares the story of how he founded Better Mortgage after experiencing the difficulties of getting a mortgage online. He explains how he saw an opportunity to reimagine the mortgage industry and create a more efficient and consumer-friendly process. Garg discusses the challenges of scaling the company, going public through a SPAC, and navigating the changing market conditions. He also shares his optimism for the future of Better Mortgage, highlighting the company's focus on efficiency, automation, and sustainable growth. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Better's Website: https://bit.ly/456T3UbVishal's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4e52szk Topics: fintech, mortgage, digital lending, digital mortgage, SPAC, interest ratesCompanies: Better.com, Better mortgage, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, SoftBank ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’33: Revolutionizing Mortgages: Vishal's Journey from Frustration to Fintech Innovation 6’41: Cracking the Mortgage Code: Leveraging Fintech Experience to Disrupt a Stagnant Industry 11’11: Overcoming Startup Challenges: Innovating in the Mortgage Industry and Securing Early-Stage Financing 15’25: Recruiting Top Talent: How to Attract High-Caliber Professionals to Revolutionize the Mortgage Industry 20’32: Scaling to Success: The Rapid Growth, Economics and Strategic Milestones of Better Mortgage 24’48: Balancing Growth and Profitability: Navigating Blitz Scaling and Cultural Shifts at Better Mortgage 28’17: Understanding the SPAC Process: The Market Conditions, Expectations, and Challenges of Going Public 34’20: Facing Macro Headwinds: The Declining Efficiency and Financial Challenges in a Changing Market 36’50: Balancing External Stressors and Internal Efficiency: Navigating Market Changes and Organizational Challenges 39’04: From Private to Public: Better Mortgage's Evolution, Current State, and Optimistic Future 43’11: Overcoming Market Shifts: Vishal Garg on Better Mortgage's Resilience and Path to Profitability 45’30: The channels used to connect with Vishal & learn more about Better Mortgages Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Matt Watson, the founder and CEO of Origin, a comprehensive money management platform for the modern workforce. Watson discusses his background as an entrepreneur and his first fintech experience working on Wall Street. He also talks about his previous business in the commercial insurance space and the challenges of building out the go-to-market function for that company. Watson then explains the concept behind Origin and its focus on providing a mass-market private banking experience for the underserved segment of the population with investable assets below $500,000. He discusses the company's go-to-market strategy, its target market, and its monetization strategy. Watson also touches on the collapse of Mint and the opportunity it created for Origin, as well as the role of generative AI in financial planning and guidance. He concludes by discussing the ownership of data and the challenges of accessing and utilizing consumer financial data in the industry. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Origin's Website: https://bit.ly/4bJcMvcMatthew's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3ym8mMa Topics: fintech, AI, artificial intelligence, PFM, personal financial management, embedded financeCompanies: Origin, Origin Finance, Mint, Mint.com, Plaid, LearnVest, Column Tax, Intuit, Yodlee, ChatGPT ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’07: The Entrepreneurial Journey: From Family Influence to Fintech Ventures 3’55: Building the Go-to-Market Function: Penetrating and Innovating in the Insurance Agency Software Market 7’55: Challenges in Financial Vertical Software: Entrenched Systems and High Switching Costs 10’08: Exploring Origin: Addressing the Financial Services Gap for the Mass Affluent 18’16: Evolving Data Aggregation in Fintech: Addressing Costs and Open Banking Trends 22’30: Origin’s Business Model and Market Dynamics in Mass Affluent Financial Services: Lessons from Lead Generation Giants 26’01: Building Financial Solutions In-House: Origin's Approach to Planning, Investing, and Tax 29’24: The Collapse of Mint: Catalyzing Opportunities for Origin in B2B and B2C Markets 31’26: Leveraging Generative AI in Financial Planning: Enhancing Guidance and Managing Challenges 35’47: Understanding the Demand for AI Financial Planning: Challenges and Consumer Behavior 40’22: The Future of Financial Data Control: Consumer-Driven Analysis and Insights in a Tokenized World 41’07: The channels used to connect with Matthew & learn more about Origin Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Jason Morton, CEO of EZKL - EZKL is a technology that helps people