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Technology is changing what people expect from money, and stablecoins are turning that into reality.
In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined from New York by Stephen Richardson (CSO and Head of Banking at Fireblocks) to break down why digital assets are back at the center of banking strategy, what stablecoins are really unlocking, and where banks are at risk of getting disintermediated if they treat this like “just another rails upgrade.”
They unpack the on-chain vs off-chain convergence, why stablecoins became the real “killer app” for blockchain UX, and why the next wave isn’t just crypto trading, but new product models: stablecoin acceptance, payouts, FX orchestration, stablecoin clearing, tokenized deposits, and tokenized assets that can move and settle with fewer constraints.
🎙️ In this episode:
• Why digital assets momentum is rising again in 2026
• Stablecoins as the “money on-chain” unlock (and why that changed everything)
• TradFi + DeFi convergence: where the customer actually feels it
• Real-time payments vs 24/7 money movement: what banks still miss
• What banks should do first: acceptance, payouts, FX, clearing, interoperability
• Why “40 stablecoins” is a UX problem (and who solves it)
• Stablecoin-as-a-Service vs Banking-as-a-Service: what gets leapfrogged
• Tokenization explained: native on-chain assets vs digital twins
• What’s next to tokenize: gold, treasuries, and trade foundations
• What Fireblocks is building towards: commercially viable use cases, not demos
👉 Watch the full episode if you want a clear, non-hype view of how stablecoins and tokenization can reshape banking operating models, and what banks and fintechs should do before the new rails become the default.
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Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by:
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SC Ventures → https://scventures.io/
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Stablecoins, fintech platforms, and “money on-chain”
01:00 Who Stephen Richardson is + what Fireblocks does
02:10 Why digital assets now: what changed since the last cycle
05:00 Stablecoins as the killer UX unlock for blockchain
08:05 On-chain + off-chain convergence: where it’s heading
14:40 Real-time payments vs 24/7 money: visibility, trust, orchestration
17:30 What banks must shift to: platform mindset + on-chain products
25:05 First moves banks can make: accept, convert, payout, FX
33:45 What holds stablecoins back: regulation, dollarization, identity/KYC
44:15 Tokenization explained + what’s ready next (gold, treasuries, trade)
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