Stablecoins and AI: Transforming Payments in 2025 and Beyond

Welcome to FinTech TV.

I'm Remy Blair.

Artificial intelligence isn't just a tech story anymore.

From chatbots to data centers, AI is fueling massive flows into specialized funds now topping $30 billion worldwide.

But the opportunities and the risks go far beyond the big names like Microsoft and Nvidia and FinTech's spring surge in 2025 did not disappoint.

Clarina prep for a US IPO.

Circle went public and Plaid launched a tool.

What's on the horizon for late stage names.

Well joining me here at the New York Stock Exchange is Joe Kaiser, CEO of Mercado Parts.

Joe, welcome.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Thanks for pleasure to be here with you today.

Well, we all know that artificial intelligence has been a big investment theme in 2025, but where is the smart money going in AI right now?

It's a great question.

I think there's two places in particular.

One is infrastructure to support it.

It's capturing the headlines both from a federal standpoint with BBB, like what's going to happen to energy generation and how will that energy be powering data centers in the future?

Couple that with the vertical deployment of AI and then thirdly, of course, is that the headline grabbing topic of the AI experts and how much they're going to be paid by the mag 7.

Yeah, and you bring up a lot of key points there.

So when it comes to retail investors as well as institutional investors, give us an idea of some names that you're paying attention to.

Well, broadly speaking, I think on the public side, which is not where I'm an investor, so I don't have a ton of expertise there, but obviously the bigger players because they have the capital to deploy to hire.

The great talent and to push towards this this uh this topic of super intelligence that from a vertical or horizontal standpoint that's where I would focus.

I also like some of the infrastructure names like Oklo, for instance, that is rethinking the technology of nuclear power to support the deployment of data centers not only in the United States but across the world.

And I do want to ask you about some of the key themes.

So of course you mentioned infrastructure and with that comes data centers as well as real estate, but when it comes to themes and exposure, give us an idea of what's happening under the surface.

Well, I think what's happening interestingly enough is on the fintech side, obviously banks are investing heavily into AI both from a consumer experience standpoint.

I think there's a lot of talk about digital workers and how the big banks are deploying digital workers, otherwise known as agents, to interact with their consumers.

And on the back end, how is AI. those systems both more efficient but also protect consumers better.

Obviously deep fakes and other types of hacking technologies that that is the underbelly of AI and of course when it comes to artificial intelligence, there are so many different layers here.

So what are you paying attention to as we head into the second half of 2025 Why?

Yeah, I think there's a couple of things.

First, I think we are very focused on AI and it's deployment from a vertical standpoint and then the the the intersection of financial technologies with other industries.

So for example, what does payment technology coupled with AA look like in healthcare as an area where we're spending a lot of time and then the second area that we're spending a lot of time.

How is the consumer experience reinvented with agents and AI more broadly?

Yes, and when you're talking about an industries such as healthcare, we know that the regulatory landscape also gets involved here.

So what's happening there and what are the implications?

Well, one part of the big beautiful bill that's happening right now is the curtailment of Medicaid and what that's going to mean to millions of Americans not taking a position on what to do.

But how does the private sector backfill healthcare for so many of those Americans that that their that their availability of healthcare gets pulled back.

The other thing is that the environment is shifting, uh, meaning very similar to uh retirement savings where we we saw decades ago we saw a shift from pensions to 401k, so shifting from a defined benefits program, uh.

To define contribution program, healthcare is on a similar trajectory.

So ERISA law changed last year that essentially put more burden on the employer to care for employee dollars.

And so similar to retirement, employers are probably going to follow a similar trend from a healthcare standpoint and put the dollars into wallets of employees rather than hold the burden and responsibility.

And of course we can't have a conversation about artificial intelligence regulation and fintech without talking about the payment space in particular what's happening with stablecoins and you're here at the New York Stock Exchange very recently we had an IPO here and that was.

Circle.

So do you do that and the performance of the name and focus on the fintech in particular crypto landscape.

What does all of this mean when we're talking about payments from a stablecoin lens we've seen the dollar have its worst start to the year.

Potentially ever, but certainly in decades.

And so that's where this conversation of is the US US dollar the right currency for global trade or is there another solution and I think that's where the conversation around stablecoin really comes into play.

And finally, before I let you go, when we think about artificial intelligence, especially as an investment theme for the public markets, some key names pop up, but under the surface, what else are you paying attention to as we head beyond 2025?

I think the power of AI is going to change humanity.

It is that level of technology.

And so as we think about like how does advertising change, how do agents making our purchases for us change how the consumer, the consumer product industry behaves and what happens when we have agents both.

On both sides of the table and how do those agents interact and frankly, how does that system protect us from bad behavior and manipulation I think are all areas to pay attention to as AI gets more deployed beyond just this year.

OK, Joe, well thank you so much for joining me here at the New York Stock Exchange and thank you so much for sharing your insights.

My pleasure.