Blockcast 65 | Fideum's Anastasija Plotnikova on Building Regulated Crypto Infrastructure

In this episode, Takatoshi sits down with Anastasia Plotnikova, CEO of Fideum , a regulated digital asset infrastructure company operating across Lithuania and Canada. They dive into what it's like to build in Europe under the new MiCA regulation, the practical challenges of regulation, and the global dichotomy between CeFi and DeFi. Anastasia shares her journey from law enforcement to crypto, and how growing up in the post-Soviet era shaped her deep appreciation for decentralized finance.

Topics Covered

• Anastasia’s path from EU law enforcement to crypto via Aave
• Crypto through the lens of post-Soviet economic transition
• Lithuania and the Baltics as high-tech, high-adoption crypto hubs
• What Europe’s MiCA regulation gets right—and where it falls short
• Why DeFi is flourishing while CeFi becomes more exclusive
• The paradox of regulation: investor protection vs. innovation suppression
• How Fideum is navigating licensing in Lithuania & Malta
• Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and the path forward
• Global comparisons: Europe vs. Asia vs. the US regulatory landscape
• Why we need international coordination for crypto standards

? Resources & Links

• ? Fideum Website

Blockcast is hosted by Head of APAC at Ledger, Takatoshi Shibayama . Previous episodes of Blockcast can be found here , with guests like Davide Menegaldo (Neon EVM), Jeremy Tan (Singapore parliament candidate), Alex Ryvkin (Rho), Hassan Ahmed (Coinbase), Sota Watanabe (Startale), Nic Young (Oh), Jacob Phillips (Lombard), Chris Yu (SignalPlus), Kathy Zhu (Mezo), Jess Zeng (Mantle), Samar Sen (Talos), Jason Choi (Tangent), Lasanka Perera (Independent Reserve), Mark Rydon (Aethir), Luca Prosperi (M^0), Charles Hoskinson (Cardano), and Yat Siu (Animoca Brands) on our recent shows.

?️ Hey there, Blockcast listeners! ?️ This podcast provides commentary and discussion on cryptocurrency and related topics. It is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. Guests appearing on this podcast may discuss companies or strategies, but these discussions are not recommendations to buy, sell, or hold any particular asset or pursue any specific strategy. The hosts and guests are not financial advisors, and listeners are urged to consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions. Investments in cryptocurrency are inherently risky, and you could lose money.