Privacy Podcast

Privacy, Ethereum, and the Future of On-Chain Finance, Featuring Igor Mandrigin

As financial institutions move more activity on-chain, privacy and interoperability are becoming critical to the future of blockchain adoption. In this episode of The Privacy Podcast, host Ben Schiller sits down with Igor Mandrigin, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Gateway, to discuss the evolution of Ethereum infrastructure, institutional adoption, and why modern privacy technology could play a major role in bringing finance on-chain. Igor explains why enterprises are moving beyond traditional permissioned blockchains toward newer privacy architectures and how zero-knowledge technology is making it possible to protect sensitive information while still proving that transactions follow network rules. The conversation also explores interoperability and the risk of recreating traditional financial silos across disconnected blockchain networks. Ben and Igor discuss the AggLayer, changes within the Ethereum Foundation, and where institutions are showing the most interest today, including stablecoins, payments, real-world assets, and fintech platforms built on-chain from the start. They also examine why privacy becomes even more important as blockchain moves into everyday financial products, where transparent transaction histories can expose information consumers and institutions expect to remain private. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why institutions are reconsidering permissioned blockchains • How modern privacy technology can support enterprise adoption • Why interoperability matters for the future of on-chain finance • Where stablecoins and real-world assets fit into institutional adoption • How Ethereum’s ecosystem is evolving • Why privacy matters as blockchain enters everyday financial services Why This Matters As stablecoins, tokenized assets, and other financial services move on-chain, institutions need more than faster infrastructure. They need privacy, interoperability, and security that can work at scale. Without those capabilities, blockchain risks recreating the same fragmented financial systems it was designed to improve. The next phase of adoption will depend on whether the industry can connect networks while protecting sensitive financial information and maintaining the benefits of open, verifiable infrastructure. 🔗 About the 👤 Guest Igor Mandrigin is Co-Founder and Chief Technology and Product Officer (CTPO) at Gateway.fm, where he focuses on blockchain infrastructure, privacy, and technology for institutional on-chain adoption. Igor Mandrigin on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandrigin/]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandrigin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandrigin/]  Website: https://gateway.fm/Gateway.fm [http://gateway.fm]   https://gateway.fm/ [https://gateway.fm/]  If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss future episodes of The Privacy Podcast. About the Show The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the intersection of privacy, identity, and emerging technologies. Hosted by Ben Schiller, the show brings together builders, regulators, and thinkers shaping what comes next in a world where data is power. Executive Producer Michele Musso Edited by the Musso Media [https://www.mussomedia.com/] Team  Music: licensed. All rights reserved. ©2026 Musso Media

Privacy, Stablecoins, and the Future of Financial Freedom, Featuring Yaya Fanusie

As stablecoins become a core part of the global financial system, one critical question remains: How do we protect privacy without sacrificing security or compliance? In this episode of The Privacy Podcast, host Ben Schiller welcomes Yaya Fanusie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaya-jata-fanusie-87901738/], Chief Policy Officer at Aleo [https://aleo.org/] and former CIA counterterrorism analyst, for a timely discussion on the future of blockchain privacy. Yaya shares how his career investigating terrorist financing led him into cryptocurrency policy and why he now believes privacy-preserving technology is essential for both individual freedom and national security. The conversation explores the GENIUS Act, stablecoin adoption, zero-knowledge proofs, regulatory challenges, illicit finance, and why the next major policy debate will focus on protecting consumer privacy in an increasingly digital financial system. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why blockchain transparency creates new privacy challenges • How zero-knowledge technology can balance privacy with regulatory compliance • What the GENIUS Act means for stablecoins and financial innovation • Why privacy is becoming a national security issue • How regulators are beginning to rethink digital identity and financial privacy • What comes next for blockchain policy and consumer protection Why This Matters As stablecoins transition from crypto-native assets into mainstream financial infrastructure, the conversation around blockchain is shifting. The challenge is no longer simply achieving adoption. It's ensuring that privacy, security, and compliance can coexist. This episode explores why privacy may become one of the most important policy issues facing digital finance over the coming decade and what builders, regulators, and institutions need to consider next. 🔗 About the 👤 Guest https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaya-jata-fanusie-87901738/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaya-jata-fanusie-87901738/]  https://aleo.org/ [https://aleo.org/]  If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss future episodes of The Privacy Podcast. About the Show The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the intersection of privacy, identity, and emerging technologies. Hosted by Ben Schiller, the show brings together builders, regulators, and thinkers shaping what comes next in a world where data is power. Executive Producer Michele Musso Edited by the Musso Media [https://www.mussomedia.com/] Team  Music: licensed. All rights reserved. ©2026 Musso Media

