Episodios

  • Stablecoins, Bitcoin, and the Future of Payments: Federico Tenga and Luc Froehlich on Innovation & Adoption Challenges
    May 5 2025

    Introduction

    • Federico Tenga, core developer at Tether, is currently working on research and development projects
    • Currently focused on developing tokenized assets on Bitcoin and Lightning Network

    Stablecoin Market and Use Cases

    • Three established product-market fits in crypto: Bitcoin (store of value), Stablecoins (fiat payments), and Decentralized gambling
    • Stablecoins initially gained popularity for arbitrage between crypto exchanges
    • Primary use cases:
      • Trading (current dominant use)
      • Cross-border payments (especially for emerging markets)
      • Savings vehicle (particularly in high-inflation countries)

    Stablecoin Models and Innovation

    • Distinguishes between true "stablecoins" and investment vehicles branded as stablecoins
    • Views investment-focused products as fundamentally different from payment-focused stablecoins

    Adoption Challenges

    • Two main barriers: motivation and education
    • Retail users need education on technology usage
    • Institutional players face process and regulatory hurdles

    Future Outlook

    • Expects some market fragmentation with multiple stablecoins
    • Distribution strategies require "boots on the ground" in emerging markets
    • Believes high interest rates attracted many players to the market
    • Long-term view: stablecoins are preparing the world for eventual Bitcoin adoption
    Más Menos
    34 m
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup