Oct. 10, 2025

The Next Episode - MoneyNeverSleeps 300: One Story Ends, Another Begins

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Show Notes
Guest Profile

This one was special. Episode 300 of MoneyNeverSleeps was recorded live at the Podcast Studios at HeadStuff HQ in Dublin - the legendary former Westland Studios where artists like U2, Dropkick Murphys, and Hozier have recorded in the past - marking the end of an era for the show’s long-form interview format, and the beginning of a new chapter.

Seven years. Three hundred episodes. Hundreds of conversations with founders, operators, investors, regulators, technologists, and dreamers building what doesn’t exist yet.

This episode brought together some of the people who’ve been part of the journey from the early days - Mai Santamaria, Alejandro Gutierrez, Paul Smyth, Barry Darmody, and of course, Conan Brophy, the wizard behind the sound since day one. The room was packed with friends of the show, past guests, founders, and long-time supporters.

🪩 From Two Mics to 300 Episodes

2018–2020: Two mics and a backpack. Episodes recorded at Dogpatch Labs, BoI Startup Hub, Top Tier Recruitment, and WeWork.
2020 Turning Point: Covid forced the pod online and opened it to the world. MoneyTalks segments emerged, and guests like Mihai Alisie, Pascal Bouvier, and Graham Rodford expanded the horizon.
The Eoin Era: The chemistry between Pete and co-host Eoin Fitzgerald helped build a loyal following, culminating in milestone Episodes 100 and 200.
Post-Eoin Era: Rotating co-hosts (Mai, Alejandro, Laura Walsh, Paul Smyth) carried the show forward with fresh energy.
2020–2022: The golden era of fintech × crypto crossover.
Post-2023: Fragmentation and web3 fatigue hit - but niche content still resonated deeply with the core audience.

🧠 What the Data Told Us

Peak engagement during fintech × crypto crossover stories.
MoneyTalks segments tied to big macro narratives and bold predictions consistently outperformed.
Investor-driven episodes (Matthew Graham, Joey Krug) and big names (Sam Williams from Arweave) generated spikes.
Technical or policy-heavy episodes struggled to connect.

Frequent Co-Hosts: Alejandro (10), Paul (8), Laura (7), Mai (6).
Fan Favorites: Mihai Alisie, Sam Williams, Joey Krug, Matthew Graham, Elaine Deehan, Barry Darmody, Laura Walsh and Martin Cass.

🔮 2025 Predictions Recap & Reality Check

1. Tokenization Takes Center Stage ✅
Institutional adoption has made tokenization core infrastructure, not just innovation.

2. Stablecoins in E-commerce 🟡
Rails are being laid by Stripe, PayPal, Shopify. Consumer adoption is slower but B2B volumes and cross-border payments are driving momentum

3. Decentralized Identity 🟡
DID and verifiable credentials are progressing - still early, but foundations are strong.

4. Blockchain & Gaming 🟡
Indie studios lead, AAA is cautious. UX and regulation still hurdles.

5. AI Meets Blockchain ✅
AI agents are now embedded in DeFi, DAOs, and governance. A massive frontier is forming.

6. Regulatory Milestones ✅
FIT21 became the Clarity Act, the Genius Act passed, and MiCA is implemented. The global regulatory base layer is here.

7. Multichain Developers ✅
The single-protocol mindset is gone. Builders are going multichain by default.

8. US Bitcoin Reserve + Global Adoption 🟡
Narrative gaining traction, some state reserves emerging, but still early innings.

9. Memecoins & AI Agents ✅
Early but real — the next mania might be agent-driven.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Featured Voices

Mai Santamaria — on vulnerability, community, and the moments that made her laugh (and cringe).
Alejandro Gutierrez — on predictions, tokenization, and the evolution of the show.
Conan Brophy — the heartbeat of the pod since episode one.
Paul Smyth — long-time co-host and friend of the show.
Barry Darmody — local hero, Episode 130 guest, and sponsor of #300.

📝 Top Quotes

“It’s the end of an era and the start of a new one.” – Pete Townsend
“Authenticity and vulnerability make a great guest.” – Mai Santamaria
“You made people feel safe enough to tell their real stories.” – Alejandro Gutierrez
“Seven years of conversations I never thought I’d have — and now it’s part of who we are.” – Pete Townsend

🚀 What’s Next

MoneyNeverSleeps is evolving into a new, sharper, video-first format — shorter riffs, faster turnaround, and even more relevant takes on what’s shaping fintech, crypto, tokenization, AI, and the next wave of founders building onchain.

This isn’t goodbye. It’s the next episode.