The Smart Economy Podcast

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by OP Labs Chief Scientist Karl Floersch to discuss the evolution of Ethereum scaling and why OP Labs is increasingly focused on bringing institutions on-chain. They explore the origins of optimistic rollups, the shift toward customizable and sovereign blockchains, the need for interoperability between potentially millions of chains, and how Ethereum and the OP Stack are preparing for the long-term challenge of quantum

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Reserve co-founder Nevin Freeman to discuss the project's long-term goal of creating an asset-backed currency capable of preserving purchasing power. They explore Bitcoin's evolution as a store of value, Reserve's experience bringing stablecoins to Venezuela, the potential for tokenized real-world assets to expand DeFi, and the regulatory barriers standing between today's financial system and globally accessible on-c

Maciej Cepnik, chief marketing officer at Aureo, joins The Smart Economy Podcast to discuss what it takes to build Bitcoin financial infrastructure in Mexico. Cepnik explains how Aureo grew from a tool its founders built to spend their own Bitcoin into a non-custodial brokerage, why navigating Mexico's financial system can become a competitive advantage, and why the company's next opportunity may lie in serving businesses and larger Bitcoin holders.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski sits down with Al Qureshi, CEO and co-founder of Black Lake Digital Markets, to discuss how blockchain infrastructure could modernize mortgage capital markets. They explore the role of tokenization, zero-knowledge proofs, and asset verification in improving transparency, reducing costs, and creating new opportunities for institutional finance while connecting traditional capital markets with blockchain networks.

Andrés Salcedo, head of business development at Etherfuse, joins The Smart Economy Podcast to explore how tokenized sovereign debt is expanding access to financial services across Latin America and beyond. Drawing from firsthand experience living through Venezuela's hyperinflation, Salcedo explains why stablecoins became a necessity, how blockchain is modernizing cross-border finance, and why yield-bearing stable assets may reshape the future of payments, savings, and financial infrastructure.

Christian St. Louis, partner at Ethereal Ventures, joins The Smart Economy Podcast to discuss venture capital, crypto startup investing, AI-driven entrepreneurship, and the long-term future of blockchain adoption. St. Louis shares insights from evaluating hundreds of founders, explains why conviction and creativity matter more than ever in an AI-powered world, and explores how stablecoins, agentic commerce, and real-world adoption are quietly reshaping the crypto industry.