CEO of KAST Plans to Build a Global Bank for 100 Million People

In today's episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with the founder and CEO of KAST to discuss how stablecoins are powering a new generation of global banking and financial services. Drawing on his experience at Circle, where he helped expand USDC adoption in Asia-Pacific, he shares why he left to build KAST, a stablecoin-powered neobank designed for global citizens, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and businesses. They explore whether stablecoin neobanks could challenge traditional banks, why the next phase of stablecoin adoption is about solving real financial problems rather than focusing on blockchain technology, and KAST's ambition to build a global financial platform serving millions of customers. From cross-border payments and crypto spending to business accounts, financial infrastructure, and product simplicity, this conversation examines how stablecoins could reshape everyday banking and why KAST's founder believes the industry needs to stop talking about stablecoins and start building products people actually want to use. Timestamps 0:00 — Introduction to KAST 01:20 — From Circle and USDC to Founding KAST 02:33 — Why Leave Circle to Start a Company? 04:49 — What Problem Is KAST Solving? 05:13 — Building a Global Neobank on Stablecoins 06:12 — Banking for Global Citizens and Remote Workers 07:54 — Can Neobanks Replace Traditional Banks? 08:34 — Why Traditional Banking Falls Short 09:18 — KAST's Long-Term Vision 10:23 — Building a Global Financial Platform 11:18 — Why Customers Want Everything in One Place 12:05 — Why KAST Is Moving Beyond Stablecoin Messaging 13:13 — Are Stablecoins Becoming Boring? 15:00 — Why Crypto Needs to Focus on Real Problems 16:47 — Building Better Cross-Border Payments 18:00 — Personal vs. Business Banking 19:15 — Introducing KAST Solo for Freelancers 21:10 — How KAST Decides What Products to Build 22:21 — What Customers Want From KAST 23:07 — Product Development and Customer Feedback 24:32 — Why Simplicity Is a Competitive Advantage 26:33 — Why Every Extra Click Matters 27:34 — Product Challenges and Lessons Learned 30:10 — What Will Banking Look Like in the Future? 31:43 — Building a Bank for the Next Generation 33:35 — Why People Don't Switch Banks 35:25 — What Makes KAST Different? 35:49 — Advice for Founders and Entrepreneurs 🔔 New episodes every week  https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 🌐 Follow Jacquelyn Melinek https://x.com/jacqmelinek?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelynmelinek ➡️ Follow Raags Pathy https://x.com/raagulanpathy?lang=en https://sg.linkedin.com/in/raagulanpathy Today’s episode is sponsored by Anchorage Digital, America's first federally chartered digital asset bank and provider of regulated stablecoin issuance. To find out more, visit anchorage.com This episode is sponsored by Binance, the world’s number-one crypto exchange, trusted by over 300 million people. Discover more at: https://binance.onelink.me/y874/talkingtokens . NOTE: Binance is not available in certain countries, including the U.S.; check its Terms for more information: https://www.binance.com/en/terms  #TalkingTokens #KAST #Stablecoins #Neobanks #FutureOfBanking