We recently caught up with Chase Ergen, an entrepreneur and strategic advisor claiming to be at the intersection of traditional and decentralized finance, with experience in the telecommunications and satellite industries as well.
Ergen currently serves on the Board of Directors at DeFi Technologies Inc., a publicly traded (Nasdaq: DEFT) financial technology company bridging the gap between traditional capital markets and the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.
He is also Executive Director of the Make America Wealthy Again (MAWA) Super PAC, where he advocates for innovation-focused policy and financial inclusion while bringing two decades of experience in satellite and telecommunications, with strategic involvement in 5G development, blockchain infrastructure, and Fintech policy.
His work is driven by a commitment to building accessible, transparent, and future-ready financial systems.
Chase built his foundation in telecommunications and satellite technology, acquiring critical operational knowledge and contributing to the development of global networks. As an early blockchain adopter and former Bitcoin miner, he seamlessly transitioned into digital finance, focusing on infrastructure, adoption, and real-world use cases.
As a board member of DeFi Technologies, Chase is scaling decentralized financial services for mainstream users and institutions alike. He prioritizes regulatory readiness, technological accessibility, and mass adoption through credible channels.
Our chat with Chase Ergen is shared below.
Crowdfund Insider: How did your journey from satellite telecoms to digital finance shape your vision for infrastructure and connectivity in modern financial markets?
Chase Ergen: My background in satellite and telecoms taught me that infrastructure isn’t just about technology, it’s about inclusion. I saw how connectivity could quite literally change lives, whether by enabling a phone call in a remote village or delivering essential services where physical institutions didn’t exist. That experience grounded my belief that access and reliability aren’t luxuries; they’re necessities.
When I transitioned into digital finance, I brought that same mindset with me. Financial networks, like telecom networks, are foundational systems. They need to be resilient, scalable, and designed with the end user in mind. I don’t view digital finance as a speculative frontier; I see it as the next generation of infrastructure.
Just as we built towers and satellites to connect people physically, we now need to build financial rails that offer the same level of stability and reach. That’s how we reduce barriers and ensure meaningful participation in the global economy.
Crowdfund Insider: What’s required to give traditional investors and institutions the confidence to allocate capital in digital finance?
Chase Ergen: Confidence comes from familiarity and accountability. Traditional investors are not just seeking novel ideas; they want to see evidence of due diligence, clear regulatory frameworks, and independent oversight built into every product they invest in. Translating established safeguards from legacy finance, such as custody, transparent reporting, frequent audits, and clear risk disclosures, is essential.
Regulatory compliance is how trust is built and maintained as both new technologies and asset classes are introduced. Ultimately, building that bridge between traditional finance and digital innovation requires us to meet institutions where they are. When we demonstrate that the same accountability mechanisms they trust in legacy markets exist in this space, we give them a clear path to participate confidently in the future of finance.
Crowdfund Insider: In your view, how can digital asset firms structure their revenue models for long-term sustainability?
Chase Ergen: These models create a foundation of recurring revenue that can support growth even in down markets. Diversifying service offerings is also key. Expanding into areas like research, and trading infrastructure opens up new revenue channels that also build stronger relationships across the financial ecosystem. At the same time, sustainability is as much about discipline as it is about growth.
This means maintaining tight compliance, implementing strong risk minimising practices, and being operationally lean. The goal is to build a business that can weather market cycles, where innovation is backed by stability, and where investors, clients, and partners can rely on transparent, accountable operations.
Crowdfund Insider: Regional regulation varies significantly, how do you chart a path for compliance and business growth across such diverse legal environments?
Chase Ergen: Navigating regulatory diversity requires a highly adaptive approach, especially as the legal landscape for digital assets continues to evolve in real time. Most recently, the GENIUS Act was signed into law, establishing the first federal framework for stablecoins in the U.S. and providing much-needed regulatory clarity for payment stablecoin issuers and intermediaries.
This changing regulation shapes our compliance strategy: we tailor controls and products to each jurisdiction’s regulatory climate, whether it’s meeting newly enacted federal standards in the U.S. (such as 1:1 stablecoin reserves and audit mandates), adhering to newer digital asset rules in regions like the UAE, or meeting licensing demands in the EU. This ensures we’re prepared for both rapid regulatory change and sustainable growth as digital finance policy develops worldwide.
Crowdfund Insider: What lessons did telecom teach you about balancing innovation with regulatory compliance, particularly for emerging technologies?
Chase Ergen: Telecom showed me that meaningful innovation doesn’t happen in spite of regulation; it happens through it. The industry thrives by embedding compliance and consumer protection into every layer of infrastructure from the outset. That experience taught me to see regulation not as a barrier, but as a blueprint for scalable and trustworthy systems.
