EPISODE DESCRIPTION

I sat down with Ilies, CEO of Ouinex, a crypto exchange that launched earlier this year with one clear mission: stop retail traders from getting crushed by institutions on unfair playing fields. Ilies breaks down exactly how traditional crypto exchanges are structured in a way that lets market makers and financial institutions exploit everyday traders, and explains the specific model Ouinex uses to fix that. We also dig into why TradeFi instruments on most crypto exchanges cost retail traders five to seven times more than they should, how AI copilots could change the way traders manage positions, and where the market is headed as institutional money continues flowing into digital assets. If you have ever wondered why your trades seem to always go against you, this episode will open your eyes.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

CONNECT

Ouinex Website: https://ouinex.com/en

Twitter/X: https://x.com/Ouinex

Telegram: https://t.me/+g8twTjE3_wUxY2E0

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS

• [00:54] Ilies shares his background, starting at FXCM 25 years ago and building his way into crypto and founding Ouinex in 2022

• [03:24] He explains the central limit order book problem: retail traders are competing in the same order book as well-funded institutions with co-location and full trading teams

• [07:26] Ouinex introduces the no-taker execution model, where market makers can only make markets, not take orders, and have no visibility into retail client orders

• [08:19] TradeFi instruments on Ouinex tap into decades-old bank liquidity from Goldman, Citi, and Deutsche, making Ouinex around 20x more liquid than competitors on those instruments

• [10:23] Ilies compares spreads: a normal TradeFi broker offers around one point on gold, while major crypto exchanges charge around seven points for the same product

• [15:37] He describes how thin crypto liquidity lets institutions move markets with small capital, keeping retail as what he calls exit liquidity

• [20:00] Ouinex is a multi-asset platform, so when crypto is flat, users can access oil, gold, Nasdaq, and equity markets all from one interface

• [21:28] On regulation, Ouinex is actively working with a local partner to obtain a MiCA-aligned license in Europe

• [26:24] Discussion on AI in trading: Ilies is skeptical of predictive AI signals but excited about an AI copilot feature that would call traders when their positions hit key levels

• [30:30] Ilies and Sam discuss the growing wave of institutional interest in digital assets, with family offices and hedge funds expanding into crypto

• [34:30] North Star metrics for Ouinex are trade volume and retention, and currently almost no users are leaving once they join

• [37:48] Ouinex is preparing for a seed or Series A round, targeting documentation ready by end of August, and is inviting traders to try the platform

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

I sat down with Wei Zhou, CEO of Coins.ph, to dig into how they're building stablecoin infrastructure that's genuinely changing lives in the Philippines and beyond. Wei walked me through his journey from Goldman Sachs to Binance CFO to buying Coins.ph from Gojek in 2022 and rebuilding it from scratch. We talked about why the Philippines has become a global leader in stablecoin adoption, how they slashed payment fees from 4-8% down to near-zero for Filipino freelancers, and why Wei believes every country needs its own blockchain currency , not just a blockchain dollar. We also got into the Genius Act, the Clarity Act, the upcoming wave of tokenized assets, and what it will take for stablecoins to go truly global. This one is packed with real-world insight from someone actually in the trenches of building payments infrastructure at the intersection of crypto and emerging markets.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

CONNECT

Coins.ph Website: https://www.coins.ph/en-ph

Coins.ph Twitter/X: https://x.com/coinsph

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coins-ph/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coinsph_official

Web3 with Sam Kamani: https://www.web3pod.xyz/

KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS

• [00:01] Introduction to Wei Zhou and Coins.ph, building stablecoin infrastructure for the Philippines

• [01:11] Wei's journey: Goldman Sachs, Binance CFO, buying Coins.ph from Gojek in 2022 and rebuilding it from scratch

• [04:49] Why the Philippines is a natural fit for stablecoin adoption , the gig economy, English fluency, and the unbanked

