Interviews

Joris Delanoue (Fairmint): "Global finance will shift on-chain within two years"

Driven by a decisive regulatory pivot in the US, Joris Delanoue, co-founder of Fairmint, breaks down the mechanisms of an on-chain migration now seen as inevitable for traditional finance players.

17.03.2026

Christian Leger (Franklin Templeton): “Banks must fight to earn a place in the client’s wallet”

As wallet-native models compress custody and yield into one interface, banks are quietly ceding ground — and Franklin Templeton is betting on infrastructure over price cycles

11.03.2026

Arnaud Dubreuil (Ingenico): “Our goal is for a stablecoin transaction to be 10% cheaper than a card”

A global leader in payment terminals, Ingenico is accelerating its integration of digital assets. We sat down with its Head of Innovation, Arnaud Dubreuil.

10.03.2026

Mounir Laggoune (Finary): "1 billion euros in assets under management is our goal for the year"

The Finary platform is speeding up its transformation into an investment "super-app" to challenge the traditional banking players.

24.02.2026

Simon Letort (Digital Asset): "Ethereum is years ahead of retail, Canton ahead of institutional"

Canton has brought together some of the biggest names in global finance to form its network. Simon Letort, head of strategy, explains the plan.

17.02.2026

Lorris Beziers

Mark Kepeneghian (Lise): "Achieve the first on-chain IPO in the first half of the year"

After obtaining approval under the European pilot scheme last October, Lise (formerly Kriptown) is preparing to launch its first tokenised IPOs.

10.02.2026

Matt Hougan (Bitwise): "Vaults are the most important innovation in asset management since the invention of ETFs"

At a time when the giants of asset management are seizing the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF market, Bitwise, a pioneer in the sector, is claiming its place as a specialist.

05.02.2026

Jan-Oliver Sell (Qivalis): "We are building the European infrastructure for the euro on-chain"

Backed by a consortium of major European banks (BNP Paribas, ING, etc.), Qivalis aims to create a stablecoin that can rival the dollar's dominance.

29.01.2026

Mike Silagadze (EtherFi): "We are going to launch a return product based on the euro"

With $10 billion deposited in its application, EtherFi CEO Mike Silagadze is orchestrating a strategic shift towards banking-type services.

27.01.2026

Paul-Adrien Hyppolite (Spiko): "Our goal is to unlock the billions sitting idle in banks"

Launched in 2024, French start-up Spiko has rapidly established itself as one of the world's leading providers of tokenised money market funds.

20.01.2026

Huy Nguyen Trieu (ADI Foundation): "The stablecoin dirham must become a global benchmark".

Between digital sovereignty, regulation and payments, the blockchain infrastructure developed by the ADI Foundation could transform the way in which governments issue and control their currencies.

06.01.2026

Jérôme de Tychey (Cometh): "DeFi will not escape regulation".

Cometh has just obtained MiCA approval from the French regulator. With this approval, the start-up specialising in optimising cash flow via DeFi intends to accelerate its growth in Europe.

18.12.2025

Brian Armstrong (Coinbase): "We clearly see Europe as a growth market"

Historically focused on retail clients, Coinbase is now accelerating its institutional segment, from banks to fintechs. A profound shift that accompanies the market's professionalization.

11.12.2025

Benjamin Louvet: "Seeing Tether buy 25 tons of gold per quarter is not a systemic shock"

Benjamin Louvet, head of commodities management at Ofi Invest AM, explains the state of the gold market, the arrival of crypto players such as Tether, and the rise of tokenisation.

02.12.2025

Alexandre Roubaud (Bitstack): "AG2R La Mondiale's investment confirms the institutionalisation of bitcoin"

Founded in 2021, French start-up Bitstack enables its customers to save in bitcoin. It has just raised $15 million, including from AG2R La Mondiale.

02.12.2025

Jean Meyer (Deblock): "Commerzbank is not the only bank interested in our business".

Deblock stands out in the neobank landscape with a non-custodial crypto wallet combined with a traditional bank account. Exclusive interview with CEO Jean Meyer.

24.11.2025

Charles Guillemet (Ledger): "Wallets will replace passwords"

On the sidelines of Ledger's annual Op3n event, CTO Charles Guillemet talks about the brand's new generation of hardware wallets and Ledger's evolving role in a changing Web.

