SwapSpace Huddle is your go-to podcast for all things crypto and blockchain! Join us as we host global experts and thought leaders who share insights on successful projects, emerging trends, and the future of decentralized technologies. Each episode dives deep into critical topics, from DeFi to NFTs, making complex concepts accessible for everyone. Tune in and be part of the conversation!
EP 24. “Don't Fall in Love With Your Bags" - The Hard Truth From a DeFi Builder
What if the NFT crash made your career?In this episode of SwapSpace Huddle, Wesley S. talks with Roman Prokhorenko (Mellow Protocol, formerly Rarible and Reclaim Protocol), who experienced the NFT downturn from the inside. Rather than leaving crypto, he pivoted into zero-knowledge technology and institutional DeFi. In this conversation, Roman shares his insights on DeFi, RWA crypto, crypto investing, NFT markets, and where Web3 is heading next.The podcast will cover:- What actually killed NFTs and why they're not coming back- How institutional investors are entering DeFi today- How can you get S&P 500 exposure for $3 - What modular DeFi vaults are and what makes them different from using Aave- Why RWA is no longer a hype cycle: commodities and physical mining are already on-chain- What surviving the NFT collapse taught Roman about building through bear markets"Embrace the cringe" - Roman's one rule for anyone starting out in Web3This crypto podcast is for anyone interested in:• DeFi and crypto investing• Real-world assets (RWA)• Institutional crypto adoption• Tokenization• Web3 career• Building during bear markets🕔 TIMESTAMPS 🕔00:00 - Intro00:31 - From telecom contracts to DeFi vaults: the unlikely road to Web305:52 - Ideology, tech, or FOMO? What actually pulls people into crypto08:41 - One career, three completely different worlds: was any of it planned?14:30 - Leading growth at Rarible while NFTs were dying 18:55 - The NFT cycle's hard lesson: "Don't fall in love with your bags"20:18 - Mellow Protocol explained: why DeFi still scares most people (and how to fix that)24:26 - Is Mellow for institutions, or can retail actually use it?25:40 - "They're already here" - institutions in DeFi, and it's not going back27:08 - Bear market building: does slowing down actually make you more stable?28:50 - AI vaults, RWA, autonomous yield - Roman's honest verdict33:30 - Where real Web3 growth is coming from (and it's not what Twitter says)35:17 - One piece of advice for anyone starting out: "Embrace the cringe"Disclaimer: This video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile. Always conduct your own research before making any financial decisions.
27 Mar 2026
EP 23. From Football to Crypto: 90 Million Users Later
Sometimes the road into crypto doesn’t start with blockchain… it starts (drum roll) with football🥁💥
In the new episode of SwapSpace Huddle — Jamie Elkaleh, CMO of Bitget Wallet, a product used by 90+ million people worldwide. His story is about how a simple conversation with a neighbour can change your life.
Just a few years ago, Jamie was working in football around Manchester City. Today he’s helping build one of the largest crypto ecosystems in the world — watching from the inside as the architecture of finance itself changes.
This conversation has everything:
⚽ the journey from football management into crypto🧠 how people think when they run products for tens of millions of users🖼 why NFTs aren’t just pictures, but a new form of digital ownership (for the first time in our show, someone actually believes in NFTs!)🎰 meme coins: casino or an inevitable part of the crypto economy⚔️ is the real wallet vs exchange war already starting?🌍 and why the future of finance may be completely on-chain
Watch until the end — some of these stories you’ll definitely want to retell to your friends.
Time Codes00:00 — Intro
01:02 — Bitget Wallet and 90+ million users
04:30 — What the crypto market looks like from the inside: chaos or system?
06:05 — How Jamie entered the crypto industry
10:37 — Why user education matters in crypto
10:54 — NFTs: a new form of digital ownership
12:15 — The conversation with a neighbour that changed everything
14:04 — Working in football and the Manchester City experience
17:40 — What actually works in the crypto industry
20:30 — How people think when running products for millions of users
24:25 — Wallets vs exchanges: is a new war beginning?
28:10 — Why self-custody is becoming more important
36:30 — Meme coins: casino or part of a new economy?
42:36 — A bit about SwapSpace and the role of aggregators in the ecosystem
27 Mar 2026
EP.22 Latin America | Where Crypto Solves Real Problems
What happens to crypto where it’s actually needed?
While in Europe people debate cryptocurrencies, discuss regulation, and write long reports, in Latin America people simply use them every day. Here, inflation can eat up a salary in a matter of months. Bank transfers between neighboring countries can sometimes take weeks. Freelancers often struggle to receive payments from clients in other parts of the world. That’s why cryptocurrencies in the region are not a fashionable experiment or just another investment trend — they’re infrastructure.
In the new episode of SwapSpace Huddle, we spoke with Ernesto Contreras — Bitcoin OG and founder of the startup Unalivio. He has spent years working in the Latin American crypto market and has witnessed how these technologies are gradually becoming part of everyday life.
In this episode, we explore the key questions of why and how:
🌎💵 why stablecoin adoption is growing so rapidly in the region
🌵💻 how cryptocurrencies help people work with international clients☕📱 why it can sometimes be easier to pay with Binance than through a bank
🪇🚀 how to build a startup in an unstable economic environment
🌶️⚡ why the real crypto economy grows out of necessity, not hype.
00:00 – Intro01:25 – Ernesto: from Venezuela to Mexico, China, Bitcoin and the start of his crypto journey
03:35 – Why Latin America is different: fragmented banking, inflation and real crypto adoption
06:10 – USDT as a digital dollar: what people in LatAm actually want
08:05 – Unalivio: from medical payments to creator monetization
09:59 – Volatility vs utility: why real users do not care about bull and bear markets
11:53 – Speculation vs necessity: why demand in LatAm stays alive
14:07 – From transfers to a real crypto economy: salaries, payments and B2B settlements
16:45 – Scaling in LatAm: why the future is about solutions, not crypto jargon
18:30 – The founder’s main challenge: product-market fit above everything
20:48 – Why Unalivio started with Venezuela and not Mexico
21:16 – Advice for SwapSpace: how to enter Latin America the right way
24:37 – The next 3–5 years: interconnection, privacy and crypto as a freedom tool
26:30 – Ernesto’s advice to young entrepreneurs: 98 hard days out of 100
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