34: A New Way to Access Crypto: Digital Asset Treasuries with Asheesh Birla

34: A New Way to Access Crypto: Digital Asset Treasuries with Asheesh Birla

For more than a decade, blockchain has come with a lot of promises about what it could do someday. This episode is about what it is actually doing right now. In this episode of Crypto, Explained, host Ali Tager sits down with Asheesh Birla, CEO of Evernorth, a digital asset treasury focused on XRP that is preparing to go public. Asheesh has spent 13 years at the intersection of blockchain infrastructure and institutional finance, including a long run at Ripple, so he has watched this shift happen from the inside. Ali and Asheesh start with what blockchain actually delivers today once you strip away the theory. Asheesh explains the core idea in plain terms, that the technology lets you remove the middleman and trust the network instead, then walks through tokenization, the standardizing of real-world assets like bonds, equities, and property so they can move freely. He notes there is now roughly 300 billion dollars in stablecoins circulating, with more than half of it sitting outside the US, mostly in emerging markets where financial access is harder to come by. The heart of the conversation is digital asset treasuries, or DATs. Ali builds the picture from the original story most people know, Michael Saylor's company converting its corporate treasury into Bitcoin in 2020, and Asheesh explains what a DAT actually is: a regulated, audited, publicly traded way to get exposure to an asset like XRP without buying and custodying it yourself. He draws the line between passive treasuries and what Evernorth is building, an active treasury meant to be a steward of the XRP ecosystem, putting its balance sheet to work through lending and liquidity rather than just letting it sit. The throughline is what all of this means for everyday people. Ali cites the NCA's 2026 State of Crypto Holder report, which found that a quarter of American adults now hold crypto, up from one in five last year, and that the share actively using it roughly doubled. The takeaway is simple. This shift is not theoretical anymore. It happens quietly, in filings and boardrooms, and then one day a category that did not exist is just a normal part of the markets we already use. What We Discuss: 0:00 – Intro: What is blockchain actually doing today? 1:04 – Stablecoins, tokenized assets & real-world impact 2:35 – Blockchain benefits most people don't understand 5:47 – What are digital asset treasuries (DATs)? 14:44 – What is a tokenized asset in plain English? 27:09 – Why XRP? Aashish's 13-year thesis 43:09 – Traditional treasury vs. digital asset treasury 47:04 – The DAT category explained: passive vs. active Learn more about the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA):Website: https://nca.org [https://nca.org/] X: @natcryptoassoc [https://twitter.com/@natcryptoassoc] Instagram: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.instagram.com/natcryptoassoc/] TikTok: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.tiktok.com/@natcryptoassoc] LinkedIn: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.linkedin.com/company/natcryptoassoc] Facebook: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.facebook.com/natcryptoassoc/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice.

