This week, Stablecon’s Justin Friedman was joined by Bhau Kotecha, co-founder and CEO of Paxos Labs, for a discussion on the transformative potential of stablecoins and tokenization. Bhau and Justin examine how these technologies are redefining the way we think about financial tools, usability, interoperability, privacy, and the economics of stored value. Finally, Bhau offers predictions on whether stablecoin liquidity will consolidate into U.S. dollar-denominated assets or grow organically across the world’s currencies.

This Week in Fintech's Nik Milanovic sat down on February 12th, 2026 to talk with Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas about 2025 year-end earnings.

Some topics they covered:

• Market Expansion: Coinbase doubled trading volume and market share in 2025, diversifying beyond crypto with Deribit acquisition.
• Revenue Resilience: Despite market softness in Q4, Coinbase showed strength through diversified revenue, supported by retail investors’ “buy the dip” behavior.
• On-Chain Vision: Coinbase aims to lead the shift to on-chain financial services, blending traditional and crypto assets for a tokenized future.
• Institutional Growth: Thousands of institutional clients are driving increased trading and demand for cross-margining products, with custody for 80% of ETF balances.
• Stablecoin Strategy: USDC holdings grew to $18 billion, enhancing trading and payment services while driving growth in Coinbase One membership.
• Future Focus: Heavy investment in derivatives as key growth area, emphasizing diversification to meet evolving customer needs and market trends.

In this episode, Nik Milanovic interviews Ram Palanappian, the CEO and Founder of Earnin, a fintech company that is revolutionizing how employees access their wages. Ram shares the origin story of Earnin, which began when he realized that many employees were struggling with cash flow issues, leading to late fees and overdraft charges. He discusses how he initially provided employees with early access to their earned wages, which evolved into a full-fledged product that allows users to access their pay in real-time, thereby reducing financial stress and improving overall financial health. Ram emphasizes the importance of shifting payroll systems from being employer-centric to employee-centric, allowing workers more control over their earnings.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Setup

00:39 Multitasking in Conversations

00:44 Introduction to FinTech Trends

00:44 The Future of Digital Banking

00:47 Introduction to Earnin and Its Mission

04:10 Revolutionizing Payroll: Employee-Centric Solutions

10:36 Adoption Across Industries: Who Benefits Most?

11:50 The Small Business Perspective: Benefits of Earned Wage Access

12:59 How Earnin Works: A User's Journey

14:03 Monetization Strategies: How Earnin Generates Revenue

17:06 Consumer Risks and Mitigation Strategies

20:18 Ensuring Data Accuracy: The Source of Truth

21:54 Employer Customization: Tailoring Earnin to Specific Needs

22:46 Insights from Data: Understanding Consumer Financial Health

23:58 Collaborations and Studies: Researching Labor Dynamics

25:52 Looking Ahead: The Future of Earnin and Payroll

26:36 Cross-Border Challenges in Business Growth

29:57 Future Product Development and Innovations

31:48 Inspiration from Other Industries

34:49 Leveraging AI for Financial Products

37:13 The Role of Stablecoins in Transactions

39:28 Wage Growth vs. Inflation Dynamics

42:32 The Future of Payroll: Continuous Pay

43:44 Team Growth and Hiring Opportunities