build around artificial intelligence using zero-knowledge proofs (ZK proofs) and the latest in technology. Jason explains that ZK proofs are a way to prove that a computation has been executed correctly without revealing any sensitive information. The proofs can be used to verify the execution of AI models, statistical models, and other computations on blockchain networks. EZKL provides a command line tool, a backend proving service, and a Python library for developers to use. The company's economic model involves licensing the components of the system and running backend services. In the future, EZKL aims to provide a more complete solution for interacting with the technology. The demand for verifiable AI and ZK proofs is expected to come from both Web2 and Web3 companies, as well as enterprise clients MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION EZKL's Website: https://bit.ly/4dx1wUbJason's Twitter: https://bit.ly/4boqumY Topics: fintech, machine learning, ai, artificial intelligence, llm, zk-proofs, zero-knowledge proofs, blockchain, web3 Companies: EZKL, Ethereum, Bitcoin, DARPA ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’18: From Mathematics to Machine Learning: Tracing the Journey of an AI Researcher" 3’47: Putting Theory Into Practice: Navigating the Evolution of Neural Networks and Blockchain 7’18: Understanding Zero-Knowledge Proofs: The Evolution and Impact of Cryptographic Privacy 11’02: Digital Trust and Privacy: How Zero-Knowledge Proofs Enhance Security and Authentication Online 16’15: From Consensus to Cryptography: Exploring the Transformative Impact of Zero-Knowledge Proofs on Blockchain Technology 22’30: Revolutionizing AI with Blockchain: The Strategic Focus of EZKL on Verifiable and Secure Machine Learning 28’18: Connecting Worlds: Bridging Advanced AI and Blockchain Technology for Economic and Computational Efficiency 31’21: Strategic Transparency: Integrating Proofs in Smart Contracts for Trustworthy Investment Strategies 35’44: EZKL Defined: Navigating the Blend of Product, Library, and Framework in Blockchain Proofs 38’48: Blurring Lines: Will Web3 Innovations or Traditional Web2 Enterprises Drive the Future Demand for EZKL? 40’28: The channels used to connect with Jason & learn more about EZKL Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Libor Michalek, the President of Affirm, a buy now, pay later (BNPL) company. Michalek discusses his early experiences with the internet and how it shaped his understanding of technology and its potential in the financial services industry. He explains how Affirm was founded with the goal of building honest financial products that improve people's lives, and how the convergence of e-commerce, mobile technology, machine learning, and access to consumer information enabled the company to create a credit product that aligned with consumer interests. Michalek also discusses the challenges of building a technology-driven finance company, the performance of Affirm's loans compared to credit cards and personal loans, and the company's approach to competition and future growth. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Affirm's Website: https://bit.ly/3Qo2DvILibor's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bfsQVk Topics: fintech, buy now pay later, BNPL, e-commerce, machine learning, loans, credit, credit cards, paymentsCompanies: Affirm, Thinking Machines Corporation, PayPal, Amazon ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’00: Internet Pioneers and Business Innovation: Libor Michalek touches on Early Web Experiences 4’56: Digital Transformation and Commerce: Unpacking the Consumer Insights and Technological Advances That Fuelled the E-commerce Explosion 9’18: Beyond Traditional Finance: How Affirm's Founding Insights and Technological Integration Redefined Fintech in the 2010s 13’14: Redefining Credit: Exploring the Consumer Demand for Transparency and Fairness in Financial Products with Affirm 19’04: Integrating Innovation: How Affirm's Unique Approach to E-commerce and Payments Shaped Its Market Strategy 23’47: Machine Learning and Financial Innovation: Launching Affirm's Transaction-Specific Underwriting Models 27’56: Assessing Investment Opportunities: The Risk and Return Profile of Affirm's Customer Loans from an Institutional Perspective 32’11: Empowering Customers: Affirm's Commitment to Transparency and Support in Financial Services 37’42: Leading the Charge: Navigating Competition and Innovation in the Buy Now, Pay Later Market 41’22: Defining Innovation in FinTech: Distinguishing Between Technology-Driven and Finance-First Companies 43’29: The channels used to connect with Libor & learn more about Affirm Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Sarah Levy, CEO of Betterment - the largest independent