24.10.2025

Guy de Leusse (ODDO BHF): "EUROD holders will be able to generate onchain returns".

Franco-German bank ODDO BHF has just launched its own stablecoin, EUROD. In this interview, its Chief Operating Officer explains the project's ambitions.

22.10.2025

Alexandre Baradez (IG): "I feel more confident about Bitcoin today than about the S&P 500"

As the US equity markets show their first cracks, Alexandre Baradez, strategist at IG, deciphers the current signals of tension.

17.10.2025

Christian Rau (Mastercard): "The crypto business already carries significant weight at Mastercard"

In an exclusive interview, Mastercard's European head of crypto, Christian Rau, details his vision of the sector, the payment giant's ambitions and its relationship with the Web3 ecosystem.

26.08.2025

Declan Fox: "Linea wants to reconcile L2s with Ethereum"

Linea is preparing to reach a milestone with the imminent launch of its token. Between native ETH yield, ETH/LINEA cross-burn and consortium-led governance

29.07.2025

Rand Hindi (Zama): "Confidentiality is the missing key to mass adoption of institutional services".

While businesses are becoming increasingly interested in blockchains, one obstacle is holding back their adoption: the lack of confidentiality. For Rand Hindi, it is this barrier that needs to be ...

23.07.2025

John Egan (Stripe): "We want to build a global network for payments and treasury"

Stripe's head of crypto, John Egan, gave us an exclusive interview to detail the company's strategy and answer some burning questions, including the rumour of a blockchain.

22.07.2025

Omar Shakeeb and Oleg Ivanov (SecondLane): "All pre-IPO crypto companies are revalued upwards"

SecondLane founders Omar Shakeeb and Oleg Ivanov explain how Circle's IPO changed everything and why all pre-IPO companies are now at a premium.

15.07.2025

Johann Kerbrat (Robinhood): "All the services we offer today with traditional systems will transition to blockchain"

Robinhood, the American giant, is launching a tokenisation service for its European customers, with a unique offering based on a blockchain that it is currently developing.

30.06.2025

Dominic Williams (DFINITY): "We're going to have AI agents that are both autonomous and auditable".

Founder and scientific director of DFINITY, Dominic Williams is one of the most ardent defenders of the convergence between blockchain and AI.

18.06.2025

Nadia Filali (Caisse des Dépôts): "We need to move faster on stablecoins in Europe".

Nadia Filali, head of the blockchain programme at Caisse des Dépôts, analyses the development of this technology in Europe and stresses the importance of developing stablecoins on blockchain.

27.05.2025

Alexandre Baradez: "It's the right time to launch innovations like euro stablecoins".

With Japanese interest rates rocketing and bond markets in turmoil, Europe is enjoying a revival in its appeal.

26.05.2025

Gerry Afentakis (Zodia Custody): "Asset custody is the cornerstone of digital finance"

According to Gerry Afentakis, Director of European Operations, Zodia Custody's success is based on two pillars: in-depth expertise in custody and the solidity of its shareholders.

14.05.2025

Stanislas Barthélémi (Adan): "We're moving towards hybrid finance with banks and crypto"

In an exclusive interview, the new Chairman of Adan (2025-2027) reveals his vision and roadmap for revitalising and continuing to open up the sector in France and Europe.

12.05.2025

Kean Gilbert (Lido Finance): "Institutional confidence in Ethereum reaches all-time high"

In an interview, the head of institutional relations at the leader in liquid staking on Ethereum reveals why the blockchain retains its potential.

07.05.2025

Jean-Baptiste Graftieaux (Bitstamp): "With Robinhood, we cover the whole spectrum"

Bitstamp CEO Jean-Baptiste Graftieaux talks about the imminent acquisition by Robinhood. The aim is to combine institutional power with mass-market reach.

06.05.2025

Adam Back: "When Strategy Reaches a $1 Trillion Market Cap, They Will Have Unlimited Strategic Options"

Adam Back, a key figure in the Bitcoin ecosystem and co-founder of Blockstream, foresees a rapid acceleration in Bitcoin adoption.

