Welcome to the 71st episode of the Hale Report. We are back after a short summer hiatus. My name is Lyric Hughes Hale, and I am Editor-in-Chief of econVue and your host today, Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Our topic: Money in Motion: Stablecoins, Payments, and the Global FinTech Race.

Today I’m joined by Collin Canright — a pioneer in Chicago’s fintech community, a seasoned journalist, and founder of FinTech Rising. For more than three decades, Collin has been making complex technologies accessible for business and financial leaders, from the earliest days of electronic banking in the 1980s to today’s digital payments and fintech revolutions. He’s also the founder of the Chicago Payments Forum and a coach to emerging leaders in the industry. Through his writing, publishing, and community-building, Collin has become one of the most trusted voices on the future of money.