Is Crypto Focusing on the Wrong Regulatory Fight? DEX in the City
Speakers
Edward Woodford — CEO of Zero Hash
— Zero Hash CEO
Katherine "KK" — Host, Starkware
— Starkware host
Jesse — Host, Ribbit Capital
— Rivet Capital
Summary
- The "wait for regulation" narrative is a fallacy; major institutions (Morgan Stanley, BlackRock) are already deploying crypto products (trading, stablecoins, tokenization) using existing frameworks, meaning the "Clarity Act" is an accelerant, not a prerequisite.
- Stablecoins are not a threat to legacy payment networks (Visa/Mastercard); rather, these networks are "perfectly positioned" to serve as the interoperability layer for stablecoins, viewing them as just another Alternative Payment Method (APM).
- A convergence is occurring between "Crypto Native" and "FinTech" models; within 2-3 years, the P&L and business models of Coinbase and Robinhood will be nearly identical.
- The emergence of AI Agents (e.g., Moltbook) creates a new necessity for crypto: agents require "uncensorable" payment rails to pay for server persistence and data, creating a massive new B2B (Bot-to-Bot) economy.
Trade Ideas
Edward confirms Zero Hash works with "Morgan Stanley, Stripe, BlackRock" and notes that Morgan Stanley is offering Bitcoin/Eth/Solana trading to clients *today*. The narrative that "institutions are waiting for the Clarity Act" is false. The largest asset managers are already building and deploying. This suggests the institutional adoption cycle is further ahead than priced in, and these specific firms (MS/BLK) will have first-mover advantage in capturing fees from tokenized assets and crypto wealth management. LONG. These are the institutional winners of the "Crypto as an Asset Class" transition. Reputational damage if the crypto market collapses or strict capital requirement rules (SAB 121) remain indefinitely.
Edward states that payment networks are "perfectly positioned" because they are a "network of networks that create interoperability." He notes that Visa/Mastercard executives view stablecoins not as a defensive threat, but as a "good offensive mechanism" to enable global waiver programs and innovation. The market discounts legacy payment processors fearing they will be disintermediated by blockchain. Edward argues the opposite: Stablecoins suffer from fragmentation (different chains, wrapped tokens). Visa and Mastercard will capture value by becoming the translation layer that connects these fragmented stablecoins to merchants, effectively co-opting the technology to drive volume. LONG. These are the ultimate "picks and shovels" for stablecoin adoption without the regulatory risk of issuers. Regulatory caps on interchange fees or successful "closed loop" stablecoin networks that bypass card rails entirely.
"When you look at Robinhood's financials, Coinbase's financials, they're going to look very, very similar in two to three years." He also notes Coinbase is launching wealth products while Robinhood enters crypto. The market currently treats these as distinct asset classes (Crypto Exchange vs. Retail Brokerage). Edward predicts a total convergence where both become holistic "Neobanks" managing all assets. This implies a repricing of whichever is trading at a lower multiple as their total addressable markets (TAM) merge. LONG. Bet on the leaders of the "Retail Wealth SuperApp" consolidation. Fee compression due to competition or regulatory crackdowns on non-bank financial institutions.
Edward discusses the problem of AI agents scraping the web without paying creators. He explicitly mentions "what Cloudflare is trying to do is super super interesting around effectively gating agents into certain sites." As the "Agent Economy" grows, websites will need defense against scraping and a mechanism to monetize data access for bots. Cloudflare is positioned to be the tollbooth: blocking unauthorized bots while facilitating micropayments (likely via stablecoins) for authorized agents to access data. This opens a new enterprise revenue stream for Cloudflare. LONG. A unique derivative play on the convergence of AI and Crypto payments. AI developers finding ways to bypass gating or competing infrastructure providers offering cheaper alternatives.
Up Next
This Unchained (Chopping Block) video, published February 06, 2026, features Edward Woodford discussing BLK, MS, MA, V, HOOD, COIN, NET. 4 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers: Edward Woodford · Tickers: BLK, MS, MA, V, HOOD, COIN, NET