29.04.2025

Mike Silagadze (EtherFi): "We're building a true banking alternative on crypto rails"

EtherFi wants to revolutionise decentralised finance with a genuine banking alternative based on blockchain. Its CEO, Mike Silagadze, talks to The Big Whale about its ambitions and challenges.

29.04.2025

Jezabel Couppey-Soubeyran: "Money is never neutral, it is always political".

Lecturer at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, monetary economist Jezabel Couppey-Soubeyran analyses the current financial risks and looks back at the rise of Bitcoin.

25.04.2025

Mike Reed (Franklin Templeton): "Our money market fund serves as a crypto savings account"

In an exclusive interview, Mike Reed, VP and Head of Digital Asset Partnership Development, unveils the group's vision and European ambitions.

23.04.2025

Charles Hoskinson: "Ethereum refuses on-chain governance, it's not a healthy situation"

Present for the first time at Paris Blockchain Week, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson discusses the future of crypto and its ambiguous relationship with Ethereum.

21.04.2025

Daniel Seifert (Coinbase): "It would be a shame if Europe lost its leadership position"

Present in Paris for PBWS, Daniel Seifert, Head of Europe at Coinbase, explains the American giant's strategy on the Old Continent.

16.04.2025

Vivek Raman (Etherealize): "We are currently raising capital from private investors"

Etherealize wants to become the bridge between Ethereum and traditional finance. Co-founder Vivek Raman explains his strategy, his business model... and announces a fundraising round.

15.04.2025

David Duong (Coinbase): "ETH's disappointing price can be explained by a migration of speculative activity away from Ethereum"

David Duong, Head of Research at Coinbase, analyses the current dynamics surrounding Ethereum, Bitcoin and DeFi.

14.04.2025

Alexandre Baradez: "Some people are starting to test the solidity of the US bond market"

Against a backdrop of high tensions between the United States, China and Europe, Alexandre Baradez, market strategist at IG, takes a detailed look at the global economic risks.

09.04.2025

Alexandre Laizet (The Blockchain Group): "Bitcoin Treasury Companies will be the financial giants of tomorrow".

Alexandre Laizet, head of bitcoin accumulation strategy at French company The Blockchain Group, explains his ambition.

07.04.2025

Valentin Demé (Cube3): "Spotlight aims to showcase France's top Web3 entrepreneurs"

The Web3 Cube3 incubator is launching a new kind of competition to reveal the best entrepreneurs in the French ecosystem. An interview with its boss Valentin Demé.

03.04.2025

Teddy Pornprinya (Plume Network): "Asset tokenisation will take off when there is more onchain cash".

For the American co-founder of Plume Network, the tokenisation of assets is a major trend that will naturally accelerate as companies increase their on-chain cash holdings.

02.04.2025

Paul Brody (EY): "Every bank will launch its own stablecoin"

For the head of EY's blockchain division, the convergence between traditional finance and decentralised finance is obvious, and will involve stablecoins and tokenisation in particular.

26.03.2025

Clara Chappaz: "We must avoid the crypto debate being hijacked by a single political family"

The Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs is also calling for the removal of an article in the drug trafficking law aimed at introducing a presumption of money laundering for crypto mixers.

16.03.2025

Konstantin Richter (Blockdaemon): "Demand from US banks has tripled in just a few months"

Launched in 2017, Blockdaemon has established itself as one of the leaders in crypto services for businesses. In an interview, its founder and CEO explains how the US became a leader.

12.03.2025

Erald Ghoos (OKX): "Our MiFID licence is a game-changer for crypto derivatives in Europe"

OKX is stepping up its expansion in Europe by obtaining MICA and MiFID licences, paving the way for a derivatives offering for institutional (and soon retail) investors.

12.03.2025

Eli Ben-Sasson (Starkware): "Starknet becoming a Bitcoin L2, a natural evolution for our technology"

Starknet, historically an Ethereum Layer 2, is about to make a big entrance into the Bitcoin ecosystem. Interview with Eli Ben-Sasson, CEO and co-founder of StarkWare

11.03.2025

Alexandre Stachtchenko: "Showing how Bitcoin can be an asset for France's energy and financial sovereignty"

Can Bitcoin become a strategic lever for France? That's the challenge facing the Institut National Bitcoin (INBi), a think tank that aims to influence public debate and propose solutions.

