Crypto vs. Banks: How Tokenization is Disrupting Wall Street with Eli Cohen, General Counsel at Centrifuge

The Index Podcast

The Future of Finance: How Blockchain is Bringing Real-World Assets On-Chain

This week on The Index, Alex Kehaya joins Eli Cohen, General Counsel at Centrifuge, to break down how crypto is transforming traditional finance by bringing real-world assets (RWA) on-chain.

Eli’s blockchain journey began in 2017 at CME Group, where he helped launch Bitcoin futures, exposing him to the inefficiencies of legacy markets. Municipal bonds take ten days to settle. FX swaps carry days of currency risk. Mortgages still rely on paper. These bottlenecks lock up trillions—tokenization is the solution.

Centrifuge started with trade receivables for small businesses and has since scaled into institutional finance, launching a $40M US Treasury pool in 2023. The shift is clear: on-chain assets are going mainstream.

Regulation remains a battleground. Eli unpacks the SEC’s aggressive stance, the "chokepoint" banking restrictions, and why the post-election landscape could reshape global policy.

With BlackRock entering tokenized treasuries, the crypto-finance crossover is accelerating. This isn’t just digitization—it’s a full-scale reinvention of how assets move and who gets access.

Whether you're a crypto investor, builder, or just watching the space, this episode reveals why RWA tokenization is the next big thing.

Centrifuge: https://centrifuge.io/

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1. Crypto vs. Banks: How Tokenization is Disrupting Wall Street with Eli Cohen, General Counsel at Centrifuge (00:00:00)

2. Mantis Sponsor Introduction (00:00:52)

3. Meet Eli Cohen, Centerfuge GC (00:01:40)

4. From Traditional Finance to Crypto (00:03:15)

5. Why Real-World Assets Matter (00:05:42)

6. Centerfuge Evolution and Treasury Pools (00:10:46)

7. Regulatory Landscape and Trump Impact (00:17:35)

8. Banking Challenges for Crypto Companies (00:21:08)

9. Cross-Chain Compatibility and Future Plans (00:28:22)

10. Meme Coins, Politics, and Regulatory Conflicts (00:31:19)

11. Legal Concerns: Sanctions and Civil Liability (00:36:02)