The New Rails of Money: Stablecoins, CBDCs & Tokenisation

Couchonomics with Arjun

Stablecoins are no longer on the sidelines — they’re stepping into the core of global finance.
In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we're joined by Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Global Policy at Circle, for his second appearance on the show. Speaking from Washington, DC, Dante brings a timely perspective on how digital finance is evolving — and why it matters now more than ever.
We unpack:
- Stablecoins as real financial infrastructure for payments, remittances, and cross-border flows
- How smart regulation acts as a catalyst for trust, adoption, and institutional capital
- CBDCs and tokenisation — separating hype from substance, and where they’ll truly reshape markets and inclusion
- Why MENA is emerging as a global hub for digital assets, with the UAE leading from the front
If you want to understand how money itself is being rebuilt — not just the apps we use, but the foundations beneath the system — this conversation with Dante is essential listening.
🎧 Watch and listen now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by our partners:
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SC Ventures https://scventures.io/
Hala https://hala.com/
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Digital Assets and Policy
00:54 Welcoming the Guest: Dante Disparte
02:35 Stablecoins: Current State and Future Prospects
03:05 Regulatory Changes and Their Impact
06:21 Exploring Use Cases for Digital Assets
16:29 The Role of Banks and Stablecoins
24:46 Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
28:15 The Genius Act: Opportunities and Risks
29:59 The Resilience of Digital Assets
30:37 The Genius Act: A Legislative Proposal
31:20 Stablecoins and Market Stability
31:55 The Role of Stablecoins in the Banking System
32:54 Guardrails and Systemic Risk
33:45 Tokenized Treasuries vs. Stablecoins
35:48 Concerns About Tether
38:05 The Genius Act and Global Regulatory Harmonization
40:41 Corporate Stablecoins and Market Adoption
49:00 Circle's IPO and Long-Term Vision
53:03 Circle Payment Network (CPN) and Financial Inclusion

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