From Meme Coins To Mainstream: Nikil Viswanathan On Crypto’s Infrastructure Shift

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May 1, 2025

Nikil Viswanathan, Co-founder and CEO of Alchemy, is a visionary in the blockchain space and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. He delves into how Alchemy serves as the 'AWS for blockchain,' transforming developer experiences. Nikil discusses the early stages of blockchain, the growing institutional interest in crypto, and the potential of tokenized assets. He also shares insights on smart contracts and their advantages over traditional finance, alongside innovative solutions for digital identity and the future of decentralized finance.

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INSIGHT

Alchemy Powers Blockchain Apps

Alchemy acts as the infrastructure layer powering blockchain applications like NFTs and crypto trading.
It abstracts blockchain complexity to enable developers to build crypto apps easily.

INSIGHT

Blockchain in Early Green Screen Era

Blockchain is still early stage, akin to the green screen era of computing.
Significant improvements in scalability and user experience are driving recent progress.

INSIGHT

Crypto Unlocks Programmable Money

Crypto's innovation stems from unlocking money as a programmable layer anyone can build on.
This parallels how the internet unlocked phone and TV experiences for innovation.

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Nikil Viswanathan, co-founder and CEO of Alchemy, joins Brett Winton and Lorenzo Valente to explore the evolving crypto infrastructure landscape. Alchemy, often described as the “AWS for blockchain,” is powering some of the most widely used applications in Web3. Nikil explains why we’re still in the early innings of blockchain development and draws parallels to the early internet. The conversation also covers the rapid shift in institutional sentiment toward crypto, the potential of tokenized financial assets, and why AI agents will rely on blockchain rails to transact. Nikil shares insights from working with global banks, trends in stablecoins, and why the next phase of growth could be driven by developer and user experience innovation.

Key Points From This Episode:

00:01:36 Why Alchemy is the AWS for blockchain—and what that means for crypto’s evolution
00:04:13 Smart contracts as a better alternative to traditional financial intermediaries
00:10:25 Mapping value accrual in smart contract platforms: A $5T opportunity by 2030
00:13:00 How Alchemy abstracts blockchain complexity and improves developer UX
00:18:30 Why blockchain is still in its “green screen” era—and what comes next
00:21:53 Meme coins, signal or noise? Nikil’s take on speculation vs. infrastructure
00:25:03 Crowdfunding, stablecoins, and digital ownership: The real-world use cases
00:29:36 Partnering with Worldcoin: Proof of personhood and bot-resistant networks
00:36:44 The institutional wave: What’s changed in the last 30 days
00:41:05 SAB 121 repeal, ETFs, and the regulatory unlock for banks
00:45:53 The six-step playbook for banks entering crypto—from custody to stablecoins
00:50:56 Will every bank launch a stablecoin and chain? A look at the fragmentation ahead
00:52:04 Tokenized real-world assets and the future of user-owned financial infrastructure
00:58:10 Why AI agents need crypto rails—and what that unlocks
01:00:33 Smart underwriting, programmable capital, and peer-to-peer risk transformation