Bitcoin as a Hurdle Rate for Building Startups

Connect with Early Riders // Connect with Onramp

Presented collaboratively by Early Riders & Onramp Media…

Final Settlement is a weekly podcast covering capital markets, dealmaking, early-stage venture, bitcoin applications and protocol development.

00:00 – Intro & welcoming Gustavo Flores

01:17 – UK opens retail BTC/ETH ETPs

04:13 – Japan stablecoins & productization

07:49 – LATAM stablecoin wave; Brazil in focus

11:27 – Coinbase x CoinDCX (India/APAC)

15:47 – Stablecoin plumbing: BlackRock & Stripe

20:27 – BTC credit vs high LATAM rates; Bolivia case

23:31 – Nubank pursues U.S. bank charter

29:11 – 2026 custody (Citi/Schwab) & cycle timing

33:25 – Aureo announced (Swapido → Aureo)

35:03 – Aureo MIC thesis & team

42:21 – Storage-first: MIC + localized service

56:40 – Debasement trade & BTC hurdle rate

1:04:23 – Onramp Business controls; wrap & disclaimer

If you found this valuable, please subscribe to Early Riders Insights for access to the best content in the ecosystem weekly.

Links discussed:
https://www.aureobitcoin.com/en
https://www.earlyriders.com/news/early-riders-acts-as-exclusive-investor-in-aureos-pre-seed-round-to-build-latam-native-bitcoin-financial-services-infrastructure
https://bitcoin.docsend.com/view/2dj7n3sjr5uyrsr4
https://blockworks.co/news/tempo-series-a-raise
https://www.lightspark.com/news/lightspark/introducing-lightspark-grid
https://www.theblock.co/post/374924/blackrock-to-launch-genius-compliant-money-market-fund-tailored-for-stablecoin-issuers-report?utm_source=telegram1&utm_medium=social
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/13/citi-aims-to-launch-crypto-custody-in-2026-exploring-stablecoin.html
https://www.theblock.co/post/375228/japan-fsa-local-banks-crypto
https://www.theblock.co/post/375250/21shares-bitwise-blackrock-wisdomtree-uk-retail-bitcoin-ethereum-etps-fca
https://www.coinbase.com/en-in/blog/Coinbase-makes-investment-in-CoinDCX-expanding-our-commitment-to-India-and-the-Middle-Easts-crypto-future
https://www.theblock.co/post/374870/paxos-mistakenly-mints-300-trillion
https://www.theblock.co/post/375083/japans-big-banks-join-forces-on-stablecoins-to-speed-corporate-payments-nikkei
https://www.theblock.co/post/374643/stripe-stablecoin-unit-bridge-applies-for-national-bank-trust-charter-co-founder-zach-abrams-says

Keep up with Michael:

https://x.com/MTanguma
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtanguma/

Keep up with Brian:

https://x.com/BackslashBTC
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-cubellis-00b1a660/

Keep up with Liam:

https://x.com/Lnelson_21
https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-nelson1/

Keep up with Gustavo:

https://x.com/gustavojfe
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavo-j-flores-echaiz/