Show Notes
Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.
In this episode of Money Code, host Chuk Okpalugo sits down with Kirill Gertman, co-founder and CEO of Conduit, the cross-border payments orchestrator building stablecoin infrastructure across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They unpack why the stablecoin sandwich is actually a "spaghetti-filled taco" — where chain selection, local rail access, and geography-specific liquidity make cross-border payments far messier than the narrative suggests — how non-USD stablecoins only work when "designed to move, not to hold," and why the winners won't be banks or crypto companies alone, but the T-shaped players who specialize deeply and stay open to everyone else.
Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here: https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSN
Chapters 00:00 The stablecoin sandwich is actually a spaghetti-filled taco 03:21 "Within 10 years, vast majority of cross-border will be blockchain-based" 08:58 What Conduit actually does: orchestration across LatAm, Africa, and SE Asia 12:05 Bottom-up adoption: individuals hedging, then SMEs, then enterprise 18:52 The K-shaped market: enterprise buyers on one end, vibe coders on the other 20:26 "The UI is super nice… but the money doesn't move": compliance as the real bottleneck 27:28 Three unsolved problems: trade finance, identity, and AI deepfake fraud 37:20 Why a stablecoin skeptic changed his mind on non-USD stablecoins 42:00 The BBRL walkthrough: fiat → mint → on-chain swap → off-ramp in seconds 49:12 Don't build your own chain: why banks should be T-shaped, not vertically integrated
Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chukxyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Kirill Gertman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirillgertman/ | https://x.com/kirillgertman | https://conduitpay.com
About Stablecon Stablecon (https://stablecon.com/) is the premier gathering for those at the intersection of DeFi, economic policy, financial infrastructure, and institutional integration, and those reinventing global commerce. By convening the brightest minds in fintech and crypto, Stablecon provides attendees with world class thought leadership and fosters unparalleled networking and strategic collaboration across the digital payments industry. Whether you're building, advising, or navigating this new frontier, this is the room where it happens.
About BVNK BVNK is the leading provider of stablecoin payments infrastructure, helping businesses move money faster, settle globally, and even launch their own stablecoin products. Head to https://bvnk.com/ to learn more.
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Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.
Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.
Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.