33: Crypto Policy Explained: What You Need to Know with Zunera Mazhar

For a long time, the honest answer to "how is crypto regulated in the United States?" was some version of "it's complicated, it's evolving, the rules aren't clear yet." That answer is finally starting to change. In this episode of Crypto, Explained, host Ali Tager sits down with Zunera Mazhar, VP of Policy and Government Affairs at The Digital Chamber, to make sense of where crypto policy actually stands right now. Zunera spent more than two decades across banking and government, including serving at the FDIC as its first Deputy Chief Innovation Officer, so she has watched this shift happen from the inside. Ali and Zunera start with the headline most people have missed: real legislation is moving. The CLARITY Act, the market structure bill that aims to settle who regulates what, cleared the Senate Banking Committee in a bipartisan 15 to 9 vote, and the industry is hopeful it will pass. They also cover the news that crypto derivatives are coming back onshore, and what that means for the billions in liquidity that returns to the U.S. From there, Zunera takes on the biggest misconception she hears, that crypto does not want to be regulated. Coming from a regulator background, she explains why the opposite is true, and why the industry has been asking for clear rules all along. The conversation breaks down why the SEC and the CFTC treat crypto so differently, why Bitcoin gets classified as a commodity while many other tokens look more like securities, and how a tokenized money market fund is closer than you think. The throughline is what all of this means for everyday people. Ali and Zunera talk through the nearly 20 percent of U.S. adults who are unbanked or underbanked, how blockchain solved real access problems overseas before regulation ever caught up, and how someone nervous about getting started can take it slow. The takeaway is simple. Crypto policy in the U.S. is evolving, not disappearing. The space is maturing, not fading. And the people who take the time to understand what is actually happening are the ones who will feel most confident navigating it. What We Discuss: ⁠0:00⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33] - Intro & Clip: The Crypto Industry DOES Want Regulation ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=61s] 1:01⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=61s] - The State of Crypto Policy in America ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=149s] 2:29⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=149s] - Guest Intro: Zunera Mazar, VP of Policy at the Digital Chamber ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=191s] 3:11⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=191s] - Zunera's Background & The Digital Chamber ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=309s] 5:09⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=309s] - What Is MiCA? (EU Crypto Regulation Explained) ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=361s] 6:01⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=361s] - Where US Crypto Regulation Stands Today (May 2026) ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=498s] 8:18⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=498s] - Perps Coming Onshore: Historic CFTC Move ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=847s] 14:07⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=847s] - Biggest Misconceptions About Crypto Regulation ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=847s] 14:07⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=847s] - SEC vs. CFTC: What's the Difference? ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=1017s] 16:57⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=1017s] - What Everyday Crypto Holders Need to Know ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=1814s] 30:14⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=1814s] - Are Policymakers Informed or Playing Catch-Up? ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=1876s] 31:16⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=1876s] - How Policy Will Impact Everyday People (Not Just Institutions) ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2194s] 36:34⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2194s] - Crypto Risks & Benefits Often Overlooked ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2560s] 42:40⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2560s] - Will the CLARITY Act Bring Innovation Back to America? ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2732s] 45:32⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2732s] - Global Crypto Regulation Progress ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2872s] 47:52⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2872s] - Where We're Over-Complicating Crypto Policy ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2976s] 49:36⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsldKe0lppM&list=PL-m-Lbht2EVJiX0RkYdzDXCeUpnPMNLV6&index=33&t=2976s] - One Piece of Advice for Crypto Newbies Learn more about the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA):Website: https://nca.org [https://nca.org/] X: @natcryptoassoc [https://twitter.com/@natcryptoassoc] Instagram: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.instagram.com/natcryptoassoc/] TikTok: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.tiktok.com/@natcryptoassoc] LinkedIn: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.linkedin.com/company/natcryptoassoc] Facebook: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.facebook.com/natcryptoassoc/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice.

32: Decoding the 5 Most Common Crypto Assets

If you've ever sat through a crypto conversation feeling like everyone else got handed a glossary you didn't, you're not alone. Terms like altcoin, memecoin, NFT, and ETF get tossed around constantly, but the truth is they're all just different flavors of the same world. In this episode of Crypto, Explained, host Ali Tager pulls together five of the most common digital asset types and lines them up side by side so you can finally see the full picture. We start with the difference between a coin and a token, two terms that get used interchangeably but actually describe different things. A coin runs on its own blockchain, like Bitcoin on the Bitcoin network or XRP on the XRP Ledger, while a token lives on top of an existing one, more like an app running on an iPhone's operating system. From there, we unpack NFTs, the one-of-a-kind digital assets that can't be swapped one-for-one, and why their use cases now stretch far beyond digital art into tickets, credentials, ownership records, and in-game items. We also dig into memecoins, a more volatile and culture-driven corner of crypto, and why they are often a first introduction to the space but also the area where new holders need to be the most careful. The conversation rounds out with altcoins, the catch-all term for any cryptocurrency that isn't Bitcoin, and ETFs, which aren't actually a type of crypto at all but a traditional investment product that holds crypto on your behalf. By the end, you'll have a clear mental map of how these assets relate to one another, and the confidence to keep up the next time these terms come up in conversation. What We Discuss: [0:00] Intro [0:32] What is a crypto asset? [1:37] Today's 5 terms overview [1:37] Term 1: Token vs. Coin [2:41] Term 2: NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) [3:43] Term 3: Meme Coins [4:52] Term 4: Altcoins [6:09] Term 5: ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) [7:24] Recap Learn more about the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA): Website: https://nca.org [https://nca.org/] X: @natcryptoassoc [https://twitter.com/@natcryptoassoc] Instagram: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.instagram.com/natcryptoassoc/] TikTok: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.tiktok.com/@natcryptoassoc] LinkedIn: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.linkedin.com/company/natcryptoassoc] Facebook: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.facebook.com/natcryptoassoc/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice.