• [06:22] How Coins.ph cut payment fees from 4-8% (PayPal) to under 0.2% using USDC and USDT rails

• [09:36] New feature: users can now spend USDT and USDC directly without converting to pesos, protecting against FX losses

• [10:47] Financial literacy over crypto education , why Coins.ph focuses on helping people avoid scams first

• [15:44] The importance of being a licensed VASP and e-money issuer , stacking regulatory 'Lego blocks'

• [18:50] Institutional adoption in the US vs retail/payment adoption in emerging markets , why they differ

• [19:49] The Genius Act's impact on stablecoin growth and why the Clarity Act could unlock the next wave of token issuance

• [26:39] Why USD will remain dominant in stablecoins , mirroring the traditional FX market structure

• [33:47] Tokenization wave: NASDAQ, SWIFT, DTCC, and the SEC all moving toward blockchain-based assets

• [36:26] Coins.ph super app redesign , crypto payments via QR at local merchants with near-zero fees

• [36:58] PHP-C: a Philippine peso-backed stablecoin already in BSP sandbox, waiting for regulatory sign-off

• [38:03] Why every country needs 'blockchain pesos' to match blockchain dollars , currency sovereignty on-chain

• [39:56] Vision for Coins.ph: evolving into an all-in-one fintech with trading, payments, savings, investing, and lending

• [43:29] Expansion into Brazil and other regions, plus ongoing fundraising conversations

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

I sat down with Kenny Wood, CEO of Sleepagotchi, to talk about one of the most underrated pillars of health , sleep. Kenny brings over 20 years of games industry experience, from building Barbie titles in Yorkshire to shipping serious simulations for the Dutch government, and now he's channelling all of that into a product that sits at the crossroads of gaming, AI agents, and wellness. We dig into how Sleepagotchi works, why sleep is the root of everything from longevity to job performance, how they have engaged over 2 million users, what is coming next with multiple AI agents covering sleep coaching, meal planning, and even a shopping agent, and why health data regulation is one of the trickiest challenges in the space. If you have ever bragged about running on four hours of sleep, this episode is for you.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.

Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

CONNECT

Sleepagotchi Website:https://www.sleepagotchi.com/

Telegram: https://t.me/sleepagotchiLITE_bot

Web3 with Sam Kamani Website: https://www.web3pod.xyz

KEY POINTS WITH TIMESTAMPS

• [00:00] Sam introduces Sleepagotchi and Kenny Wood, highlighting 2 million users at the crossroads of wellness, AI, and gaming

• [01:11] Kenny shares his 20+ year journey in games , from Barbie titles and Transformers to serious simulations for the Dutch government

• [02:11] Kenny's role as CTO of Moonlander, building AI-generated scene generation sold to Alpha 3D, before joining Sleepagotchi as CEO

• [03:50] How Sleepagotchi works , pulling data from wearables via Apple Health Kit and Android Health Connect, processed by AI agents

• [05:25] The unique feature coming soon: asking the AI direct questions about your own sleep data

• [06:54] Why sleep-to-earn is different from step-to-earn , habit formation over token emissions

• [08:54] Why sleep is culturally undervalued and how fixing sleep improves everything from longevity to job performance

• [11:42] How habit and motivation are the key to long-term user retention beyond early incentives

• [13:02] The GDPR and health data regulation challenge , and why all Sleepagotchi data stays on-device and anonymous

• [15:24] The case for anonymous health data cohorts accelerating medical research at population scale

• [17:09] Sleepagotchi's numbers: 2 million Telegram lite app users and 200,000 iOS and Android users

• [21:23] What is next , four AI agents: sleep coach, wellness coach, meal planner, and a shopping agent with a health marketplace

• [23:18] The biggest challenge: delivering something genuinely useful and novel while navigating health and wellness regulations

• [25:30] The future of AI personal assistants and how the film Her might be a blueprint for where health AI is heading

• [27:28] Kenny's biggest ask , try the app and follow Sleepagotchi on their official channels