Talking Tokens

On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Mary Gooneratne, co-founder of Loopscale. Loopscale is a lending protocol on Solana designed to give sophisticated users more control over capital, collateral, and credit risk. They discuss how Mary went from building on Ethereum during DeFi summer to pivoting toward Solana, why the protocol shifted from pool-based lending to order-book-style credit markets, and how Loopscale recovered all user funds after a $5.8 million exploit. Mary breaks down the differences between institutional and retail borrowing behavior, how its fixed yield looping product hit $1 billion in volume, and why she believes DeFi can rebuild global credit markets more transparently than traditional finance.This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Token Relations and the Talking Tokens podcast are doing, diving into founders’ journeys and startups building on Solana.TIMESTAMPS:(0:00) - Mary’s background and founding Loopscale (2:24) - From tokenized whiskey casks to crypto credit markets (4:23) - Why lending hasn’t evolved like trading on Solana (6:01) - Pool-based model limitations and capital inefficiency (8:11) - Why Solana was the only viable chain (11:02) - Inside the $5.8M exploit and recovery process (13:08) - Lessons from the hack and security upgrades (17:12) - New risk controls and protocol design changes (20:03) - Who uses Loopscale: LPs, whales, and institutions (21:24) - What products are growing fastest (24:07) - Why idle Solana liquidity is a huge opportunity (25:58) - The future: real-world assets and institutional lending (27:10) - What institutions want from on-chain credit (28:21) - Global credit markets and underserved borrowers (30:13) - What’s next: sponsored credit vaults (30:29) - Final advice: talk often and talk to buildersYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Follow us on X:  Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokensFollow us on InstagramTalking Tokens: https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Amir Haleem, CEO and co-founder of Helium. Helium has a decentralized wireless network powered by community-run hotspots that supports IoT devices and mobile coverage. Today, its WiFi network boasts over 93,500 hotspots across the U.S. and Mexico, and the network serves around 1 million daily users. Helium has also secured major partnerships with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Telefónica.They discuss how Amir and Napster’s Shawn Fanning co-founded Helium in 2013, transforming it into a people-powered connectivity model that now rivals traditional telcos in prepaid signups. Amir explains the economics behind hotspot mining and how the Helium Mobile network offloads carrier data with a 555% increase in offloaded traffic last quarter. You’ll also hear why Helium chose to hide the crypto in consumer-facing products, and how its Zero Plan, a free phone plan in the U.S., is built on top of their infrastructure and attracting thousands of new users every day.TIMESTAMPS:You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Follow us on X:  Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokensFollow us on InstagramTalking Tokens: https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Muneeb Ali, founder of Stacks and Princeton PhD, discusses the evolution of Bitcoin as a programmable asset. He shares insights into why Bitcoin's Layer 2 solutions are finally gaining traction, addressing topics like the rising interest in Stacks SBTC and the importance of self-custodial solutions. Muneeb highlights the shift from viewing Bitcoin merely as a store of value to recognizing its potential in decentralized finance. He also explores the future of Bitcoin in institutional adoption and the vital role of humility and continuous learning in the crypto space.

On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Chris Maurice, the co-founder and CEO of Yellow Card. Yellow Card powers on-and-off ramp payments for over 30,000 businesses across Africa. It was Africa’s most funded crypto exchange after raising $88 million. It has since pivoted from retail crypto access to becoming the stablecoin backbone for businesses in high-friction markets.They discuss Chris’ journey from selling Bitcoin at Taco Bell to running a multi-country exchange, why he dropped everything to fly to Nigeria on a one-way ticket, and how Yellow Card helps banks, importers, and even local vendors access USD liquidity through stablecoins. Chris also dives into navigating fear-based narratives about emerging markets, why local strategy trumps global assumptions, and how the future of cross-border finance lies in rebuilding the broken correspondent banking system.TIMESTAMPS: (0:00) – Intro (1:01) - From selling Bitcoin on eBay to founding Yellow Card (5:53) - Meeting a Nigerian man changed everything (8:56) - Why Chris flew to Nigeria with no visa and one goal (11:00) - The origin of the name Yellow Card (13:00) - Why Lagos changed Chris’s worldview (15:09) - Misconceptions about emerging markets (18:31) - Pivoting Yellow Card from exchange to stablecoin rails (20:02) - How 99% of users switched to stablecoins (22:12) - Why stablecoins matter more in Argentina than NYC (23:13) - Replacing the broken cross-border banking system (30:30) - Working with 30,000 businesses across Africa (33:39) - Why localized strategy is key in Africa (37:15) - Case studies: pharma, food, and banking (40:04) - The future of Yellow Card and stablecoin infrastructure (42:12) - Advice: stop waiting, just get startedYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Follow us on X: Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations Follow us on InstagramTalking Tokens: https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Tomer Weller, Chief Product Officer at the Stellar Development Foundation. Stellar is a blockchain network focused on real-world financial use cases — from cross-border payments to tokenized treasuries — and has quietly built one of the strongest infrastructures in emerging markets like Latin America and Africa, including a major partnership with MoneyGram.They discuss Stellar’s evolution over the past 11 years, why it chose to stay mission-aligned while others chased hype, and how it’s enabling native crypto-to-cash flows, seamless DeFi access, and developer-friendly smart contracts with Soroban. Tomer also shares his take on Web3 product design, the future of privacy, and what it takes to earn institutional trust.Timestamps(0:00) - Intro(1:01) - Tomer’s background & joining Stellar(2:33) - How Stellar has evolved over the years(5:18) - Cross-border payments & MoneyGram integration(8:06) - UX: Making crypto invisible to users(11:46) - What makes a bad Web3 product(13:16) - Why security needs to come first(15:02) - Soroban & Stellar’s smart contracts vision(20:27) - Governance, validators & institutional trust(26:28) - Why developers choose to build on Stellar(27:32) - DeFi + RWAs: New frontier for tokenization(30:02) - What institutions want next: PrivacyYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Follow us on X: Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations Follow us on InstagramTalking Tokens: https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Gabe Otte, CEO and Co-Founder of Dinari, dives into the revolutionary world of tokenized securities, aiming to make global investment accessible. He shares his journey from biotech to crypto, and the challenges faced in international investments. The conversation highlights the immense opportunities in LatAm and Southeast Asia and explores how tokenization can simplify compliance and boost financial inclusivity. Otte also touches on the intersection of personal faith and business ethics, and the promise of advanced technologies to reshape financial services.

Today’s episode is a fireside chat Jacquelyn recorded with Stani Kulechov, founder of Aave Labs, while at the Avalanche Summit in London last week. They discuss Aave V4, the latest architectural upgrade, for the largest DeFi protocol. Stani also explains how this new model can unlock more for lending protocols, his insights on the changing DeFi landscape and more.

Today we’re sharing Jacquelyn’s fireside chat with Chris Pavlovski, founder and CEO of Rumble, at Consensus 2025. Rumble is a video, streaming and cloud-based tech company that closed a $775M strategic investment from Tether in February. We discuss Rumble’s journey fighting censorship to protect free speech globally, how it’s pushing into the crypto space and bringing the asset class to creators, how decentralization ties into the business’ mission and more.===============You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or Youtube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review!===============Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Chris Osborn, CEO of Dialect, is on a mission to make cryptocurrency user-friendly. With a background in physics and quantum computing, he discusses the launch of ‘blinks’ for streamlined blockchain interactions. Osborn emphasizes the critical need for improved user experiences in crypto, explaining how innovative strategies, like minimizing clicks and integrating with social media, can transform asset trading. He also sheds light on the challenges of building on Solana and the importance of user trust in the evolving crypto landscape.

On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Pranav Kanade, portfolio manager for digital assets at VanEck, and Wyatt Lonergan the GP of VanEck Ventures VanEck is an asset management firm that has been around since 1955 – and has made strides in the crypto space in recent years with its spot bitcoin ETF HODL, as well as its $40M venture fund that also invests in crypto startups, among other sectors.Pranav and Wyatt share their thoughts on tokenizing liquid vs illiquid assets, the state of memecoins and the general crypto market, how they see value building in the crypto industry, focusing on long term fundamentals and more.Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.