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The Rollup

Where digital assets and finance converge. Live from the financial capital of the world.

Website: https://therollup.co/

Latest Episodes:

How x402 Is Unlocking the Machine Payment Economy with Erik Reppel Nov 02, 2025

Show notes

Machines paying machines is about to become the internet's most powerful primitive.

In this episode of AI Supercycle, we sit down with Erik Reppel from Coinbase Developer Platform to discuss how x402 enables the machine payment economy, why past internet payment standards failed, and how AI agents will unlock true composability.

We discuss:

- What X402 Actually Is (Explained Simply)

- Why Past Internet Payment Standards Failed

- The Neutral, Multi-Chain Design Philosophy

- How AI Agents Will Unlock Composability

- From 4M to 1B Transactions: Erik's Bold Vision

- Payments MCP: Giving Claude Its Own Wallet

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:47 Nir Partnership Announcement

01:54 What Is x402 Explained Simply

04:20 Why Internet-Native Payments Matter Now

07:32 x402's Unique Advantages Over Alternatives

09:01 Beyond Crypto: A Neutral Standard

09:45 Relay Ad, Hibachi Ad, Alvara

10:36 x402's Evolution & Foundation Story

12:05 The Origin Story of x402

15:34 Design Decisions That Made It Work

17:29 Talus Ad, Enso Ad

17:47 Scaling to Billion Transactions

21:12 How x402 Enables the Machine Economy

23:27 Payments MCP: Claude's Wallet Explained

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd...

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥: 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘍𝘪 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬, 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭, 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴.

Rollup TV: AI Supercycle EP 8, OverHerd, Offchain Labs Nov 01, 2025

Show notes

The Rollup TV is brought to you by:

AltLayer: https://www.altlayer.io/

SQD: https://www.sqd.ai/

Kalshi: https://t.co/UEGdJMRFFZ

NEAR: https://kalshi.onelink.me/1r91/kalshix

Frax: https://frax.com

Polygon: https://polygon.technology

Talus: https://testnet.talus.network/testnet

Relay: https://linktr.ee/relayprotocol

Join The Rollup Family:

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

Follow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandy

Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

How Squads Secured $15B in Assets on Solana with Stepan Simkin and Garrett Harper Oct 31, 2025

Show notes

Western Union launching a stablecoin on Solana marks a major shift in payments infrastructure.

In this episode of Stabled Up, we sit down with Stepan Simkin and Garrett Harper from Squads Protocol to discuss how they built the infrastructure for Western Union's Solana strategy, why vertically integrated infrastructure wins, and the path to $3.7 trillion in stablecoin market cap.

We discuss:

- How Western Union secured $15B in assets on Solana

- Western Union's Solana strategy & why they chose Squads

- Enterprise vs crypto-native stablecoin approaches

- Why vertically integrated infrastructure wins

- The path from $300B to $3.7T in stablecoins

- Altitude: On-chain business banking for enterprises

- Getting paid in USDC: The future of payroll

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:39 Stepan & Garrett's Background: Building Squads

03:13 Blockworks Transformation Story

04:15 Squads' Founder Journey

07:58 Western Union Goes to Solana: The Inside Story

10:40 The Squads Value Proposition for Enterprises

12:34 Relay Ad

13:35 Why Vertically Integrated Infrastructure Wins

15:53 Stable Chains vs Open Networks: The Trade-offs

17:27 Payment Stablecoins vs Loyalty Stablecoins

19:54 Balancing Security & Trust at Scale

21:02 Growing Stablecoin Supply: What's Driving It

22:54 Enterprise Chain Preferences Revealed

25:05 $15B Breakdown & Geography: Where the Money Is

26:24 Alvara Ad

26:49 Coinbase Partnership: What It Unlocks

32:48 Getting Paid in Stablecoins: The Payroll Future

33:17 Closing Thoughts

Website: https://therollup.co/

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Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

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Join our TG group: https://t.me/+TsM1CRpWFgk1NGZh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Rollup TV: Stabled Up EP8, Theo Network, Hyperliquid, Starknet, Sui Group Holdings Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

The Rollup TV is brought to you by:

AltLayer: https://www.altlayer.io/

SQD: https://www.sqd.ai/

Kalshi: https://t.co/UEGdJMRFFZ

NEAR: https://kalshi.onelink.me/1r91/kalshix

Frax: https://frax.com

Polygon: https://polygon.technology

Talus: https://testnet.talus.network/testnet

Relay: https://linktr.ee/relayprotocol

Join The Rollup Family:

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

Follow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandy

Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

How Zcash Is Solving Bitcoin's Biggest Problem with Josh Swihart Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

Bitcoin's transparency problem just became a trillion-dollar opportunity for privacy-focused alternatives.