10.03.2025

Fatih Balyeli: "Exaion and EDF want to become the essential blockchain partner for financial institutions"

Now that it has obtained PSAN registration, Exaion is preparing to launch a comprehensive offering including custody, staking and swaps, with a focus on sovereignty and cybersecurity.

21.02.2025

Cassie Craddock (Ripple Europe): "We want to provide an end-to-end infrastructure for financial institutions".

Initially focusing on cross-border payments, the American company Ripple has gradually extended its range of services to include custody and tokenisation.

12.02.2025

Jonathan Levin (Chainalysis): "We must be able to anticipate and prevent the loss of funds"

Jonathan Levin, who has been at the helm of Chainalysis for the past two months, reveals his vision for the future of blockchain analysis. He looks back at the challenges and opportunities facing ...

05.02.2025

Jérôme de Tychey: "My proposals for the Ethereum Foundation"

Jérôme de Tychey, head of Cometh and the major European EthCC conference, analyses the criticism levelled at the foundation and outlines the reforms needed.

04.02.2025

Evan Auyang (Animoca Brands): "The arrival of the Trump Administration makes the United States a new priority for us"

In an exclusive interview, the Chairman of Animoca Brands talks about the arrival of the new American President and what this means for the sector and its dynamics.

29.01.2025

Nicolas Bacca: "We have invented a unique organisational model for intervening in cryptocurrency ransom"

Nicolas Bacca, co-founder and former CTO of Ledger, looks back at the role of his unit in freezing the cryptocurrency ransom demanded by the kidnappers of David Balland and his wife.

24.01.2025

Pierre Person (Usual Labs): "This episode does not call into question the solid foundations of Usual"

Usual Labs CEO Pierre Person talks exclusively to The Big Whale about the decision to lower the value of USD0++, the liquid staking token for his USD0 stablecoin.

17.01.2025

Martin Köppelmann (Gnosis Pay): "Revolut is a kind of model for us".

Co-founder of Gnosis, Martin Köppelmann aims to provide a full range of on-chain financial services. The Gnosis Pay card is currently available in Europe, Brazil and soon in India.

16.01.2025

Jørgen Ouaknine (Euroclear): "We are very much in demand from crypto players".

In an interview, Euroclear's head of innovation and digital assets details the group's strategy in the face of the rise of bitcoin and other cryptos.

08.01.2025

Jérôme de Tychey (Cometh): "Yields up to five times higher than those of banks"

Start-up Cometh, recently registered as an enhanced PSAN, is diversifying with a new DeFi-based cashflow optimisation service for businesses.

20.12.2024

Varun Paul (Fireblocks): "Cryptos will be adopted by institutional investors within 5 years".

The head of financial market infrastructure and central bank money at Fireblocks explains the strategy of the world's largest wallet technology provider.

18.12.2024

Matthew Edelen (Spire Labs): "Based Rollups are the solution for increasing the value of ETH"

Based Rollups, a new layer 2 model co-ordinated by Ethereum, promise to resolve the fragmentation of liquidity and activity in the Ethereum ecosystem.

16.12.2024

Joseph Lubin (ConsenSys): "I always thought that companies and governments would adopt cryptos"

For the boss of ConsenSys, Ethereum's main start-up studio, the crypto industry is set to boom thanks to the massive influx of companies and even... governments.

11.12.2024

Lukas Schor (Safe): "We want to create a decentralised equivalent of Visa"

Safe recently unveiled Safenet, a payment network with the ambition of offering a decentralised alternative to Visa and MasterCard.

09.12.2024

Eliézer Ndinga (21Shares): "Family offices have never been so active in cryptos"

Between the arrival of institutional investors and the election of Donald Trump, the crypto industry is on a roll, according to 21Shares' chief strategy officer.

04.12.2024

Adeniyi Abiodun (Mysten Labs): "We're building something bigger than Ethereum"

As part of our Spotlight on Aptos and Sui, we spoke to Adeniyi Abiodun, one of the co-founders of Mysten Labs, the company that launched the Sui network.

