What crypto gets right: Raj Kumar, Elisabeth Carpenter, Linda Kirkpatrick | #GIGS25
Forget the jargonβthis session cuts through the hype to focus on what really matters as digital assets and blockchain reshapeΒ ...
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Kirby
Search every verified Raj Kumar interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote β each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Raj Kumar, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Kirby, participated in a panel at the Global Inclusive Growth Summit on June 17, 2025, titled "What crypto gets right." During the discussion, Kumar stated that approximately two billion people worldwide are unbanked and face challenges with fees and transactions. He described the current moment as an "inflection point" where there is a willingness to combine the history and consistency of financial markets with modern technology. Kumar emphasized that trust is essential, comparing the need for regulatory oversight in crypto to the Federal Aviation Administration's role in aviation. He noted that regulation can foster innovation while ensuring safety and security. Kumar also discussed the importance of partnerships, saying that "innovation can only happen when partnerships happen" and that no single entity has all the solutions. He referenced an example from the COVID-19 pandemic where frontline healthcare workers in Venezuela were paid using USDC, a stablecoin, which he described as a demonstration of crypto "getting it right." Kumar added that money now moves "instantly, cheaply, securely, safely" in a manner similar to messages.
“There's about two billion people in the world that are disconnected from the financial system, right? They're not banked and they face as a result a lot of fees, a lot of challenges doing transactions, getting access to money.”
“The last mile is a really important piece. We're B2B, not B2C. Finding last mile partners is the most important thing in many respects that we can do. This is the way money will move.”
“If there's no trust in that digital dollar or digital currency or whatever it might be, then it's game over.”
“Regulation actually breeds innovation but it also ensures safety and security. I'm not going to get on an airplane that the FAA hasn't blessed. I'm not going to use a credit card that various bureaus may or may not exist in a few weeks but that I know are protecting me.”
Forget the jargonβthis session cuts through the hype to focus on what really matters as digital assets and blockchain reshapeΒ ...
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