In October, the crypto industry saw a jaw-dropping acquisition: Bridge, a stablecoin-focused company, was bought by Web2 payments giant Stripe for $1.1 billion.

Now, three months later, Bridge co-founder Zach Abrams opens up about the wild journey that led to this moment, from navigating collapses like Terra’s UST and USDC’s depegging, to securing compliance and fraud prevention as core priorities.

Zach also delves into his vision for the future of stablecoins, whether the U.S. dollar will continue to dominate, and why global financial infrastructure needs an upgrade.

Plus, he recounts how timing and resilience helped Bridge stand out amidst massive industry challenges.

Show highlights:

01:49The problems of the payments system and how stablecoins could solve them
13:35 What Bridge is, how it works and what types of consumers it serves
19:33 What significant inconveniences Bridge found throughout its journey
25:56 How Zach’s background in Coinbase influenced the launch of Bridge
30:20 Whether there will be multiple stablecoins or just a couple of winners
33:49 How Bridge worked with their customers to improve its product
39:35 The story of how Bridge was acquired by Stripe for $1.1 billion
46:37 Whether its dependence on banks is a problem for Bridge
53:02 How Bridge deals with fraud and compliance
59:50 What Zach thinks about the competition in the stablecoin landscape
1:04:37 Why Zach believes that the fiat infrastructure landscape is still Bridge’s main competitor
1:10:08 Whether the U.S. dollar will remain the overwhelmingly predominant currency in stablecoins

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Guest:

Zach Abrams, Co-founder of Bridge

Links

Recent coverage of Unchained on stablecoins:
How This Stablecoin Business in Africa Is Taking on SWIFT and Big Banks
Why Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev Is Betting Big on Crypto, Stablecoins, and Prediction Markets
CNBC: Stripe's $1.1 billion deal for crypto firm Bridge marks much-needed win for VCs

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