31: The Surprising Way Ranchers Are Using Blockchain

When you think about crypto, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn't cattle ranching. But that is exactly where some of the most interesting real-world blockchain use cases are happening right now. In this episode of Crypto, Explained, host Ali Tager sits down with Rob Jennings, President and Co-founder of CattleProof Verified, and Dr. Evan Whitley, Executive Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. CattleProof Verified is the first and only USDA-certified Process Verified Program that uses blockchain tech to create a trusted, audit-ready digital record of an animal's full story, from the pasture it was born into to the grocery store it ends up in. Rob and Evan walk through the problem blockchain technology actually solves. For decades, ranchers in the "cattle breadbasket" of America have been paid commodity prices for premium cattle because their story could not be verified at scale. Now by logging each animal's data onto a blockchain through tamper-resistant electronic ID tags, CattleProof creates an immutable, individual record for every animal, not just a group certificate that anyone could photocopy. From there, the conversation goes deeper into what changes on the ground. Choctaw Nation runs seven ranches across 65,000 acres and 2,500 cows, and Evan explains why adopting the system added almost no friction to their existing workflow. We also dig into the broader implications: faster disease traceability for food safety outbreaks, new export opportunities for small and medium producers, and how blockchain-based payments could eventually help ranchers settle faster, access better loan rates, and finally get paid what their work is worth. Rob and Evan close on a bigger idea. Blockchain is not just for finance or speculation. It is a railroad that can carry value and information for any industry, and cattle ranching is one of the clearest, most grounded examples of that already working in the real world. What We Discuss: (0:00) – Intro & episode teaser (0:19) – Welcome to Crypto Explained (1:09) – From ranch to grocery store: the blockchain journey (1:49) – Ranchers as unexpected blockchain pioneers (2:30) – Meet the guests: Rob Jennings & Dr. Evan Whitley (5:01) – What is provenance & why does it matter? (18:44) – Consumer trends: transparency & trust in beef (26:07) – How fraud enters the supply chain (33:08) – Day-to-day impact on ranchers (50:18) – Lightning round & key takeaways Learn more about the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA): Website: https://nca.org [https://nca.org/] X: @natcryptoassoc [https://twitter.com/@natcryptoassoc] Instagram: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.instagram.com/natcryptoassoc/] TikTok: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.tiktok.com/@natcryptoassoc] LinkedIn: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.linkedin.com/company/natcryptoassoc] Facebook: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.facebook.com/natcryptoassoc/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice.

30: Crypto Safety Explained: What the FBI Wants You to Know

Most online safety advice falls into one of two camps. It is either too vague to be useful, or so overwhelming that you tune it out before you can act on it. The truth sits somewhere in the middle. In this episode of Crypto, Explained, host Ali Tager sits down with Patrick Wyman, Chief of the Virtual Assets Unit at the FBI, and Travis Wiehn, Supervisory Special Agent at the FBI, for a candid conversation about what online scams actually look like in 2026 and the small set of habits that protect against most of them. The Virtual Assets Unit was established in 2022 as the FBI's dedicated team for crypto and digital asset cases, and Patrick and Travis walk through what their work really looks like, from tracing illicit value on the blockchain to freezing assets and returning them to victims. The conversation gets practical fast. Travis lays out three foundational habits anyone can build: delete the suspicious wrong-number texts, ignore unsolicited investment DMs, and always go directly to your platform rather than clicking links in emails. Patrick reinforces it with the FBI's Take a Beat campaign, built around the simple act of pausing before reacting to anything urgent. We also dig into how AI is reshaping the threat landscape, from deepfakes and voice cloning to grandparent emergency scams that sound real. From there, the conversation turns to the harder topics: how to talk to aging parents and kids about scams, the value of a family code word, and what the Internet Crime Complaint Centers (IC3) 2025 report reveals about where these crimes are headed. Patrick and Travis explain why reporting still matters even when results take time. What We Discuss: (0:00) - Intro & teaser (deepfake/LinkedIn story) (0:30) - Welcome & episode overview: Crypto scams (2:37) - Introducing guests: FBI's Virtual Asset Unit (2:38) - What is the FBI Virtual Asset Unit? (Patrick) (9:18) - Day-to-day casework at the VAU (Travis) (14:47) - What do you wish more people knew about this work? (20:47) - What does staying safe online actually look like? (22:05) - Top 2-3 foundational habits to stay safe online (28:48) - Social media & AI deepfake risks (37:07) - Protecting aging parents & family conversations (42:22) - IC3 Annual Report & scam data breakdown (48:07) - #1 most common scam: Investment/crypto fraud (55:02) - Closing on an optimistic note Learn more about the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA): Website: https://nca.org [https://nca.org/] X: @natcryptoassoc [https://twitter.com/@natcryptoassoc] Instagram: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.instagram.com/natcryptoassoc/] TikTok: @natcryptoassoc [https://www.tiktok.com/@natcryptoassoc] LinkedIn: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.linkedin.com/company/natcryptoassoc] Facebook: National Cryptocurrency Association [https://www.facebook.com/natcryptoassoc/] Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice.