Neobanks are struggling with differentiation, rising costs, and intense competition - but what if Bitcoin and stablecoin infrastructure could be your competitive advantage?

In this episode, I speak with Richard Green, Director of Ecosystem and Rootstock Institutional at RootstockLabs, the largest and longest-running Bitcoin sidechain, and we answer the big question:

How can neobanks strategically integrate Bitcoin and stablecoin infrastructure to create competitive advantages?

Richard leads GTM for strategic partnerships and growth across cross-border remittance, DeFi, institutions and stablecoins clients, bringing deep expertise from Bloomberg, Circle, and now RootstockLabs. He shares practical insights on building crypto-enabled products that solve real customer problems.

We explore the fundamentals of stablecoins, cost considerations for implementation, user experience challenges, security and fraud protection, partnership selection strategies, and practical frameworks for getting started. Richard breaks down complex technical concepts into actionable strategies that Neobank founders can implement without breaking their budgets.

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👉 Follow Richard Green:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-thomas-green/

Website: https://www.rootstocklabs.com/

👉Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] Welcome and key question introduction

[00:01:00] The most overlooked competitive advantage for neobanks

[00:06:00] Stablecoin basics: What they are and how they differ from Bitcoin

[00:09:00] Top use cases: Global payments and remittances

[00:13:00] Cross-border payment infrastructure and partnerships

[00:18:00] Real-world application and user adoption challenges

[00:20:00] Cost considerations: Custodial vs self-custody models

[00:24:00] Security and fraud protection in blockchain systems

[00:29:00] Product design and user experience considerations

[00:31:00] Customer education and trust building strategies

[00:34:00] Partnership selection and evaluation criteria

[00:39:00] What RootstockLabs does and Bitcoin sidechain benefits

[00:41:00] Practical implementation roadmap for neobanks

[00:45:00] Security advantages of Bitcoin-backed infrastructure

[00:49:00] Common implementation mistakes to avoid

[00:50:00] Three key takeaways for neobank founders

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How can neobanks use Bitcoin for competitive advantage?

What are stablecoins and how do they work for neobanks?

How to reduce cross-border payment costs with crypto?

What are the security risks of Bitcoin in banking?

How to choose stablecoin partners for neobanks?

What is custodial vs self-custody in crypto banking?

How to implement Bitcoin infrastructure on a budget?

What user experience challenges exist with crypto payments?

How does blockchain fraud protection work?

What is RootstockLabs and Bitcoin sidechains?

How to educate customers about crypto banking features?

What compliance requirements exist for crypto integration?

How to build crypto products without technical expertise?

What revenue streams do Bitcoin features create?

How to differentiate neobanks with crypto infrastructure?

What are the costs of implementing stablecoin payments?

How to serve underserved markets with crypto banking?

What mistakes do neobanks make with crypto integration?

How to build secure Bitcoin-enabled banking products?

What partnerships do neobanks need for crypto features?

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.