This week, Stablecon’s Justin Friedman was joined by Bhau Kotecha, co-founder and CEO of Paxos Labs, for a discussion on the transformative potential of stablecoins and tokenization. Bhau and Justin examine how these technologies are redefining the way we think about financial tools, usability, interoperability, privacy, and the economics of stored value. Finally, Bhau offers predictions on whether stablecoin liquidity will consolidate into U.S. dollar-denominated assets or grow organically across the world’s currencies.

<description>&lt;p&gt;This week, Stablecon’s Justin Friedman was joined by Bhau Kotecha, co-founder and CEO of Paxos Labs, for a discussion on the transformative potential of stablecoins and tokenization. Bhau and Justin examine how these technologies are redefining the way we think about financial tools, usability, interoperability, privacy, and the economics of stored value. Finally, Bhau offers predictions on whether stablecoin liquidity will consolidate into U.S. dollar-denominated assets or grow organically across the world’s currencies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

This week, Stablecon’s Justin Friedman was joined by Bhau Kotecha, co-founder and CEO of Paxos Labs, for a discussion on the transformative potential of stablecoins and tokenization. Bhau and Justin examine how these technologies are redefining the way we think about financial tools, usability, interoperability, privacy, and the economics of stored value. Finally, Bhau offers predictions on whether stablecoin liquidity will consolidate into U.S. dollar-denominated assets or grow organically a...

Okay, So You've Got a Stablecoin… Bhau Kotecha on What Happens After You Go On-Chain

<a href='https://www.thisweekinfintech.com/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferer'>This Week in Fintech&apos;s</a> <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikm/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferer'>Nik Milanovic</a> sat down on February 12th, 2026 to talk with Coinbase CFO <a href='linkedin.com/in/alesia-haas-b776531' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferer'>Alesia Haas</a> about 2025 year-end earnings. Some topics they covered:<ul><li>Market Expansion: Coinbase doubled trading volume and market share in 2025, diversifying beyond crypto with Deribit acquisition.</li><li>Revenue Resilience: Despite market softness in Q4, Coinbase showed strength through diversified revenue, supported by retail investors’ “buy the dip” behavior.</li><li>On-Chain Vision: Coinbase aims to lead the shift to on-chain financial services, blending traditional and crypto assets for a tokenized future.</li><li>Institutional Growth: Thousands of institutional clients are driving increased trading and demand for cross-margining products, with custody for 80% of ETF balances.</li><li>Stablecoin Strategy: USDC holdings grew to $18 billion, enhancing trading and payment services while driving growth in Coinbase One membership.</li><li>Future Focus: Heavy investment in derivatives as key growth area, emphasizing diversification to meet evolving customer needs and market trends.</li></ul>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.thisweekinfintech.com/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferer'&gt;This Week in Fintech&amp;apos;s&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikm/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferer'&gt;Nik Milanovic&lt;/a&gt; sat down on February 12th, 2026 to talk with Coinbase CFO &lt;a href='linkedin.com/in/alesia-haas-b776531' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferer'&gt;Alesia Haas&lt;/a&gt; about 2025 year-end earnings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some topics they covered:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Market Expansion:&lt;/strong&gt; Coinbase doubled trading volume and market share in 2025, diversifying beyond crypto with Deribit acquisition.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Revenue Resilience:&lt;/strong&gt; Despite market softness in Q4, Coinbase showed strength through diversified revenue, supported by retail investors’ “buy the dip” behavior.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On-Chain Vision:&lt;/strong&gt; Coinbase aims to lead the shift to on-chain financial services, blending traditional and crypto assets for a tokenized future.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Institutional Growth:&lt;/strong&gt; Thousands of institutional clients are driving increased trading and demand for cross-margining products, with custody for 80% of ETF balances.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stablecoin Strategy:&lt;/strong&gt; USDC holdings grew to $18 billion, enhancing trading and payment services while driving growth in Coinbase One membership.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Future Focus:&lt;/strong&gt; Heavy investment in derivatives as key growth area, emphasizing diversification to meet evolving customer needs and market trends.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

This Week in Fintech's Nik Milanovic sat down on February 12th, 2026 to talk with Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas about 2025 year-end earnings.   Some topics they covered: Market Expansion: Coinbase doubled trading volume and market share in 2025, diversifying beyond crypto with Deribit acquisition.Revenue Resilience: Despite market softness in Q4, Coinbase showed strength through diversified revenue, supported by retail investors’ “buy the dip” behavior.On-Chain Vision: Coinbase aims...