digital investment advisor. Levy kicks off the conversation by discussing her career journey from working in the media industry to leading a fintech company. Levy explains that she was attracted to Betterment's mission of making people's lives better and saw the potential for growth and scale in the company. She also highlights the importance of brand building and understanding the customer in creating a successful business. Levy discusses Betterment's core products, including its retail robo-advisory service and its 401(k) offering for small and medium-sized businesses. She explains that Betterment aims to be a holistic investing home for its customers, focusing on expanding access and offering more account types and asset classes. Levy also discusses the potential for Betterment to offer self-directed investing options in the future. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Betterment's Website: https://bit.ly/3Uq5gPKSarah's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4d5aGqJ Topics: Fintech, embedded finance, banking, investment, RIA, Tax, roboadvisor, advisory, branding, 401kCompanies: Betterment, Nickelodeon, Disney, Viacom, Schwab, Fidelity ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’10: From Nickelodeon to Betterment: Tracing Sarah Levy's Journey Through Media and FinTech 7’22: Brand Personification and Audience Engagement: Exploring Digital Transformation with a lens on the consumer 13’33: Mission and Brand Resonance: Transitioning Leadership at Betterment 16’50: Initial Impressions and Strategic Directions: Enhancing Betterment's Brand and Services 21’41: Refining FinTech: How Betterment Evolved to Meet the Needs of Modern Investors 24’58: Building Betterment's 401k Business: Strategic Growth and Market Opportunities 34’45: Revamping RIA Economics: Betterment's Innovative Approach to Advisor Services 39’41: Beyond the Super App: Betterment's Strategic Approach to FinTech Diversification 44’12: Focused Growth: Betterment's Strategic Decision to Prioritize Long-Term Investing Over Self-Directed Trading 47’09: The channels used to connect with Sarah & learn more about Betterment Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Anthony Cimino, the head of policy at Carta - an equity management company that builds the infrastructure for innovators, supporting approximately 35,000 companies, over 2.2 million stakeholders, and more than 5,000 funds. Cimino discusses his background in government and policy in the financial services industry and how he got involved in finance and policy. He explains the role of policy in the fintech industry and the importance of engagement with policymakers. Cimino also talks about Carta's core business of cap table management and valuation services, as well as their fund administration business. He discusses the challenges and opportunities in the private markets industry, including the barriers to entry for investors and the need for more access and standardization. Cimino also mentions Carta's focus on supporting founders and their plans to expand globally. He emphasizes the role of policy in unlocking capital and creating access to private markets. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Carta's Website: https://bit.ly/3U92K0wAnthony's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3J6u5db Topics: fintech, regulation, policy, private markets, fund administrationCompanies: Carta, SEC, Committee on Financial Services ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’23: From Capitol Hill to Financial Crisis Management: Tracing Anthony's Journey through Finance and Policy 6’24: Building Trust in Turbulent Times: The Crucial Link Between Public Engagement and Policy Formation 10’50: Shaping the Future of Finance: The Essential Role of Stakeholder Engagement in Policy and Regulation 14’50: Digitizing Equity: Carta's Impact on Private Markets and the Future of Financial Infrastructure 20’07: Unlocking Private Markets: Navigating Complexity and Challenging Paternalistic Regulations 24’17: Expanding Economic Opportunity: The Imperative of Broadening Access to Private Markets 27’27: Beyond Data: Carta's Vision for Empowering Founders and Investors in the Private Market Ecosystem 31’50: Tailoring Growth: How Carta Supports Founders from Startup to Public Transition 34’39: Navigating the Terrain: The Dynamics of Private Fund Administration in Changing Economic Climates 38’56: Charting the Future: Carta's Vision for Empowering Founders, Revolutionizing Fund Administration, and Expanding Global Footprints 40’57: The channels used to connect with Anthony & learn more about Carta Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Malcolm deMayo, Global Vice President for Financial Services at Nvidia. deMayo kicks off the discussion on how Nvidia has been working with financial services firms for over 15 years, providing accelerated compute platforms to help solve compute-intensive challenges in trading, banking, and insurance. DeMayo explains that Nvidia's hardware accelerators, such as GPUs, can execute thousands of instructions at a time, resulting in a significant speedup compared to traditional CPUs. He highlights the use of AI and machine learning in various financial services applications, including fraud detection, sentiment analysis in trading, and process automation in banking. DeMayo also discusses the emergence of Generative AI, which enables the generation of unique content and the potential for human-like engagement in customer service. