Solmate’s Plan to Become Solana’s Infrastructure Powerhouse

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For this week’s Thursday episode, I interviewed Marco Santori, CEO of Solmate, about the company’s shift from a pure digital asset treasury model into an infrastructure business.

Marco explains why Solmate decided to build bare metal validators in the UAE, how geography affects production, and why the region is becoming strategically important for Solana’s global footprint.

We also discuss Solmate’s planned acquisition of RockawayX, how it intends to integrate the firm’s liquidity, asset management and infrastructure, and why tokenization represents the biggest near term opportunity on Solana. Marco shares insights from his career across law, Kraken and venture, and explains why the long term vision is to turn Solmate into an operating business driven by revenues and not market cycles.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 –Intro
01:16 – Abu Dhabi Finance Week versus Breakpoint and Solmate’s strategic presence in the region
02:21 – How institutional investors think about high frequency trading and blockchain mechanics
04:13 – Marco’s background across law, exchanges and venture and how he navigated the industry
06:37 – Why Solmate decided to merge its DAT with infrastructure after investor feedback
08:30 – Its RockawayX acquisition plan and integration of its infrastructure and liquidity services
11:02 – What real infrastructure means and why Solmate launched the UAE’s first bare metal validator
14:03 – Why the UAE’s geography is critical for latency, block production and global connectivity
19:16 – Expansion plans, regional market differences and why Solmate is staying focused on the UAE
20:00 – Messaging to institutional allocators and pitching Solana as the right exposure to onchain finance
24:35 – Moving beyond the DAT model and why Solmate is transitioning toward an earnings-driven business
29:08 – Tokenization as the next era of commerce and high frequency trading blending with everyday transactions
33:31 – Solmate’s long term vision and Marco’s final advice for navigating crypto’s cycles

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Money and people moves

1. Acting Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Caroline D. Pham will be joining MoonPay as its new Chief Legal Officer & Chief Administrative Officer

2. Tether leads $8 million round in Lightning-based payment processor Speed (The Block)

3. Variant Fund adds “Elijah” as a new investment partner

Talking points for the road

Crypto-focused headlines or research that caught my eye…and should catch yours, too.

1. Wall Street giant DTCC Picks privacy focused blockchain Canton Network for tokenization (CoinDesk)

2. AAVE token holder proposes ‘poison pill’ for DAO to absorb Aave Labs amid contentious revenue debate (The Block)

3. Binance Weighs US Strategy as Billionaire Zhao Regains Clout (Bloomberg)

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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.