In digital finance, the same principle applies. We build with the understanding that oversight, risk controls, and transparency aren’t just checkboxes; they’re prerequisites for institutional adoption and long-term impact. When innovation is designed to operate within clear regulatory boundaries, it becomes more resilient, more credible, and ultimately more transformative.
Crowdfund Insider: Critics worry crypto tax incentives will encourage risky speculation or loophole hunting. How do you weigh inclusion incentives against these risks?
Chase Ergen: The concern is legitimate; any incentive, if poorly structured, risks being misused. But the goal of inclusion incentives is not to create shortcuts or invite reckless speculation. It’s to lower the barriers that prevent broader, everyday participation in digital finance.
To achieve that, incentives need to be precisely defined, with clear eligibility criteria and regular performance assessments. When grounded in data and aligned with long-term policy goals, these tools can drive meaningful adoption without undermining stability. The key is balance: encourage innovation and access, but do so with safeguards that keep markets fair, transparent, and accountable.
Crowdfund Insider: What are the current pain points, technical, operational, or cultural, that hinder institutional engagement with digital assets?
Chase Ergen: Several persistent barriers continue to slow institutional adoption. Technically, the integration between legacy financial systems and modern digital asset infrastructure remains complex and costly. This creates friction that many institutions, especially those with rigid IT environments, struggle to justify.
Operationally, compliance frameworks are often fragmented, with evolving regulations creating uncertainty and inconsistent standards across jurisdictions. Risk management systems, which were built for traditional asset classes, aren’t always equipped to handle the unique characteristics and volatility of digital assets. Culturally, perhaps the most significant hurdle is unfamiliarity.
Many institutions lack internal expertise, which leads to hesitation, even when the infrastructure exists. Bridging this gap requires more than just technology. It demands clear educational efforts, streamlined onboarding processes, and enterprise-grade tools that reduce complexity without sacrificing compliance or control.
Crowdfund Insider: In your experience, what regulatory innovations could genuinely unlock the next wave of institutional adoption?
Chase Ergen: The most important catalyst for institutional adoption is regulatory clarity, paired with long-term consistency. Institutions are unlikely to deploy significant capital into an environment where the rules can change without warning.
Clearly defined asset classifications, coupled with uniform legal standards, would remove much of the ambiguity that currently holds institutions back. Equally important are flexible “safe harbor” provisions that allow for responsible innovation without penalizing early experimentation.
These frameworks should provide room for projects to evolve while still meeting baseline compliance expectations. When regulation enables innovation rather than stifling it, institutional players gain the confidence to build infrastructure, launch new products, and invest at scale, ultimately strengthening the entire digital finance ecosystem.
Crowdfund Insider: Through your work with MAWA, you’ve advocated for tax reforms like 0% capital gains on digital assets up to $1 million. What’s the reasoning behind this, and what impact could it have?
Chase Ergen: The goal behind this proposal is to democratize access to digital finance. Today, even minor gains on digital assets can trigger complex tax obligations, creating unnecessary friction for everyday users. This discourages participation, particularly among younger investors or those testing the waters with small amounts. By introducing a capital gains exemption up to $1 million, we reduce barriers to entry and promote broader usage, transforming digital assets from speculative tools into everyday financial instruments.
Such a policy would send a powerful signal that responsible innovation and financial inclusion are national priorities. It would support middle-class wealth creation, encourage small-scale entrepreneurship in digital finance, and legitimize crypto use in day-to-day economic activity. It’s about creating a more accessible and equitable financial future, one where participation isn’t limited by red tape or tax penalties on micro-transactions.
Crowdfund Insider: How are institutions engaging with digital assets and DeFi today? What’s driving this surge in institutional interest? What are the key infrastructure trends shaping DeFi’s evolution?
Chase Ergen: Today, major players are entering the space primarily through regulated structures, like exchange-traded products, spot ETPs, and custody services that meet institutional standards. The shift is largely driven by improved regulatory clarity in key jurisdictions, rising demand for non-correlated yield opportunities, and the strategic need to stay ahead in financial innovation. At the infrastructure level, we’re seeing several trends accelerate DeFi’s institutional adoption. Modular blockchain architecture is enabling greater scalability and composability.
Tokenization of real-world assets, everything from treasuries to real estate, is unlocking new forms of liquidity and risk management. Perhaps most importantly, DeFi protocols are increasingly operating as “invisible infrastructure,” embedded behind user-friendly interfaces or integrated into fintech platforms.
As these systems become more mature and intuitive, institutions can plug in without needing to rebuild legacy processes fully, bridging traditional finance and DeFi more seamlessly than ever before.