Crypto an finance: flashback and future insights

Future of Money

Crypto, Stablecoins, and What Finance Leaders Should Actually Pay Attention To, with Bayo Akins

In this episode of FinTalk, our Founder and CEO, Ivan Jesus, sits down with Bayo Akins, a Web3 professional working at the intersection of crypto infrastructure and institutional finance, to unpack what is really happening as crypto and traditional finance start to collide.

Bayo has spent close to a decade in the space, across exchanges, compliance, and blockchain scaling. In this conversation, he breaks down crypto beyond hype, explains the categories most people confuse, and shares why stable coins and privacy are two of the most practical shifts business owners should be watching right now.

Whether you are a founder, CFO, finance leader, or simply crypto curious, this episode brings clarity to a topic that often feels over complicated, or overly speculative.

Key Highlights

How Bayo Entered Crypto

Bayo’s story is not about chasing trends. It is about curiosity, timing, and choosing to build in the next wave of infrastructure. He shares the books and moments that shaped his mindset, from early financial education to recognising that new industries form around concentrated pockets of talent. When he finally stepped into the space, a hackathon experience made something clear. You did not have to be technical to contribute. Business thinking and storytelling mattered too.

Beyond the Money Narrative

One of the biggest misconceptions about crypto is that it is just a way to make money. Bio reframes it through first principles. Money is a coordination tool. If we can send messages instantly across borders, the obvious question becomes why money still moves slowly, with fees, friction, and delays. From this lens, crypto is less about speculation and more about modern rails for how value moves globally.

The Crypto Categories Most People Confuse

Bayo gives a clear breakdown of the main buckets, and what each is actually for.

Bitcoin

Often viewed as digital gold, with value linked to scarcity and long term holding.

Smart contract platforms

Blockchains like Ethereum and Solana that allow applications and smart contracts to run on top of them, with tokens used to coordinate incentives.

Meme coins

Culture driven coins with no underlying value, where price is heavily tied to virality and timing.

Stable coins

Digital versions of currencies like the dollar, designed to stay stable in value. Bio calls this the unsexy but powerful part of crypto.

NFTs

Tokens that represent authenticity and ownership on the internet, rather than a currency.

Cycles Are Changing as Institutions Arrive

Bio explains two common frameworks people use to understand crypto cycles.

Bitcoin halving narratives

Often treated as a major driver of market behaviour, though recent patterns have started to shift.

Global liquidity cycles

A macro driven view, where periods of high liquidity increase risk appetite and drive speculative behaviour, as seen during COVID era market dynamics.

His view is that crypto is becoming more institutional, and that changes the rhythm of the market. As ownership shifts from early adopters to institutions, holding behaviour and expectations evolve, which may reshape how cycles play out.

Stable coins and Privacy Are the Real Business Unlocks

For day to day operations, Bayo points to stable coins and privacy as two areas founders and finance teams should watch.

Stable coins offer speed and availability, with 24 7 settlement and fewer delays compared to traditional banking rails.

Privacy focused infrastructure removes one of the main blockers for businesses. Not every company wants public visibility over financial activity. Emerging privacy mechanisms allow transactions to be private, while still supporting oversight where required.

Treasury, Collateral, and Efficiency Gains

A key theme in the episode is that crypto infrastructure is not only about new assets. It is about unlocking efficiency in how money moves.

Bayo shares how delays in settlement create knock on effects, from locked collateral to slow decision making. If funds can settle instantly, businesses can act faster, reduce idle cash, and operate with more agility. That applies to multinational finance and to growing SMEs, where cashflow timing is often the difference between stability and stress.

Finalytics Perspective

At Finalytics, we always come back to clarity and visibility. Whether a business is operating purely in traditional finance, or starting to become crypto exposed, the challenge is the same.

You need to know where your money is, what is coming in, what needs to go out, and what is driving movement in your financial position.

Crypto can create efficiency, but it also adds complexity. Asset values can move quickly, treasury strategy needs stronger rules, and compliance matters. That is why finance systems, reporting, and controls become even more important as businesses start to operate across both fiat and crypto environments.

The future is not purely crypto, and it is not purely traditional. It is hybrid.

Key Lessons for Business Leaders

• Crypto makes more sense when you start with first principles, not hype

• Stable coins are one of the most practical business use cases

• Privacy infrastructure is critical for institutional adoption

• Cycles are influenced by macro liquidity, not just crypto specific narratives

• Treasury management matters more when assets move fast

• The future of finance is likely a hybrid model, not one extreme

Practical Takeaways

• Review cross border payment friction and where delays impact operations

• Explore stable coin rails as a settlement option, even if only as a learning exercise

• Strengthen treasury policies if your business holds or receives crypto assets

• Build visibility across accounts payable, receivable, and cashflow timing, regardless of rails

• Avoid relying on one voice in the space, diversified perspectives reduce blind spots

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🎧 Tune In Now

This episode with Bayo Akins brings a grounded view of crypto for founders and finance leaders who want clarity, not noise.

Learn what stable coins really enable, why institutional adoption is reshaping the market, and how a hybrid finance future is taking shape.

Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast platform, and subscribe for future episodes of FinTalk.

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