Coinbase Q4 '25 Earnings: A conversation with Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas

In this episode, Nik Milanovic interviews Ram Palanappian, the CEO and Founder of Earnin, a fintech company that is revolutionizing how employees access their wages. Ram shares the origin story of Earnin, which began when he realized that many employees were struggling with cash flow issues, leading to late fees and overdraft charges. He discusses how he initially provided employees with early access to their earned wages, which evolved into a full-fledged product that allows users to access their pay in real-time, thereby reducing financial stress and improving overall financial health. Ram emphasizes the importance of shifting payroll systems from being employer-centric to employee-centric, allowing workers more control over their earnings. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Setup00:39 Multitasking in Conversations00:44 Introduction to FinTech Trends00:44 The Future of Digital Banking00:47 Introduction to Earnin and Its Mission04:10 Revolutionizing Payroll: Employee-Centric Solutions10:36 Adoption Across Industries: Who Benefits Most?11:50 The Small Business Perspective: Benefits of Earned Wage Access12:59 How Earnin Works: A User&apos;s Journey14:03 Monetization Strategies: How Earnin Generates Revenue17:06 Consumer Risks and Mitigation Strategies20:18 Ensuring Data Accuracy: The Source of Truth21:54 Employer Customization: Tailoring Earnin to Specific Needs22:46 Insights from Data: Understanding Consumer Financial Health23:58 Collaborations and Studies: Researching Labor Dynamics25:52 Looking Ahead: The Future of Earnin and Payroll26:36 Cross-Border Challenges in Business Growth29:57 Future Product Development and Innovations31:48 Inspiration from Other Industries34:49 Leveraging AI for Financial Products37:13 The Role of Stablecoins in Transactions39:28 Wage Growth vs. Inflation Dynamics42:32 The Future of Payroll: Continuous Pay43:44 Team Growth and Hiring Opportunities

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this episode, Nik Milanovic interviews Ram Palanappian, the CEO and Founder of Earnin, a fintech company that is revolutionizing how employees access their wages. Ram shares the origin story of Earnin, which began when he realized that many employees were struggling with cash flow issues, leading to late fees and overdraft charges. He discusses how he initially provided employees with early access to their earned wages, which evolved into a full-fledged product that allows users to access their pay in real-time, thereby reducing financial stress and improving overall financial health. Ram emphasizes the importance of shifting payroll systems from being employer-centric to employee-centric, allowing workers more control over their earnings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Chapters&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:00 Introduction and Setup&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:39 Multitasking in Conversations&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:44 Introduction to FinTech Trends&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:44 The Future of Digital Banking&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:47 Introduction to Earnin and Its Mission&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;04:10 Revolutionizing Payroll: Employee-Centric Solutions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;10:36 Adoption Across Industries: Who Benefits Most?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;11:50 The Small Business Perspective: Benefits of Earned Wage Access&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;12:59 How Earnin Works: A User&amp;apos;s Journey&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;14:03 Monetization Strategies: How Earnin Generates Revenue&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;17:06 Consumer Risks and Mitigation Strategies&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;20:18 Ensuring Data Accuracy: The Source of Truth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;21:54 Employer Customization: Tailoring Earnin to Specific Needs&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;22:46 Insights from Data: Understanding Consumer Financial Health&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;23:58 Collaborations and Studies: Researching Labor Dynamics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;25:52 Looking Ahead: The Future of Earnin and Payroll&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;26:36 Cross-Border Challenges in Business Growth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;29:57 Future Product Development and Innovations&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;31:48 Inspiration from Other Industries&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;34:49 Leveraging AI for Financial Products&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;37:13 The Role of Stablecoins in Transactions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;39:28 Wage Growth vs. Inflation Dynamics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;42:32 The Future of Payroll: Continuous Pay&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;43:44 Team Growth and Hiring Opportunities&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

In this episode, Nik Milanovic interviews Ram Palanappian, the CEO and Founder of Earnin, a fintech company that is revolutionizing how employees access their wages. Ram shares the origin story of Earnin, which began when he realized that many employees were struggling with cash flow issues, leading to late fees and overdraft charges. He discusses how he initially provided employees with early access to their earned wages, which evolved into a full-fledged product that allows users to access ...

Revolutionizing Payroll: The Earnin Story with Ram Palanappian

An agentic future of commerce is coming faster than merchants think—and PayPal wants to make sure small businesses don’t get left behind. In this live Money20/20 2025 episode of This Week in Fintech, hosts Nik Milanović and Jillian Williams sit down with PayPal’s Michelle Gill, EVP and General Manager of Small Business Financial Services, for a deep dive into how AI agents will transform shopping, loyalty, and merchant discovery. They talk about the next phase shift in commerce: a world where over 40% of shopping journeys may start in chat surfaces, and agents—not humans—do the heavy lifting on search, comparison, and even checkout. Michelle explains why this upends traditional ideas about websites, SEO, and brand, and why “discoverability” and rich product descriptions become the new battleground for merchants of all sizes. The trio dig into big questions shaping this new landscape:- How will small businesses compete when shopping begins in agent interfaces instead of on their storefronts? - What new infrastructure and open protocols are needed so merchants can “integrate once and propagate everywhere” across AI surfaces? - Where does loyalty live when consumers no longer visit your website—but still expect rewards, points, and personalized offers to “just work” in their wallet? - How far are consumers willing to let agents spend on their behalf, and what new trust markers will replace today’s checkout experiences? Michelle also offers a small-business lens on AI: where it can save time first (customer service, email, hiring), where it could power new B2B flows like inventory and reordering, and why AI might both compress margins and lower barriers to becoming a proprietor. She argues that the real opportunity is in turning wasted browsing time into higher-value, more delightful discovery and post-purchase experiences. Stay to the end for a rapid-fire round on Michelle’s recent favorite book, her current AI toolkit, and what she thinks the payments and e-commerce landscape could look like a decade from now. If you care about the future of agentic commerce, small business resilience, or how PayPal is positioning itself for the next era of the internet, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

