the un# podcast

Olivier Dang is rewriting the rules of institutional finance. As the force behind Nomura's Laser Digital and COO of KAIO, he's built a $200M tokenization platform that's bringing hedge funds, private credit, and alternative assets on-chain. From convincing a conservative Japanese megabank to embrace crypto to creating institutional-grade DeFi infrastructure, Olivier's journey reveals how tradition...

How did Jakob Palmstierna turn GSR into crypto's premier capital markets partner working with 500+ projects? In this episode, we explore the evolution of market making in DeFi, and his bold $10 trillion crypto prediction for 2030.Jakob Palmstierna, President of GSR, shares his journey from traditional hedge fund trading at Two Sigma to building one of crypto's most influential market makin...

How is China quietly building the world's largest blockchain infrastructure while crypto remains banned? In this episode, we uncover the BSN (Blockchain Service Network) - China's answer to public blockchains that's powering everything from national digital identity to enterprise applications across 2,500+ companies. Yifan He, CEO of Red Date Technology and core architect of China'...

What draws crypto pioneers to build infrastructure instead of chasing consumer apps? In this episode, Alvin Foo reveals his 10-year framework for separating signal from noise in Web3 and why Asia is the sleeping giant of tokenized assets. Alvin Foo has spent over 25 years at the intersection of technology and finance, transitioning from senior roles at Google and Nokia to become a pioneering force...

How is custody in crypto evolving from simple storage to the backbone of institutional trust? In this episode, Zodia Custody CEO Julian Sawyer unpacks the global digital asset custody landscape and why banks and institutions are betting big on regulated solutions. Julian Sawyer, former co-founder of Starling Bank and ex-CEO of Bitstamp, now leads Zodia Custody, a Standard Chartered–backed platform...

"A billion people are going to have crypto wallets, which they won't even call crypto wallets. They'll just call wallets. And once you have a wallet, you're one step from DeFi." - Matthew HouganThis insight reveals how stablecoin adoption could trigger the next wave of DeFi mass adoption. In this episode of alpha un#, Sri Misra sits down with Matthew Hougan, Chief Investment...

"We're going to have tens of thousands of blockchains" - Marc BoironThis isn't crypto speculation - it's the inevitable result of specialized infrastructure beating general-purpose solutions. In this episode of alpha un#, host Sri Misra sits down with Marc Boiron, CEO of Polygon Labs, to explore why the blockchain landscape will fragment into thousands of purpose-built chains...

What if the financial system could be fair, open, and built for the people - not just Wall Street? In this episode, host Sri Misra sits down with Jeremy Almond, Founder & CEO of Paystand, to unpack his journey from the 2008 financial crash to building a $15B+ commercial blockchain payment network. Jeremy shares: 👉How witnessing the 2008 crash led him to Bitcoin and a mission-driven company 👉...

In this episode of alpha un#, host Sri Misra sits down with Shawn Douglass, CEO and Co- founder of Amberdata, to unpack how crypto data infrastructure is transforming the future of finance. Shawn shares his journey from Bitcoin mining in 2010 to building Amberdata, now the go-to analytics platform for institutions navigating DeFi, CeFi, derivatives, and stablecoins. With clients like Fidelity, Cit...

"We don't need decentralization for banks" - Alex BuelauThis counterintuitive insight from a blockchain infrastructure builder reveals why traditional financial institutions are finally ready to adopt blockchain technology. In this episode, we dive deep with Alex Buelau (Co-Founder & CPTO, Parfin) and Marcos Viriato (Co-Founder & CEO, Parfin) who are building Rayls - the blockchain infrast...

The regulatory shock in 2018 completely reshaped India's cryptocurrency landscape, gifting millions of users to new exchanges while established players faced extinction. In this episode, we dive deep into India's crypto evolution with Ajeet Khurana, Founder of Reflexical and former CEO of Zebpay. From witnessing Bitcoin's early days to navigating regulatory uncertainty, Ajeet shares fi...

"Would you upload all your private information like your bank statement, your personal ID to ChatGPT?"This crucial question from Dr. Max Li highlights the fundamental trust barrier hindering the massive adoption of AI agents in our daily lives. In this episode, host Srikumar Misra sits down with Dr. Max Li, Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and Founder & CEO of OORT, to explor...

