Lisa Nestor, Research Director at Stanford's Future of Digital Currency Initiative, discusses digital assets' role in financial inclusion, stable coin adoption in emerging markets like Argentina, CBDC development, and emerging opportunities in real-world asset tokenization and the digital dollar economy.
In this Tearsheet podcast episode, Lisa Nestor shares her journey from Peace Corps economic development work to becoming a key researcher in digital currencies. She discusses how blockchain technology, particularly through the Stellar Development Foundation's open-source approach, can democratize financial access globally. Nestor highlights her current research at Stanford on stable coin welfare impacts in Argentina, explores CBDC development across different countries, and explains why traditional banks remain essential infrastructure for both CBDCs and stable coins. She identifies two major emerging opportunities: real-world asset tokenization for improved liquidity and global markets, and the digital dollar economy enabling remote workers to earn in stable currencies without migration.
