FinTech TV Host: Welcome to FinTech TV. Open banking revolutionized how we move cash-making traditional bank transfers, virtually invisible, but moving digital assets and stablecoins on chain still feels disconnected, fragmented, and sometimes confusing for the average user. Now that gap is rapidly closing as modern open finance reels arrive on chain. Joining us here at Money 2020 in Las Vegas is Ryan Bodry, general manager of Open Finance Infrastructure and at Zero Hash. He's a former executive VP of global open finance at Mastercard, and Ryan is now leading the charge to make moving crypto and stablecoins as seamless and intuitive while swiping through a regular banking app. Ryan, thank you so much for joining us here at Money 2020. So first and foremost, tell us what is off?
Ryan Bodry: Yeah, so let's start with the pain points that exist today, and where all comes in to solve them. So the first part is assets are unchained, but the connections are missing, and that's a result of classic transfers being fundamentally broken, and here's why. There's friction, so as an end user, you either need to scan a QR code or copy a 42 alphanumeric address in order to actually facilitate a transfer. There's uncertainty, so there's the inability to authenticate an account prior to a transfer occurring, and there's imprecision. So it restricts the ability to control what assets are moved on chain, what assets are received, and ultimately what chains those assets are moved on. And where A comes in is it's about creating simple account to account experiences that provides account linking and authentication in a singular flow. And what we mean by that is it's solving for usability, so we're abstracting the complexity away from the classic transfer by bringing an end user directly into authenticate with their partner. So very similar to how open banking has solved for some of the friction that exists in traditional bank transfers today. The second point is we're building trust. Because of that authenticated experience, you now have an authenticated user inflow that's providing permission in real time to facilitate that on-chain transfer, whether it be a transfer of a stablecoin, crypto, digital asset, tokenized security, the infrastructure that we're building with Auth by zero hash supports any on-chain transfer and movement money. And the third part is around control. So providing configurations to the clients that we're working with, to choose what assets are supported, to ensure that the source and and the the receiver of those assets or the recipients of those assets are approved and secure. So we're creating and building those configurations in for our partners to better manage how any on chain transfer occurs. So let's start with the pain points that exist today and where off comes in to solve them. So the first part is assets are on chain, but the connections are missing, and that's a result of classic transfers being fundamentally broken. And here's why. There's friction, so as an end user, you either need to scan a QR code or copy a 42 alphanumeric address in order to actually facilitate a transfer. There's uncertainty, so there's the inability to authenticate an account prior to a transfer occurring, and there's imprecision. So it restricts the ability to control what assets are moved on chain, what assets are received, and ultimately what chains those assets are moved on. And where A comes in is it's about creating simple account to account experiences that provides account linking and authentication in a singular flow. And what we mean by that is it's solving for usability, so we're abstracting the complexity away from the classic transfer by bringing an end user directly into authenticate with their partner. So very similar to how open banking has solved for some of the friction that exists in traditional bank transfers today. The second point is we're building trust. Because of that authenticated experience, you now have an authenticated user inflow that's providing permission in real time to facilitate that on-chain transfer, whether it be a transfer of a stablecoin, crypto, digital asset, tokenized security, the infrastructure that we're building with Auth by zero hash supports any on-chain transfer and movement money. And the third part is around control. So providing configurations to the clients that we're working with, to choose what assets are supported, to ensure that the source and and the the receiver of those assets or the recipients of those assets are approved and secure. So we're creating and building those configurations in for our partners to better manage how any on-chain transfer occurs.
FinTech TV Host: And of course for users out there, they're looking for ease of use, so whoop, just say are some of the biggest points of friction right now, but we're also the exciting opportunities to actually fix it.
Ryan Bodry: Yeah, certainly. So I think the biggest points of friction are simply the lack of connectivity. So today there's fragmentation, and that's a main issue, and it's also impeding growth and impeding the opportunity to securely and easily transfer assets, whether that be crypto, stablecoins, tokenized security, etc. So that fragmentation is leading to a lack of trust, and with Auth we're solving for usability, so we're creating an authenticated experience that mirrors everyday financial financial uh use cases. So when you think about moving money today, We've moved beyond in the fiat world, entering in an account and routing number, replace that with an authenticated experience directly from your bank. So we're taking the same principles and applying that to on chain transfers, so we reduce friction, increase the trust, and in turn create a more usable, connected ecosystem.
