At Meridian, Marcos Fernandez of FGV Capital unpacks their $35M fintech VC fund thesis: timing the institutional adoption curve for stablecoins and tokenization. FGV bets on founders solving today's problems while positioning for a five-to-ten-year vision, with the next heartbeat of crypto adoption bringing mainstream enterprise adoption.
FGV Capital just closed a $35 million fintech fund backed by Bank of America, Mass Mutual, and Stellar Development Foundation. At Meridian in Lisbon, co-founder Marcos Fernandez broke down the thesis: fintech innovation follows technological adoption curves—navigation advancement drove cross-border payments, smartphones drove digital banking, and AI and blockchain adoption are the next wave. The firm looks for founders who can simultaneously solve immediate market problems and position for a five-to-ten-year institutional shift. Key focus areas: stablecoins (especially in high-trade-density regions like Southeast Asia and Latin America), real-world asset tokenization, and cross-border payment infrastructure. Fernandez emphasized that enterprise adoption takes time, but early wins from asset managers, hedge funds, and prime brokerages show institutional players are entering the space. The next crypto market upturn will likely accelerate that adoption at scale.