02.12.2024

Mo Shaikh (Aptos Labs): "We have surpassed the capabilities of Visa, Mastercard and American Express".

As part of our Spotlight on Aptos and Sui, we spoke to Mo Shaikh, co-founder of Aptos Labs, the company that launched the Aptos network.

02.12.2024

Thomas Klocanas (BlockTower): "Trump's arrival has changed everything for crypto in the US"

Based in New York since 2017, Thomas Klocanas is one of the European investors who knows the US crypto ecosystem best. We met him on the spot.

27.11.2024

Colas Gabriac (Sia Partners): "AI agents hold great promise for better investment management".

As part of our "Spotlight" on AI (artificial intelligence) agents, we spoke to Colas Gabriac, crypto consultant at Sia Partners, to decipher this trend.

25.11.2024

Gillian Lynch (Gemini): "We've arrived in France at the best possible time".

Almost a year after obtaining the go-ahead from the authorities, Gemini is launching in France. In an interview, its head of Europe explains why she sees the timing as perfect.

19.11.2024

Alexandre Laizet (The Blockchain Group): "In a way, we are Europe's MicroStrategy".

The new number 2 at The Blockchain Group, the only publicly listed French entity in the crypto sector, presents the company's new strategy aimed at accumulating as many bitcoins as possible.

13.11.2024

Rand Hindi (Zama): "The amounts of your transactions and your on-chain balance can be encrypted and made invisible".

For our Season on Confidentiality, we spoke to Rand Hindi, CEO of Zama.

11.11.2024

Paul-Adrien Hyppolite (Spiko): "Tokenised money market funds are a safer form of stablecoin".

In 2024, this French start-up launched two tokenised money market funds whose total locked-up value (TVL) recently exceeded €100 million.

04.11.2024

Yorick de Mombynes: "Trump is contributing to the rise of Bitcoin but is sawing off the branch he's sitting on"

Yorick de Mombynes, a magistrate at the Cour des Comptes and a leading Bitcoin specialist, welcomes Donald Trump's pro-crypto stance but warns that it could backfire.

01.11.2024

Diederik van Wersch (Chainalysis): "Adoption is not just measured by the price of bitcoin".

After a rather timid start, Chainalysis is beginning to make inroads in Asia. We spoke to the head of Chainalysis' commercial activities in Asia about the reasons for this growth.

30.10.2024

Proph3t (MetaDAO): "Prediction markets have the potential to be more accurate than opinion polls".

As part of our 'Season' dedicated to prediction markets, we spoke to Proph3t, founder of MetaDAO, a prediction market protocol deployed on Solana.

28.10.2024

Rune Christensen (Sky): "USDS enables us to capture the returns from both DeFi and TradFi"

In an interview, one of Sky's co-founders looks back at the launch of the USDS and explains why it was a strategic decision in an increasingly competitive stablecoin world.

23.10.2024

Paul Frambot (Morpho Labs): "Aave is a bank whereas Morpho is an infrastructure for banks".

To coincide with the publication of our season on decentralised finance lending, we interview Paul Frambot, CEO of Morpho Labs.

21.10.2024

Mario Stephan (MSF): "Staking is a very interesting alternative financing model".

The humanitarian association has just launched a system for making donations via staking on Ethereum. We spoke to its manager, Mario Stephan.

14.10.2024

Karl Chappe-Gatien (High Stakes Capital): "DEXs like Hyperliquid will gain in popularity".

As part of our 'season' dedicated to derivatives trading platforms, we spoke to Karl Chappe-Gatien, a trader alias 'High Stakes Capital'.

14.10.2024

Abdel Bakhta (Starkware): "Wake up the Bitcoin community to the benefits of rollups"

Starkware, a major player in the Ethereum world, is looking to extend its scalability solutions to the Bitcoin universe with the introduction of technologies such as ZK Rollups.

10.10.2024

Mark Kepeneghian (Kriptown): "BNP Paribas' investment is a strong signal for tokenisation".

The French start-up has just raised €4.2 million, mainly from BNP Paribas. In an interview, founder Mark Kepeneghian explains why this is a strategic investment.

09.10.2024

Deep Shah (Gnosis Pay): "We will soon be accepting dollars with the USDC".

