Talking Tokens Podcast

The latest @_TalkingTokens x @Solana Sessions episode with @Ayyanrahman, cofounder of @onrefinance dives into: - Why DeFi and RWAs need to be fully compatible - The future of tokenization beyond just putting assets onchain - The opportunity to revamp the reinsurance market and more We also discuss the need for DeFi security following the Drift exploit, as we recorded right before Kelp DAO's DeFi exploit, but this convo still rings true - if not even more now. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 00:32 The Tokenization Illusion 01:59 Tokenization vs Reality 03:15 Why Reinsurance Actually Matters 06:22 The Real Unlock: Scaling Capital 09:05 Building a DeFi-Compatible Asset 12:14 What Breaks DeFi Under Stress 17:13 The Question That Actually Matters 22:07 Redefining Risk in DeFi 23:49 The Yield Trap 29:06 Best Gameplan for Growth 36:37 Where Adoption Actually Comes From Full episode here:

EXCLUSIVE: @_TalkingTokens sat down with Max Stein, a director on @BlackRock's digital assets team for his first podcast interview. We get an inside look at BlackRock's digital asset strategy, why tokenized cash will be the next huge opportunity, investor appetite for the industry and more. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 01:18 – How Max defines tokenization and his role at BlackRock 01:40 – How BlackRock goes from idea to product in digital assets 03:16 – Regulatory environment and how it affects the pace of product development 05:21 – Stablecoins at BlackRock: reserve management and internal use 06:17 – Why BlackRock chose @Securitize and how BUIDL was designed 07:54 – How the FTX collapse actually accelerated BlackRock's tokenization work 08:54 – Why tokenized cash is still the biggest opportunity 14:09 – The shift from private chains to public networks and the hybrid model 22:17 – Stablecoins as utility: programmable money, flash loans, and same-rail settlement 27:36 – His thoughts on DeFi exploits, contagion, and what it means for tokenized asset design 33:13 – How AI agents may prefer onchain rails and accelerate crypto adoption 38:50 – Final advice: small decisions shape whether a product scales or sits on a shelf Full episode below:

Go here: luma.com/e50yugjj

Who's coming to Miami? Kick off Consensus the right way by joining our team for an exclusive welcome brunch co-hosted with our friends at with Strata Media (@StrataMedia_) and Alpaca (@AlpacaHQ). RSVP with the link in the next post.