From Sidelines to Front Row: Anthony Vassallo on How SVB Built Crypto Banking for 500+ Clients - The Stablecoin Podcast | Lyssna här

In this episode, we're joined by Anthony Vassallo, Director of Crypto at Silicon Valley Bank (a division of First Citizens Bank), who's spent the last eight of his ten years at SVB bridging traditional banking with digital assets. We dig into how SVB built a dedicated crypto practice now serving over 500 clients, why banks that once wouldn't touch digital assets are suddenly racing to build stablecoin infrastructure, and what's actually changed in the compliance and risk conversation since 2022. We also unpack the difference between stablecoins and tokenized deposits, why Anthony sees distribution, not issuance, as the real bottleneck to stablecoin adoption, whether Tether has become "too big to fail," and his framework for thinking about confidentiality versus compliance on-chain (verify the mailbox exists without disclosing the address). Plus: what the GENIUS Act means for banks now that rules are finally in place, and why "hide the blockchain, show the benefit" might be the best way to think about where this all goes next.

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Stablecoin Partners: https://www.stablecoinpartners.com/

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SVB:

Website: https://www.svb.com/profile/anthony-vassallo/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyvassallo/ / https://www.linkedin.com/company/silicon-valley-bank/

Chapters

00:14 Introduction to Stablecoin Infrastructure

03:13 Silicon Valley Bank's Role in Digital Assets

06:11 Evolution of Banking Relationships in Crypto

09:21 Adapting to Market Changes and Client Needs

12:00 The Changing Landscape of Digital Assets