Protecting Privacy in the AI Age, Featuring Sudo

"In the age of AI, privacy is the foundation of human autonomy," says Sudo. On this episode of The Privacy Podcast, host Ben Schiller sits down with Sudo [https://x.com/sudo_ml], Executive Director of SovRight (the nonprofit successor to the Electric Coin Company), to discuss privacy in the age of AI.  Sudo, part of the flourishing Zcash community, argues the battle isn’t just about protecting people’s data from surveillance. It’s about preserving our “right to choose” on the internet. The conversation traces Sudo's journey from traditional finance to blockchain after witnessing the inefficiencies of a $100 million escrow transaction, an experience that revealed the transformative potential of smart contracts. From there, the discussion expands into the growing risks posed by AI, centralized data collection, digital identity, and the invisible systems that increasingly influence our everyday decisions. Rather than viewing privacy as a simple checkbox or regulatory requirement, Sudo argues privacy should empower individuals to decide who can access their information, when, and for what purpose. As AI agents automate more of our daily lives, maintaining meaningful control over personal data may become one of the defining challenges of the decade. The episode also explores: * Why AI may quietly erode personal choice through manipulation and default automation * How privacy tools can become more intuitive instead of more complicated * SovRight's mission following its transition from the Electric Coin Company * Zcash's efforts to improve decentralization, wallet recovery, and network resilience * The future of private AI inference and quantum-resistant privacy technologies * Why mission-driven communities may become increasingly important as AI reshapes the internet If AI is changing the internet, what safeguards will ensure people remain in control of their own lives? This conversation explores why the future of privacy may ultimately determine the future of human freedom. Why It Matters As AI systems become embedded in everything from payments to healthcare to everyday online interactions, the ability to control personal information is becoming increasingly complex. This episode examines how privacy technologies must evolve beyond encryption to protect individual choice, autonomy, and digital sovereignty in an AI-driven world. 🔗 About the 👤 Guest Michelle Lai (sudo) is Executive Chair of SovRight, the nonprofit organization advancing privacy technologies and supporting the Zcash ecosystem. A longtime privacy advocate and blockchain leader, she focuses on protecting individual choice in an AI driven world while helping build secure, decentralized infrastructure for the future SovRight:sovright.com [http://sovright.com]  Zcash: https://z.cash [https://z.cash] X (Michelle Lai / sudo_ml): https://x.com/sudo_ml [https://x.com/sudo_ml] X (SovRight): x.com/sovright_ [http://x.com/sovright_]  GitHub: https://github.com/sovright [https://github.com/sovright]  About the Show The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the intersection of privacy, identity, and emerging technologies. Hosted by Ben Schiller, the show brings together builders, regulators, and thinkers shaping what comes next in a world where data is power. Executive Producer Michele Musso Edited by the Musso Media [https://www.mussomedia.com/] Team  Music: licensed. All rights reserved. ©2026 Musso Media

