Chad Cascarilla - Blockchain’s Carpenter - [Joys of Compounding, EP.26]

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Mar 24, 2025

Chad Cascarilla, co-founder and CEO of Paxos, dives into the reimagining of global finance through blockchain technology. With an early adoption of Bitcoin, he shares insights on how blockchain can democratize finance and tackle systemic issues. Chad discusses his ambitious journey in fintech, the curiosity that drives him, and the importance of strategic partnerships with giants like PayPal and Stripe. He advocates for a decentralized financial future, highlighting the transformation of accessibility for unbanked populations and redefining digital currencies.

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ANECDOTE

Early Interests

Chad Cascarilla's childhood dream was to be a carpenter, reflecting an early interest in building.
He bought his first stock, LTV Steel, in elementary school, sparking a fascination with investing.

ANECDOTE

Meeting Paul and Education

Paul and Chad met through Scott Malpass, who recommended Chad for advice on complicated issues.
Chad attended St. Ignatius High School and Notre Dame, influenced by his family's connection to the university.

ANECDOTE

Introduction to Meditation

Chad's mom encouraged him and his sisters to learn meditation and Tai Chi for better tennis performance.
This introduced Chad to meditation and alternative ways of thinking, shaping his integrated perspective.

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Our teacher today is Chad Cascarilla, co founder and CEO of Paxos, the leading regulated blockchain infrastructure company that is reimagining a complete technological replatforming of our global financial markets. Paxos aims to democratize finance by enabling instant global asset movement, partnering with industry leaders like PayPal, Stripe, MasterCard, and others. For those confused by crypto speculation, Chad offers a grounded perspective on blockchain's potential to solve fundamental financial system problems—informed by his experience as an early Bitcoin adopter who started buying at just three cents.

This conversation was a ton of fun for us, mainly because Chad is one of the most fascinating and compelling people we've had the privilege of knowing and learning from.He's a highly introspective, integrated, and ridiculously well read thinker and someone who just gets a lot of stuff done. He's a skeptic and a dreamer, a rigorous research analyst and a visionary builde, an aspiring mystic and an absolute animal. Please enjoy our conversation with Chad Cascarilla.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

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Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to Joys of Compounding

(00:05:32) Chad's Early Life and Career

(00:09:50) The Journey to Notre Dame

(00:19:45) The Path to Wall Street

(00:27:16) Launching Cedar Hill

(00:35:30) Navigating the Financial Crisis

(00:46:35) Notable Companies and the Origin of Paxos

(00:48:34) Creating Liberty City Ventures

(00:54:55) Challenges in Financial Services

(00:59:21) The Promise of Blockchain

(01:10:59) Regulatory Landscape and Future Prospects

(01:21:51) Advice for Consumers, Companies, and Investors