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration between business and AI teams for successful AI deployment and mentions the role of open-source models and federated learning in the future of AI. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Nvidia's Website: https://bit.ly/3TwEDXOMalcom's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3xeimqa Topics: AI, Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, accelerated compute, compute, generative AI, genAI, financial services, Neural networks Companies: Nvidia, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, EvidentAI, AlexNet ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’35: Beyond Moore's Law: Nvidia's Pioneering Role in Financial Services Innovation 6’56: Revolutionizing Efficiency: The Transformative Impact of GPU-Accelerated Computing in Finance 14’12: Unlocking Efficiency: How Nvidia's Accelerated Compute Platform Revolutionizes Machine Learning in Finance 19’52: Transforming Finance: The Power of Machine Learning in Fraud Detection and Market Analysis 29’15: From Data Custodianship to AI Revolution: Nvidia's Pivotal Role in Transforming Finance with Generative AI 35’03: Beyond Classification: Nvidia's Role in Fueling Generative AI's Impact on Financial Services Innovation 42’04: Shaping the AI Landscape: The Dynamic Between Open Source Innovation and Proprietary Models in Financial Services 47’01: The channels used to connect with Malcom & learn more about Nvidia Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Nelson Chu, founder and CEO of Percent - the modern credit marketplace. Nelson kicks off the discussion b by walking through his inspiration for building the private credit marketplace and the challenges of operating in the fintech industry. He explains that Percent aims to provide a better alternative investment platform for credit investors by offering shorter durations and lower minimum investments. Nelson also discusses the importance of infrastructure in the private credit market and the need for technology to streamline processes. He highlights the different types of investors and borrowers that use Percent's platform and the challenges of building a three-sided marketplace. Nelson also touches on the impact of macroeconomic factors, such as interest rates, on the private credit market and the role of data and AI in the industry. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Percent's Website: https://bit.ly/3x3w8MgNelson's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4a5Nwym Topics: Private credit, lending, borrowers, underwriting, AI, artificial intelligence, investment, alternative investment, fintech, marketplace Companies: Percent, Lending Club, LendIt, Prosper, Blackstone ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’12: From FinTech Consulting to Revolutionizing Private Credit: The Genesis of Percent 4’33: Unveiling the Void: The Journey to Establishing Essential Infrastructure in Alternative Investments 6’55: Decoding Private Credit: Navigating Yields, Risk, and Investor Dynamics in Short-Duration Fixed Income 14’01: Investor Trends and Platform Evolution: The Shifting Terrain of Private Credit Investments 19’15: Building the Bridge: Crafting the Infrastructure to Power a Tripartite Financial Marketplace 26’15: Mastering Multi-Sided Markets: Strategies for Bootstrapping Borrowers, Investors, and Underwriters 31’26: Tech as the Catalyst: Navigating the Fusion of Traditional Finance and Innovative Infrastructure in Private Credit 36’49: Adapting to Shifts: The Impact of Changing Interest Rates on the Private Credit Landscape 40’16: Unlocking Potential with AI: How Proprietary Data Sets Are Shaping the Future of Finance 43’15: The channels used to connect with Nelson & learn more about Percent Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Richard Ma, CEO of Quantstamp -a leading blockchain security company. Richard kicks off by discussing the origins of the company and the importance of security in the blockchain space. He explains that the idea for Quantstamp came after he invested in Ethereum and witnessed