Just over a year after launching its card, Gnosis Pay now has several thousand customers. The aim is to increase the number of partnerships to stand out from the competition.

08.10.2024

Marcin Kazmierczak (RedStone): "We're aiming for sub-second or even half-second execution times".

As part of our "Season" dedicated to blockchain oracles, we chose to talk to Marcin Kazmierczak, COO and co-founder of Redstone.

07.10.2024

Haseeb Qureshi (Dragonfly): "New York has become the crypto capital of the world"

In an interview with The Big Whale, the head of strategy at the Dragonfly fund explains why he believes the US has become the epicentre of the crypto industry.

02.10.2024

Alexandre Stachtchenko (Paymium): "If you don't think you can comply with MiCA regulations, let's talk".

Paymium's Director of Strategy presents the French exchange's new strategy and urges smaller PSANs to concentrate.

02.10.2024

Arthur Hayes (Maelstrom): "Governments will have to print unprecedented amounts of money".

Arthur Hayes, the former head of the BitMEX trading platform, has revealed his investment strategy for the coming months.

30.09.2024

Charles Guillemet (Ledger): "With this protocol, your data really belongs to you"

Charles Guillemet, CTO of Ledger, presents Ledger Key Ring Protocol, a new protocol focused on data confidentiality and sovereignty in the blockchain ecosystem.

27.09.2024

Francis Pouliot (Bull Bitcoin): "My role is to swallow the regulatory pill to advance the cause of Bitcoin"

As the arrival in France of the Bull Bitcoin platform, which originated in Canada, becomes clearer, its CEO Francis Pouliot explains the uniqueness of his model.

26.09.2024

Jeremy Allaire (Circle): "We want to be at the centre of the global financial system"

While in Paris, Circle's CEO spoke at length to The Big Whale. He talked about the European MiCA regulation and his immense global ambitions.

25.09.2024

Sébastien Dérivaux (Steakhouse Financial): "DeFi makes tools accessible that were reserved for institutional users".

As part of our series devoted to 'DeFi pioneers', we spoke to Sébastien Dérivaux, an active member of the MakerDAO community and co-founder of Steakhouse Financial.

24.09.2024

Paolo Ardoino (Tether): "After USDT, we want to disrupt many sectors"

To coincide with our 'Season' on stablecoins, The Big Whale brings you an interview with Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.

23.09.2024

VIDEO - Stani Kulechov (Aave): "Traditional financial institutions will continue to flock to DeFi"

As part of our "season" devoted to the state of play of the leaders in decentralised finance (Aave, Maker, etc.), we spoke to Stani Kulechov, founder of the Aave protocol.

16.09.2024

Cristiano Ventricelli (Moody's): "There should be a system for rating the risks associated with blockchains"

In an interview with The Big Whale, Moody's vice president of digital assets looks back at the challenges ahead for the crypto industry.

05.09.2024

VIDEO - Vaibhav Chellani (Socket): "Crypto won't achieve mass adoption without chain abstraction".

For our 'Season' on chain abstraction, read the interview with Vaibhav Chellani, co-founder of Socket.

02.09.2024

Chintan Turakhia (Coinbase Wallet): "Blockchain makes money much more efficient"

Launched in 2020, Coinbase Wallet has quickly become a must-have. The platform relies heavily on it to facilitate the onboarding of new users, as its lead engineer tells us.

28.08.2024

VIDEO - Pendle: Everything you need to know about its future V3

After experiencing very rapid growth in the first half of 2024, the Pendle protocol now needs to reinvent itself to continue attracting users. We interviewed its CEO.

28.08.2024

VIDEO - Sankha Banerjee (Babylon): "Offering bitcoin holders a new source of return".

Read the interview with Sankha Banerjee, Chief Protocol Economist at Babylon, a protocol that proposes to introduce staking and restaking on Bitcoin.

23.08.2024

Salvador, BlackRock, Worldcoin: Interview with Cryptio, one of the leaders in crypto auditing

Launched in 2018 in Paris, Cryptio has established itself as one of the leaders in crypto auditing. In an interview, its co-founder and CEO, Antoine Scalia explains how the start-up works.

31.07.2024