In this episode of AI Supercycle, we sit down with Josh Swihart from Zcash, to discuss how Bitcoin got captured by fintech, why zero-knowledge encryption is the only path forward, and how Zcash drove $100M in flows through NEAR intents in just 8 weeks.

We discuss:

- How Zcash Invented Zero-Knowledge Encryption

- $100M in Flows Through NEAR Intents in 8 Weeks

- The Exploding Shielded Pool & What It Means

- Navigating Regulators: FBI, CIA & Building Trust

- Why Bitcoin Got Captured by Fintech

- Freedom Coin vs Fintech Coin: The Coming Battle

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:01 Josh's Role & Zcash Origins

03:14 The Founding Scientists Story

06:43 Zcash's Recent Momentum Explained

09:34 Understanding the Shielded Pool

11:36 Relay Ad, Enso Ad, Talus Ad

12:19 NEAR Intents Integration: $100M in 8 Weeks

16:26 Comparing Zcash to Swiss Bank TAM

21:12 Builder Ecosystem Growth

24:08 Navigating Regulatory Pressure: FBI, CIA & Trust

30:27 Alvara Ad, Hibachi Ad

30:50 Building DC Relationships That Matter

32:13 Zephyr Punk Hackathon

36:00 Getting Started with Zcash

39:37 Op Cat & Bitcoin Comparison

40:18 Scaling to Billions of Users

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd...

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

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Join our TG group: https://t.me/+TsM1CRpWFgk1NGZh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Rollup TV: Megaeth, AI Supercycle EP8 Zcash, Vechain, FOMC Special by Kalshi and Framework Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

The Rollup TV is brought to you by:

AltLayer: https://www.altlayer.io/

SQD: https://www.sqd.ai/

Kalshi: https://t.co/UEGdJMRFFZ

NEAR: https://kalshi.onelink.me/1r91/kalshix

Frax: https://frax.com

Polygon: https://polygon.technology

Talus: https://testnet.talus.network/testnet

Relay: https://linktr.ee/relayprotocol

Join The Rollup Family:

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

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Join our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Rachel from Circle: Why Stablecoin-as-Gas Changes Everything Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Circle just solved one of crypto's biggest UX problems: paying gas fees with the tokens you're already using.

In this episode, we sit down with Rachel Mayer to discuss why they built Arc as an L1 instead of L2, how stablecoin-as-gas unlocks instant settlement, and why bringing $8 trillion/day FX markets onchain changes everything.

We discuss:

- Why Circle Built Arc as an L1 vs L2

- Stablecoin-as-Gas: The Silent Unlock

- Instant Settlement & Privacy Features

- 100+ Launch Partners (Apollo, BNY Mellon, Visa, Mastercard & More)

- Bringing $8 Trillion/Day FX Markets Onchain

- Multi-Currency Stablecoin Strategy

- USDC's Evolution & Global Liquidity Hub Vision

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:53 From TradFi to Crypto: Rachel's Journey

06:17 Why Circle Built Arc as L1 Instead of L2

09:51 The Dollar Fungibility Illusion

11:14 Enso Ad, Relay Ad

11:50 Stablecoin Proliferation: Why More Is Better

14:09 Upstream vs Downstream Money Infrastructure

16:55 The Fragmentation Problem Circle Is Solving

19:00 How Circle's USD Actually Works Under the Hood

21:28 Bridge Partnership: The Technical Architecture

26:00 Talus Ad, Alvara Ad, Hibachi Ad

26:29 Will Users Actually Notice Blockchain Rails?

28:37 Second-Order Effects When Trillions Move Onchain

30:34 The Next Major Circle Launch Coming

32:28 Hyperliquid's Stablecoin War: Circle's Take

34:19 Developer-Friendly Issuance: Lowering Barriers

34:42 Closing Thoughts

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd...

