70 Countries Without a Single Download w/ May Zabeneh (PayPal)
About this episode
In this episode, May Zabeneh from PayPal discusses the integration of stablecoins into payment systems and the challenges of innovation in fintech.
Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with May Zabeneh, SVP and GM of Crypto at PayPal, where she's building the playbook for how a major fintech embeds stablecoins into existing payment infrastructure. They unpack how PayPal enabled stablecoins in millions of wallets and the bets they hope to pay off, how "disrupting yourself is painful but important for long-term success," and why the best stablecoin strategy might be one where nobody needs to say the word "crypto." Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here: https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSN Chapters 00:00 PYUSD goes live in 70 countries - and users don't need to do anything 01:48 Why custodial stablecoins are harder than open wallets 04:25 "They can't even hold balance today": the utility unlock 07:52 Should crypto and stablecoins even share a name? 11:23 Foundations before flywheel: hold, earn, send, spend - in that order 14:56 Payouts as the Trojan horse: gig workers and Google creators 17:36 "There were times we were trying to do too much" 20:15 No playbook existed - PayPal had to write it 23:50 Disrupting yourself inside a public company 28:12…
People in this episode
Hosts: Chuk Okpalugo, Raj Parekh
Guest: May Zabeneh
Topics covered
- stablecoins
- fintech
- payment infrastructure
- crypto strategy
- disruption in business
Sponsors
Stablecon, BVNK
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: PayPal
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- Stablecoins Need a Clearing Layer w/ Sam Broner (Better Money Company)
- What Stablecoins Actually Fix in Cross-Border Payments w/ Rowland Berry (Payoneer)
- Stablecoin M&A: There's no Winner-Take-All w/ Itai Turbahn (Dynamic / Fireblocks)
- How Should Banks Respond to Stablecoins w/ Chris Dean (Treasury Prime)
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