The LIBOR scandal, where TradFi's most important interest rate was manipulated for decades, wasn't just a failure of trust – it was a blueprint for how not to build financial benchmarks. This episode explores how DeFi can learn from these past mistakes to create transparent, verifiable, on-chain financial infrastructure from the ground up. Host Sri Misra chats with Darren Camas, CEO &...

"Any business, whether you're in digital assets or not, can see both time and cost savings by using blockchain payments, especially stablecoins."This insight highlights the practical, efficiency-driven advantages that digital assets, particularly stablecoins, can offer to traditional businesses beyond the crypto-native world. In this episode, host Sri Misra sits down with Amy Kalnoki...

"This whole industry hasn't started yet..."Despite reaching multi-trillion dollar valuations, the digital asset space might still be in its infancy compared to traditional markets. In this episode, we explore why the real growth could be yet to come. Joining host Sri Misra is Vineet Budki, Managing Partner & CEO of Sigma Capital, a venture capital firm focused on Web3 investments...

"You should want privacy. You should not want anonymity."This critical distinction, often lost in Web3 debates, highlights the need for tools that protect users without enabling illicit activity, a core challenge for responsible innovation. In this episode of alpha un#, host Sri Misra sits down with Amanda Wick, a former US prosecutor. They delve into the complex realities of crypto beyo...

"Digital assets is the most transparent asset in the world."Contrary to common belief associating crypto with illicit activities, the inherent traceability of blockchain transactions makes digital assets remarkably transparent compared to traditional fiat systems. In this episode, Sri Misra chats with Tal Zackon, CEO & Co-founder of TRES Finance, a platform providing financial compli...

"If you put the whole map of The Sandbox, it's as big as a megacity like New York, London or Paris in equivalent."This perspective hints at the immense scale and ambition behind building persistent, blockchain-based virtual worlds. In this episode of alpha un#, Sri Misra talks with Sebastien Borget, Co-Founder & COO of The Sandbox, delving into the creation of these expansive digital frontiers...

"NFTs are not JPEGs that you collect, buy, sell, make money. They are a technology to digitally represent, secure and do everything online for any unique asset type." In this episode of alpha un# podcast, Alexander Mitrovich, CEO of Unique Network, challenges the common perception of NFTs as mere digital collectibles. He reveals their profound potential as a fundamental technology for ce...

For businesses built on strong communities, the question isn't if Web3 matters, but how to effectively integrate it. This episode of alpha un# provides a practical roadmap. Join host Srikumar Misra as he dives deep with Dharamveer Singh Chouhan, Co-Founder & CEO of Zo World (and the innovator behind the Zostel hostel chain), to explore how to leverage Web3 technologies to enhance, not repl...

"Everything will be tokenized and every single currency in the world needs to have representation on-chain." Simon Dingle, founder of Inves Capital and creator of the South African Rand stablecoin (ZARP), joins Srikumar Misra on alpha un# and believes we're at the dawn of a financial revolution. He argues that the proven staying power of crypto, combined with the eventual tokenizatio...

"The entire crypto digital assets market is three and a half billion, which is less than the market cap of Nvidia...The TradFi opportunity is much bigger." - Pritam DuttaThis quote encapsulates the massive potential of bringing Real World Assets (RWAs) on-chain. Pritam Dutta, founder of Zoth, joins Srikumar Misra on alpha un# to explain how Zoth is building a decentralized infrastructure...

Join us in this episode of the alpha un# podcast as we explore Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) with Christian Pusateri, Cofounder, Mind Network, uncovering its potential to revolutionize data privacy and security. Explore how FHE is transforming AI, enabling secure data sharing and collaboration without compromising sensitive information – tune in to learn more! The alpha un# podcast is hosted...

Join us in this episode of the Alpha Un# Podcast as we explore the transformative realm of decentralized finance (DeFi) with Akshit Bordia, founder of LogX. Learn all about the significance of perpetual contracts and how LogX is pioneering a seamless trading experience that bridges the best of decentralized and centralized exchanges. Tune in to understand the dynamic nature of crypto assets and th...

Join us in this episode of the Alpha Un# Podcast as we explore the intersection of blockchain and traditional finance with Nitin Gaur, Founder & CTO of LedgerLink. Don't miss out on the future of digital assets and their impact on banking! The alpha un# podcast is hosted by Sri Misra, founder of Aarna Protocol and Milk Mantra. His journey, marked by overcoming adversity and building succes...