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Rollup TV: Arc, Circle, Dango Exchange and LEGION Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

The Rollup TV is brought to you by:AltLayer: https://www.altlayer.io/SQD: https://www.sqd.ai/Kalshi: https://t.co/UEGdJMRFFZNEAR: https://kalshi.onelink.me/1r91/kalshixFrax: https://frax.comPolygon: https://polygon.technologyTalus: https://testnet.talus.network/testnetRelay: https://linktr.ee/relayprotocolJoin The Rollup Family:Website: https://therollup.co/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd..Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcastFollow us on X: https://www.x.com/therollupcoFollow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollupFollow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandyJoin our TG group: https://t.me/+8ARkR_YZixE5YjBhThe Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥: 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘍𝘪 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬, 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭, 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴.

Why Every Major App Will Issue Their Own Stablecoin with Luca Prosperi from M0 Oct 27, 2025

Show notes

The infrastructure of money is being completely rewritten, and most people don't see it happening.

In this episode, we sit down with Luca Prosperi, founder of M0, to discuss why every major app will issue their own stablecoin, how MetaMask built their own dollar without banking rails, and why we're heading from $300B to trillions in stablecoin market cap.

We discuss:

- Why every bank's dollar is actually different

- The stablecoin fragmentation problem

- How MetaMask built their own dollar without banking rails

- Why apps need to control their own stablecoins

- The future of non-custodial financial services

- From $300B to trillions: Where stablecoins are heading

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:53 Luca's Journey: From Traditional Finance to Crypto

06:17 Founding M0 & Raising Without a Pitch Deck

09:51 The Illusion of Dollar Fungibility

11:14 Enso Ad, Relay Ad

11:50 Stablecoin Proliferation Strategy: Why More Is Better

14:09 Upstream vs Downstream Money Infrastructure

16:55 The Fragmentation Problem Nobody Talks About

19:00 How MetaMask's USD Actually Works

21:28 MetaMask's Partnership with Bridge: The Technical Details

26:00 Talus Ad, Alvara Ad, Hibachi Ad

26:29 Will Consumers Actually Notice Blockchain Money?

28:37 Second-Order Effects of Trillions in Stablecoins

30:34 The Next Major M0 Launch

32:28 Hyperliquid's Stablecoin War: Who Wins?

34:19 Developer-Friendly Issuance: Lowering the Barrier

34:42 Closing Thoughts

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd...

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

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Join our TG group: https://t.me/+TsM1CRpWFgk1NGZh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

The Stablecoin Supercycle Is Here and Banks Are About To Join with Tony McLaughlin Oct 25, 2025

Show notes

Stablecoins aren't crypto assets, they're negotiable instruments that banks should process like checks.

In this episode of Stabled Up, we sit down with Tony McLaughlin, CEO of Ubyx and former Swift executive, to discuss why the stablecoin supercycle is here, how clearing infrastructure actually works, and why every bank will soon offer a stablecoin wallet.

We discuss:

- Why private blockchains have failed

- The six magic words that will unlock bank adoption

- How clearing infrastructure actually works

- The coming Cambrian explosion of stablecoins

- Why every bank will offer a wallet

- CBDCs vs stablecoins: What's the real difference?

- Stablecoins as "bundles of joy" for global commerce

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:44 From TradFi to Crypto: Tony's Journey

06:10 Why Public Blockchains Win

08:52 Alvara Ad, Enso Ad, Talus Ad

09:24 Ubyx's Infrastructure Solution for Banks

14:46 Stablecoins vs Checks: The Perfect Comparison

20:53 The Clearing Process Explained Simply

24:38 Negotiable Instruments 101: What Banks Actually Understand

28:16 Not All Stablecoins Are Created Equal

32:57 CBDCs & Tokenized Deposits: The Real Differences

35:24 Relay Ad, Hibachi Ad

35:57 How Clearing Actually Works Behind the Scenes

42:41 Wallets for Every Bank & Every Fintech

46:46 Decentralizing the Network: The End Game

Website: https://therollup.co/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd...

Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcast

Follow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollup

Follow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandy

Join our TG group: https://t.me/+TsM1CRpWFgk1NGZh

The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

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