Transforming Blockchain from Experiment to Infrastructure - Marshall Hayner on Wharton Fintech

Discover the journey of Marshall Hayner — CEO & Co-Founder of Metallicus — as he discusses the evolution of blockchain, compliance-first crypto, the future of digital identity, and how Dogecoin helped spark a financial revolution.

Marshall has been in crypto since the beginning: mining Bitcoin in 2009, launching one of the first Bitcoin wallets on Facebook, working on Stellar and Dogecoin, and founding Metallicus — the fintech infrastructure company behind Metal Pay, Metal Blockchain, and XPR Network.

Timestamps — Jump to the Highlights
00:00 – Introduction
01:16 – Marshall’s Bitcoin origin story and BitTorrent inspiration
05:11 – Decentralization, Napster, and early crypto days
10:11 – Creating one of the first Bitcoin wallets on Facebook
17:00 – From Stellar to starting Metallicus
20:00 – Why compliance is key for the future of crypto
27:00 – Fighting fraud and making blockchain safe for everyone
34:00 – Building digital identity on XPR Network
42:00 – Blockchain as cash for the internet
49:00 – Bridging traditional finance and crypto with Metallicus
1:03:00 – Overview of Metal Pay, Web Wallet, Metal X, and L2
1:09:00 – Launching TDBN: The Digital Banking Network
1:13:00 – The Dogecoin journey and its future
1:17:00 – Meme coins, ethics, and maturing markets
1:21:00 – Blitz Round: Books, skills, leadership, and more

Mentioned Projects and Tools

Metal Pay – An intuitive app for buying crypto

XPR Network – Zero-gas, high-speed smart contract blockchain

Metal Blockchain – Purpose-built for banks and credit unions

Web Wallet (WebAuth) – Non-custodial wallet with passkey support

TDBN: The Digital Banking Network – Modern rails for cross-border financial infrastructure

MemberPass and Bonifii – Expanding secure digital identity

Links
Website: https://www.metallicus.com
Download Metal Pay: https://www.metalpay.com
Follow Marshall on X: @MarshallHayner

Recommended Reading

Age of Cryptocurrency

Digital Gold

Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas Antonopoulos

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