Improving Privacy’s UX With Intents

What if using blockchain was as simple as chatting with AI? In this episode of Privacy Podcast, host Ben Schiller [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benschiller/] sits down with Akshit Ostwal [https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshitostwal/], Co Founder of Epoch Protocol, to explore how intents-based infrastructure is transforming the way people interact with blockchain networks (including privacy networks!) and why it could become the missing layer that finally takes crypto mainstream. Akshit explains why users should no longer have to navigate wallets, bridges, swaps, or multiple blockchains just to complete a transaction. Instead, intent-based systems allow users to simply define the outcome they want, while specialized solver networks handle the complexity behind the scenes. The conversation also explores Epoch's partnership with Miden and how programmable privacy enables institutions, businesses, and developers to execute transactions confidentially without sacrificing regulatory compliance. They discuss how privacy preserving infrastructure can unlock new use cases for payments, payroll, decentralized finance, and enterprise adoption. Finally, Akshit shares his vision for the future of AI-powered finance, explaining how intelligent agents, real world assets, and intent driven execution could fundamentally reshape how people and software interact with the financial system. The conversation explores: * Why intent based infrastructure could eliminate blockchain complexity for everyday users * How solver networks execute transactions across chains without exposing users to technical friction * Why programmable privacy is critical for institutional adoption of blockchain technology * How Epoch and Miden are building privacy preserving execution for on chain finance * The growing role of AI agents in managing financial transactions and investment decisions * Why real world assets, stablecoins, and tokenized finance are accelerating blockchain adoption * How intent based systems could become the operating layer for the next generation of Web3 applications * Why the future of crypto depends on focusing on user outcomes instead of transaction mechanics Why This Matters Blockchain technology has matured dramatically, but user experience remains one of its greatest barriers to widespread adoption. As institutions, enterprises, AI agents, and everyday users increasingly interact with digital assets, the underlying infrastructure must become as seamless as the internet itself. This conversation explores how intent based execution, programmable privacy, and AI powered automation could remove the technical complexity that has limited Web3 for years, making decentralized finance more accessible, secure, and practical for the next generation of users. 🔗 About the 👤 Guest Akshit Ostwal is the Co Founder of Epoch Protocol, an intent based execution network building the infrastructure that simplifies blockchain interactions for users, applications, AI agents, and institutions. A longtime Web3 builder and entrepreneur, Akshit previously co-founded Orange Wallet before launching Epoch to solve one of blockchain's biggest challenges: abstracting away technical complexity while enabling secure, cross chain execution. Today, Epoch is working with Miden to advance programmable privacy and build the infrastructure powering the next generation of on-chain finance. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshitostwal/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshitostwal/] X (Twitter): @OstwalAk Epoch Protocol: https://epochprotocol.xyz/ [https://epochprotocol.xyz/] Miden: https://miden.xyz [https://miden.xyz] About the Show The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the intersection of privacy, identity, and emerging technologies. Hosted by Ben Schiller, the show brings together builders, regulators, and thinkers shaping what comes next in a world where data is power. Executive Producer Michele Musso Edited by the Musso Media [https://www.mussomedia.com/] Team  Music: licensed. All rights reserved. ©2026 Musso Media

Stablecoins, Privacy and the Future of Finance with Circle’s Gordon Liao

What happens when privacy, programmable money, and artificial intelligence collide? In this episode of Privacy Podcast, host Ben Schiller [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benschiller/] sits down with Gordon Liao [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonyuliao], Chief Economist and Head of Research at Circle, to explore how stablecoins are reshaping global finance, and why privacy is becoming essential for institutional blockchain adoption. Drawing on his experience at the Federal Reserve, the CFTC, Uniswap, and now Circle, Gordon explains why stablecoins have evolved far beyond digital payments into programmable financial infrastructure powering the next generation of commerce. The conversation also examines Circle's new approach to blockchain privacy, balancing confidentiality with regulatory compliance, and why optional privacy may be the key to bringing traditional financial institutions on-chain. Finally, Gordon shares his outlook on AI agents, programmable money, and how autonomous software could soon become one of the largest users of stablecoins. The conversation explores: * Why stablecoins have evolved beyond payments into programmable financial infrastructure * How Circle's ARC Privacy aims to balance privacy with regulatory compliance * The role of trusted execution environments (TEEs) in protecting blockchain transactions * Why institutions require privacy before adopting public blockchain technology * The tradeoffs between transparency, market efficiency, and confidentiality * How decentralized finance changes traditional financial risk models * The impact of emerging stablecoin regulation and global adoption * Why AI agents may become the next major users of stablecoins and blockchain networks Why This Matters Stablecoins are quickly becoming a foundational layer of the global digital economy—but their long-term success depends on balancing innovation with privacy, transparency, and regulatory compliance. As institutions, governments, and AI-powered systems increasingly transact on blockchain networks, the infrastructure supporting those transactions must evolve to meet real-world business needs. This conversation explores how programmable privacy, trusted financial infrastructure, and emerging regulation could shape the future of digital finance, offering valuable insights for anyone working in blockchain, financial services, cybersecurity, or enterprise technology. 🔗 About the 👤 Guest   Gordon Liao is Chief Economist and Head of Research at Circle, where he leads research on stablecoins, digital assets, and blockchain-based financial infrastructure. Prior to Circle, he held roles at Uniswap Labs, the Federal Reserve Board, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). His work focuses on financial markets, digital payments, decentralized finance, and the future of programmable money. LinkedIn: Gordon Y. Liao  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonyuliao] X (Twitter): @gordonliao [https://x.com/gordonliao] Personal Website: gliao.xyz [https://gliao.xyz/] Circle Profile: Circle [https://www.circle.com] Arc (Circle's Layer-1 Blockchain): arc.io [https://www.arc.io] About the Show The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the intersection of privacy, identity, and emerging technologies. Hosted by Ben Schiller, the show brings together builders, regulators, and thinkers shaping what comes next in a world where data is power. Executive Producer Michele Musso Edited by the Musso Media [https://www.mussomedia.com/] Team  Music: licensed. All rights reserved. ©2026 Musso Media