FinTech TV Host: And I do want to get your perspective on stablecoins. So we all know that stablecoins are settling trillions of dollars in institutional volume. So what specific infrastructure breakthrough will it take for a stablecoin transfer to feel as ordinary to a consumer as, say, paying a friend through a standard banking app?
Ryan Bodry: I think it really comes down to abstracting complexity. So moving the complexity behind the scenes, so that the rails sit behind the scenes, so that when it comes to everyday use cases, we're solving real problems. So whether that be creating efficiency in the system, so through cross border, real-time settlement, uh, other efficiency opportunities within within a stablecoin assets, removing the technical complexity away. And that's where off by 0 has an important role to create that connectivity, and to establish those trusted connections between parties, both with consumers, with businesses, with institutions, to allow for the secure transfer of on-chain assets. So whether that be from a bank to a brokerage, from a brokerage to a wallet. Connecting to self-custodial and custodial wallets alike, so creating that infrastructure that provides that underlying connectivity, so from a user's perspective, it simplifies the journey and in turn creates a more usable, user-friendly experience that builds trust and ultimately scales the adoption of stable Glen.
FinTech TV Host: And of course we are heading into a new year. It's hard to believe, but we're in the final quarter of 2026. So when you compare where we are today to say 5 years from now, how radically do you think the reality of on chain money movement will change?
Ryan Bodry: Yeah, it's a, it's a great point, and this is where we're focused on at Zero on making sure that we're solving for that usability to then connect different parties globally across the 190 countries where Zero operates today. And building those connections, so we're able to facilitate on chain transfers, continue to evolve as on-chain assets evolve from crypto to stablecoins to tokenized securities and beyond. So facilitating any of that on-chain activity through a connected ecosystem. That provides. So where I see the future leading is really a truly integrated ecosystem that promotes innovation, reduces some of the friction points that we're seeing today, increases the opportunity for instant settlement, and provides real value to businesses and ultimately consumers as well.
FinTech TV Host: And speaking of value as well as innovation, we can't have a conversation here at Money 2020 without bringing in artificial intelligence, particular agentic AI. So how do programmable assets, payments, as well as AI agents fundamentally transform what it means to move money?
Ryan Bodry: So when we think about AI and the implication, we're building off by zero hash to be infrastructure to connect parties. So that connection today can be between two institutions. Tomorrow it could introduce an agent-like experience. So as a user, I'm providing consent and intent to that agent to facilitate a transfer on your behalf, but that certainly comes with the ability to ensure and verify the identity of that user. There's a security element around that as well, to make sure that that user has provided the right intent and consent to that agent, and that the overall security layer remains intact, and we're ensuring that all of the fraud protections that must be in place to secure on chain transfers and activities are brought into an AI agentic ecosystem. So the rails remain the same. It's the services that sit on top of those rails and the introduction of a new party being the agent that will remain different. So we're certainly looking at the infrastructure and the scalability of this to support use cases as they continue to emerge, and we'll remain actively engaged in. Space
FinTech TV Host: and Ryan, finally, before I let you go, I know you just landed here in Vegas and Money 2020 is just underway, but of course all of us here have to come with a game plan to make it through all of the panels as well as the exciting conversations. So give us your take on this year's Money 2020.
Ryan Bodry: This year's Money 2020, it has a ton of energy, and I think a lot of focus around the evolution of digital assets on chain assets. Usability, which solves for, and also the emergence of AI and how AI is impacting multiple lines of businesses, both from a business perspective, but also from an end user perspective. So, what's great about Money 2020 is the ability to have conversations with everyone in this ecosystem that's solving for very similar pain points, and leaning into partnership opportunities for how collectively we can do that together. I don't think anyone that's attending here will be successful if they only focus on their business. It's definitely a partner. model and as we're building out off, that's how we're looking at it as well as building out the right partnerships to allow for that connectivity and ultimately reduce friction and increase usability and trust.
FinTech TV Host: Well, Ryan, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much for joining us today and enjoy the rest of Money 2020 USA here in Vegas.
Ryan Bodry: Thank you for having me.
FinTech TV Host: My pleasure.
