Etherealize is Bringing Ethereum to Wall Street

Welcome back to Talking Tokens. We’re rolling out the second edition of Talking Tokenization. Excited? WE ARE.

Reminder: Talking Tokenization is a new series within Talking Tokens that will come out twice a month. The episodes, as you may guess, are centered around tokenization. Following our first episode with Securitize’s CEO, this one was a great second take. (If I can say so myself.)

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The latest Talking Tokens podcast 🎙️

For the second episode of Talking Tokenization, I interviewed Vivek Raman, CEO of Etherealize and former Wall Street high yield credit trader. Vivek shares his journey from top-tier banks to pioneering Ethereum-based tokenization solutions. He explains why tokenizing existing financial assets on public blockchains is crucial for the future of finance and how Etherealize is tackling the challenges of institutional-grade privacy, compliance, and scalability.

The episode covers the shift in institutional sentiment towards blockchains, the importance of public and layer-2 Ethereum networks, and the massive opportunity tokenizing the global capital markets presents. Vivek also highlights why privacy solutions onchain are mission-critical and shares his outlook on regulatory tailwinds and the urgent need for responsible innovation today.

Sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io.

Sponsored by Fireblocks, the trusted stablecoin infrastructure for global enterprises. Learn more at fireblocks.com.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro

01:08 – Why Vivek left banking? The lack of tech upgrades on Wall Street

03:22 – Discovering Ethereum in 2020 and seeing product-market fit

05:07 – Defining tokenization in simple terms

07:11 – Why Ethereum is the best back-end for financial assets

09:27 – Stablecoins as the first step in tokenization

12:03 – Regulatory clarity, bipartisan support & the Clarity Act

14:46 – Etherealize raises $40M to build tokenization infrastructure

18:25 – Privacy as table stakes for institutional adoption

20:11 – Future tokenized assets: treasuries, mortgages, car loans

23:01 – Global opportunity: emerging markets & democratized access

27:04 – The urgency of building responsibly before momentum fades

31:00 – Tokenization makes assets programmable and globally accessible

35:09 – Investing in private companies like OpenAI & regulatory issues

38:06 – Scaling Ethereum for institutions & risks of fragmentation

40:07 – Final thoughts

Talking Tokens episodes are released on Spotify and Apple Podcasts at 6AM EST or YouTube at 8AM EST every Tuesday and Thursday. Listen in!

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Money and people moves

1. Nikolaos Bougalis joins Algorand Foundation as CTO

2. Jito Foundation appoints Marc Liew as its first head of APAC

3. Nate Cha joins Monad as director of marketing

4. Nicholas Wenzel joined SOAR as head of ecosystem

5. Ellie Davidson joins Ethereum Foundation as a protocol researcher

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Please note that this content is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Any views shared should not be considered financial advice, nor should it be used to make investment decisions. Cryptocurrencies are high risk and you should consult a financial professional before making any financial decisions. Make sure you do your own research. We may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this newsletter.