the hack of the DAO, which prompted him to focus on the security side of Ethereum. Richard describes how Quantstamp conducts audits of blockchain projects, identifying vulnerabilities and providing recommendations for improvement. He emphasizes the importance of reading audit reports and understanding the risks associated with projects. Richard also discusses different types of adversaries in the blockchain space, including nation-state actors, developers seeking recognition, and financially motivated hackers. He believes that while established projects will become more secure over time, new experimental projects will always carry some level of risk. Richard suggests that AI-based debuggers could help improve security auditing in the future. He highlights EigenLayer, ZK-rollups, and the development on Solana as exciting sectors to watch in the coming years. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Quantstamps's Website: https://bit.ly/3Iv6zX4Richard's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3IvaxyO Topics: blockchain, security, audit, hacking, hacks, crypto, cryptocurrency, digital assets, Web3, DeFi Companies: Quantstamp, Ethereum, MakerDAO, Compound, EigenLayer ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’30: From High-Frequency Trading to Fintech Innovator: The Journey to Creating Quantstamp 9’26: Demystifying the Audit Process: Inside Quantstamp's Approach to Securing Blockchain Projects 15’04: The Art and Challenge of Blockchain Audits: Navigating the Complex World of Code Review 19’37: The Nomad Hack: A Case Study in Preventability and the Importance of Diligence in Code Auditing 24’39: Web3's Adversarial Landscape: Unpacking the Motivations Behind Crypto Hacks and Security Breaches 29’13: The Ethical Dilemma of Crypto Hacking: Navigating the Fine Line Between Exploitation and Market Manipulation 34’59: Exploring the Frontier: Key Innovations Shaping the Future of Blockchain in 2024 and Beyond 36’34: The channels used to connect with Richard & learn more about Quantstamp Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

Lex chats with Christian Catalini, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Lightspark - a company aiming to break down global payment barriers, throwing its weight behind a new standard intended to make payments as easy as sending an email. Christian kicks off by discussing his career in blockchain and academia, as well as the challenges and opportunities in the fintech industry. He explains how he became interested in crypto through his research on crowdfunding and how he later focused on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. Catalini also discusses the importance of decentralized governance and the potential of Bitcoin as a global payment network. He introduces Lightspark's products, including Lightspark Predict and Universal Money Addresses (UMA), which aim to make Lightning Network more efficient and user-friendly for cross-border money movement. He emphasizes the need for compliance and regulatory clarity in the crypto industry and highlights the role of various partners in facilitating on and off-ramps between digital assets and traditional payment systems. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Lightspark's Website: https://bit.ly/3uQ0Nw1Christian's LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3UVwBu3 Topics: blockchain, crypto, cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Digital Assets, AI, cross border, payments, lightning network Companies: Lightspark, Diem, Libra, Meta Fintech, MIT, MIT Cryptoeconomics Lab ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’22: Bridging Worlds: From Academic Inquiry to Entrepreneurial Action in the Crypto and Crowdfunding Era 7’12: Innovating at the Intersection: From the Creative Destruction Lab to the Cryptoeconomics Lab at MIT 13’00: Designing Stability: The Economic Architecture and Vision Behind the Diem Experiment 18’37: Governance and Trust in Crypto: Navigating the Complex Landscape from Diem to Bitcoin 25’42: Money as a Public Good: The Evolutionary Path of Bitcoin and Digital Assets in the Global Economy 31’57: Unleashing Potential: Crypto and AI's Complementary Forces in Shaping the Future of Open Source Technology 37’02: Universal Money Addresses: Revolutionizing Global Transactions with Seamless, Compliant, and Real-Time Payments 41’31: UMA and Bitcoin: Simplifying Cross-Border Payments with a Global, Liquidity-Driven Settlement Layer 46’49: Integrating Innovations: How UMA Partners Enable Smooth Cross-Border Payments Through Bitcoin Liquidity and Local Infrastructure 50’14: The channels used to connect with Chris & learn more about Lightspark Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, DaniellaWant to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.