In this episode of The Arcanæum, James McDowall sits down with Viktor Ihnatiuk, Co-Founder and CEO of UTEXO, to explore why Bitcoin could be poised to become a major settlement layer for the global stablecoin economy.

Backed by Tether and Arcanum Capital, which invested through its Fund II, UTEXO raised $7.5 million in seed financing to build infrastructure that combines Bitcoin, Lightning and RGB, making stablecoin payments faster, cheaper, more private and accessible to wallets, exchanges and financial institutions.

But why bring USDT back to Bitcoin when networks like Tron and Ethereum already dominate stablecoin activity? What has changed technologically, and could Bitcoin ultimately become the preferred infrastructure for moving digital dollars around the world?

James and Viktor explore USDT's origins on Bitcoin, the limitations that drove activity towards other blockchains, and how RGB and Lightning could fundamentally change the economics of stablecoin payments.

They also revisit their first meeting at Plan ₿ in Lugano, discuss Paolo Ardoino and Tether's long-standing ambitions for Bitcoin-native USDT, and examine UTEXO's business model, its path towards Series A financing and the challenge of competing with established stablecoin networks.

The conversation goes beyond payments into Bitcoin-native liquidity, privacy, compliance and the possibility of a global financial system where Bitcoin provides the underlying infrastructure for trillions of dollars in stablecoin transactions.

Could USDT's return to Bitcoin become one of the most important developments in the future of digital money?

The Arcanæum is a podcast from Arcanum Capital, demystifying the arcane arts of financial innovation and exploring the convergence of digital assets, fintech, AI and the emerging machine economy.

In Episode 2 of The Arcanæum, James McDowall sits down with Gaurav Sharma, CEO of io.net, to explore the infrastructure race underpinning the AI boom and why decentralised compute could become an important part of it.

Gaurav explains io.net’s journey, its business model and economics, and the ambition to build a globally distributed cloud capable of serving the enormous demand being created by AI. We discuss the company’s revenue growth, the role of the $IO token, and the disconnect Gaurav sees between the scale of the underlying business and how the crypto market currently values the network.

The conversation goes deeper into the convergence of AI, DePIN and digital assets: why AI workloads require so much computing power, where today’s cloud model falls short, whether decentralised infrastructure can genuinely compete with Amazon, Microsoft and Google, and what has to happen for DePIN to move beyond crypto-native demand and serve mainstream businesses.

We also explore the bigger question at the heart of io.net: as AI becomes one of the most important technologies in the world, who should own and control the infrastructure that powers it?

The Arcanæum is a podcast from Arcanum Capital, demystifying the arcane arts of financial innovation and exploring the convergence of digital assets, fintech, AI and the emerging machine economy.

Rogelio explains the enormous shift taking place across Mexico and Latin America, from nearshoring and changing global trade routes to the growing need for faster, more efficient cross-border financial infrastructure. He also breaks down how Crosspoint uses stablecoin rails to move money, manage FX and serve businesses operating across borders, as well as the company’s expansion into new financial products.

The conversation also covers Crosspoint’s growth, the role AI could play in commercial banking, and why the convergence of stablecoins, cross-border finance and AI represents a multi-billion dollar opportunity across LATAM.

From Mexico’s changing position in global trade to the emergence of the machine economy, this is a deep dive into what the next generation of commercial banking could look like.

The Arcanæum is a podcast from Arcanum Capital exploring where fintech, digital assets, blockchain and AI converge.