<description>&lt;p&gt;An agentic future of commerce is coming faster than merchants think—and PayPal wants to make sure small businesses don’t get left behind. In this live Money20/20 2025 episode of This Week in Fintech, hosts Nik Milanović and Jillian Williams sit down with PayPal’s Michelle Gill, EVP and General Manager of Small Business Financial Services, for a deep dive into how AI agents will transform shopping, loyalty, and merchant discovery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They talk about the next phase shift in commerce: a world where over 40% of shopping journeys may start in chat surfaces, and agents—not humans—do the heavy lifting on search, comparison, and even checkout. Michelle explains why this upends traditional ideas about websites, SEO, and brand, and why “discoverability” and rich product descriptions become the new battleground for merchants of all sizes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trio dig into big questions shaping this new landscape:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- How will small businesses compete when shopping begins in agent interfaces instead of on their storefronts? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- What new infrastructure and open protocols are needed so merchants can “integrate once and propagate everywhere” across AI surfaces? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- Where does loyalty live when consumers no longer visit your website—but still expect rewards, points, and personalized offers to “just work” in their wallet? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- How far are consumers willing to let agents spend on their behalf, and what new trust markers will replace today’s checkout experiences?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michelle also offers a small-business lens on AI: where it can save time first (customer service, email, hiring), where it could power new B2B flows like inventory and reordering, and why AI might both compress margins and lower barriers to becoming a proprietor. She argues that the real opportunity is in turning wasted browsing time into higher-value, more delightful discovery and post-purchase experiences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stay to the end for a rapid-fire round on Michelle’s recent favorite book, her current AI toolkit, and what she thinks the payments and e-commerce landscape could look like a decade from now. If you care about the future of agentic commerce, small business resilience, or how PayPal is positioning itself for the next era of the internet, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

An agentic future of commerce is coming faster than merchants think—and PayPal wants to make sure small businesses don’t get left behind. In this live Money20/20 2025 episode of This Week in Fintech, hosts Nik Milanović and Jillian Williams sit down with PayPal’s Michelle Gill, EVP and General Manager of Small Business Financial Services, for a deep dive into how AI agents will transform shopping, loyalty, and merchant discovery.   They talk about the next phase shift in commerce: a world whe...

Agentic Commerce is here w/ Michelle Gill, PayPal

We sit down with Nubank co-founder Cristina Junqueira for a candid look at how frustration with fee-first banking led to a product people loved, and how that vision scaled across Brazil. We explore hard-won lessons on leadership, communication, regulation, and why AI plus open finance will reshape money. • leaving an incumbent bank to build customer-first products• forming the founding team and starting with nothing• operating through credit cycles, fraud pressure and regulation• leadership growth, emotional intelligence and storytelling• selling the vision internally and externally• customer impact from fair credit and savings features• Brazil’s policy tailwinds with PIX and open finance• AI as a financial co-pilot and US expansion plans

<description>&lt;p&gt;We sit down with Nubank co-founder Cristina Junqueira for a candid look at how frustration with fee-first banking led to a product people loved, and how that vision scaled across Brazil. We explore hard-won lessons on leadership, communication, regulation, and why AI plus open finance will reshape money.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• leaving an incumbent bank to build customer-first products&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• forming the founding team and starting with nothing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• operating through credit cycles, fraud pressure and regulation&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• leadership growth, emotional intelligence and storytelling&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• selling the vision internally and externally&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• customer impact from fair credit and savings features&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Brazil’s policy tailwinds with PIX and open finance&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• AI as a financial co-pilot and US expansion plans&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

We sit down with Nubank co-founder Cristina Junqueira for a candid look at how frustration with fee-first banking led to a product people loved, and how that vision scaled across Brazil. We explore hard-won lessons on leadership, communication, regulation, and why AI plus open finance will reshape money.   • leaving an incumbent bank to build customer-first products • forming the founding team and starting with nothing • operating through credit cycles, fraud pressure and regulation • leaders...

How Nubank Rewrote Brazil’s Banking Rules with Cristina Junqueira

⭐Top 40 Best Financial News Podcasts! ⭐ according to https://blog.feedspot.com/financIf you’re looking to expand your network and knowledge of fintech, look no further than the This Week In Fintech podcast. This engaging show brings together thought leaders from finance and technology sectors who share their experiences, insights, and innovative approaches.

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