What are enterprises still missing about stablecoins, and why does that matter for the next phase of digital asset adoption? In this episode of High Stakes with Alex Nwaka, Alex sits down with Chunda McCain, Co-Founder at Paxos Labs, to unpack how stablecoins are moving from simple issuance into a deeper infrastructure layer for payments, credit, DeFi access, and enterprise-grade financial rails.

Chunda shares how his early exposure to Bitcoin, DeFi, and real-world financial access shaped his conviction in crypto, then breaks down the role Paxos and Paxos Labs play in helping enterprises move beyond first-step digital asset access. The conversation explores why many companies misunderstand stablecoin economics, why distribution matters more than issuance alone, and how institutions should think about regulatory clarity, validator infrastructure, data intelligence, and on-chain financial products.

You’ll also hear Chunda’s high stakes hot take for the next 12 months, including why major financial institutions may rapidly expand direct crypto access and why neobanks could become a key distribution channel for DeFi.

Connect with Chunda McCain:
LinkedIn
X (Formerly Twitter)

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👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

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Why does institutional capital still hesitate on Solana, even as public blockchain infrastructure becomes more credible to banks, asset managers, and payments companies?

In this episode of High Stakes, Alex Nwaka sits down with Catherine Gu, Head of Product for Digital Assets at Solana, former leader on Visa’s crypto team, to unpack what institutions actually need before they move meaningful volume onchain. From privacy and compliance to liquidity velocity, stablecoins, and enterprise-grade controls, Catherine explains where Solana is winning, where it still needs to improve, and why the next phase of adoption will depend less on hype and more on infrastructure that institutions can trust.

Catherine shares how her background across hedge funds, Stanford, Visa, and now Solana shaped her view of blockchain as financial infrastructure, not just speculative technology. She breaks down the shift she saw from proof-of-concept thinking to real institutional adoption, points to the signals that changed sentiment around public chains, and explains why tokenized deposits, onchain treasuries, and stablecoin liquidity matter so much in the current market.

The conversation also explores Solana’s institutional roadmap, including privacy tooling, modular design, compliance guardrails, and the role of liquidity in building real network value. Catherine also gives her take on multi-chain strategy, misconceptions institutions still bring into the room, the future of payments, and how AI agents and stablecoins may intersect over time.

Guest: Catherine Gu, Head of Product for Digital Assets at Solana
LinkedIn

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.

📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
• Website
• LinkedIn
• X (Twitter)
• YouTube

👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek

What does crypto have to do before it can truly compete with the legacy financial system?

In this episode of High Stakes, Alex Nwaka sits down with Aklil Ibssa, Head of Corporate Development at Coinbase, for a sharp conversation on crypto M&A, long-term strategy, regulatory clarity, integration risk, and why the biggest opportunity in digital assets is much bigger than crypto competing with itself. Aklil breaks down how Coinbase thinks about acquisitions, what separates durable deals from headline-driven ones, and where the market could be heading next across payments, on-chain infrastructure, and prediction markets.

Aklil shares his path from investment banking and LinkedIn to leading corporate development at Coinbase, then unpacks how the company evaluates whether to buy, build, partner, or invest. He explains why integration is often the make-or-break factor in M&A, what made recent acquisitions so strategic, and how Coinbase is thinking about becoming a global financial platform, not just a crypto exchange. The conversation also explores stablecoin payments, token capital formation, long-term conviction in Web3, and why patient operators may be the ones who define the next era of financial infrastructure.

Connect with Aklil

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.

📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
• Website
• LinkedIn
• X (Twitter)
• YouTube

👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.

Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek