Around The Coin

Host Stephen Sargeant interviews Lincoln Murr, Head of AI Product at Coinbase, about Coinbase’s agentic finance (AI-Fi) strategy, covering agentic payments and trading, and why he sees Coinbase as infrastructure for a post-AGI economy. Murr recounts early crypto onboarding via LocalBitcoins and argues for permissionless, decentralized value transfer. He explains x402—an open “payment required” HTTP standard now under the Linux Foundation with partners like Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and ...

On the Around The Coin podcast, host Stephen Sargeant interviews fintech leader Michelle Beyo, CEO and Founder of Finavator, about why open banking, open finance, and open data have advanced globally while North America, particularly Canada, continues to lag behind due to a lack of consumer data rights, clear timelines, and mandated implementation. Beyo explains how consent-driven data sharing could increase competition, lower costs, improve lending and mortgage processes, and potentially dri...

Host Stephen Sargeant introduces an in-person September 2025 Around The Coin podcast episode with Emma Todd, CEO/co-founder of MMH Technology and CEO of MMH Data Systems, an early Toronto crypto organizer who moved from traditional banking into crypto full time in 2016. Todd recounts her start at a Bitcoin conference, building events, learning pricing without mentors, and why early companies folded when they couldn’t explain what problem they solved. She explains Canada’s innovation challenge...

In this episode of Around The Coin, host Stephen Sargeant sits down with Amanda Wick, author of The Catalyst and Founder & CEO of the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency, for a wide-ranging conversation about the forces reshaping institutions, technology, and society. Amanda shares insights from her experience in financial crime, crypto, and public service, including her work on the January 6th Committee. She and Stephen discuss misinformation and social engineering, declining trust i...

Host Stephen Sargeant welcomes Wei Zhou, CEO at Coins.ph, to discuss grassroots crypto and stablecoin adoption in the Philippines, why the country consistently ranks in Chainalysis’ global top 10, and how regulation since 2016–2017 enabled licensed exchanges and bank connectivity. Zhou explains Coins.ph’s dual licensing (VASP and EMI), its focus on remittances and payments, and how stablecoins can cut remittance costs from 5–10% to 10–20 bps when used properly, emphasizing the importance of d...