Agora 首席执行官 Nick van Eck 谈稳定币在新兴市场中的作用

稳定币发行商 Agora 的首席执行官兼联合创始人 Nick van Eck 走遍了许多新兴市场，他敏锐地意识到了这些问题

Nick van Eck, CEO and co-founder of stablecoin issuer Agora, is no stranger to the challenges faced by citizens in emerging markets due to currency debasement and a lack of sound financial systems. Having traveled extensively through these regions, van Eck is keenly aware of the problems that can arise.

稳定币发行商 Agora 的首席执行官兼联合创始人 Nick van Eck 对新兴市场公民因货币贬值和缺乏健全的金融体系而面临的挑战并不陌生。范埃克曾广泛游历过这些地区，他敏锐地意识到可能出现的问题。

With AUSD, Agora’s flagship stablecoin product, van Eck is focused on solving the unique challenges these nations face. “People in places like Argentina or India can save money without worrying about inflation or capital controls,” van Eck said in a recent interview with CoinDesk. “It’s a simple yet revolutionary tool that can change lives, especially when and where traditional banking systems fall short.”

凭借 Agora 的旗舰稳定币产品 AUSD，van Eck 致力于解决这些国家面临的独特挑战。范埃克最近在接受 CoinDesk 采访时表示：“阿根廷或印度等地的人们可以省钱，而不必担心通货膨胀或资本管制。” “这是一个简单但革命性的工具，可以改变生活，特别是在传统银行系统无法满足要求的时间和地点。”

Van Eck has extensive experience as a tech investor and a family background in the gold sector — vanEck, the fund company founded by his grandfather, manages one of the world’s largest gold mining funds. Early on, Nick van Eck recognized BTC’s potential as a store of value and aligned himself with the principles of early Bitcoiners.

Van Eck 拥有丰富的科技投资者经验和黄金行业的家庭背景——vanEck 是他祖父创立的基金公司，管理着世界上最大的金矿基金之一。尼克·范·埃克 (Nick van Eck) 很早就认识到 BTC 作为价值储存手段的潜力，并与早期比特币支持者的原则保持一致。

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本系列由Consensus Hong Kong 为您带来。 2 月 18 日至 20 日，快来体验 Web3 和数字资产领域最具影响力的活动。立即注册并使用代码 CoinDesk15 可节省 15%。

Fresh off a two-week trip with his family to South America’s Patagonia region, van Eck spoke about the evolving role of stablecoins in emerging markets, the catalysts driving stablecoin adoption and the unique dynamics of the Asian market. In addition, he described Agora’s approach to building blockchain-based payment infrastructure and the importance of what he calls “credible neutrality.” What follows is a lightly edited transcript of our discussion.

范埃克刚刚与家人前往南美巴塔哥尼亚地区进行为期两周的旅行，他谈到了稳定币在新兴市场中不断变化的作用、推动稳定币采用的催化剂以及亚洲市场的独特动态。此外，他还描述了 Agora 构建基于区块链的支付基础设施的方法以及他所说的“可信中立”的重要性。以下是我们讨论的经过轻微编辑的文字记录。

What’s been your journey from a technology investor to starting Agora? What sparked your interest in blockchain-based payments?

从技术投资者到创办 Agora，您经历了怎样的历程？是什么激发了您对基于区块链的支付的兴趣？

I started my career investing at the private equity firm JMI Equity and knew I wanted to be an investor from an early age. I was working at a hedge fund in 2016 when I first got exposed to Bitcoin. The concept of Bitcoin as “digital gold” resonated with me, and I shared many beliefs with early Bitcoiners. That’s when I first got involved, but I continued to work as a tech investor for many years.

我的职业生涯始于私募股权公司 JMI Equity，从小就知道自己想成为一名投资者。 2016 年，当我第一次接触比特币时，我正在一家对冲基金工作。比特币作为“数字黄金”的概念引起了我的共鸣，我与早期的比特币爱好者有很多共同的信念。那是我第一次参与其中，但我继续以科技投资者的身份工作了很多年。

During the DeFi summer of 2020, I was drawn back into crypto as applications like Uniswap and Aave made the idea of an open financial system tangible. For many globally, these tools were better than their existing financial systems. Blockchain enables people to save and earn money in ways that weren’t possible before, and it felt like the start of a revolution. So, about a year ago, I left VC firm General Catalyst to start Agora.

在 2020 年 DeFi 夏季期间，随着 Uniswap 和 Aave 等应用程序使开放金融系统的想法变得切实可行，我又被吸引到加密货币领域。对于全球许多人来说，这些工具比他们现有的金融系统更好。区块链使人们能够以以前不可能的方式储蓄和赚钱，这感觉就像一场革命的开始。因此，大约一年前，我离开了风险投资公司 General Catalyst，创办了 Agora。

How have your travels, including your latest trip to Patagonia, influenced your vision for Agora?

您的旅行，包括您最近的巴塔哥尼亚之旅，对您对 Agora 的愿景有何影响？

I feel very fortunate to have traveled to parts of the world where access to financial services and opportunities is far more limited than what Americans often take for granted. Spending time in places like Argentina or India has made it clear to me just how diverse the world is in terms of opportunities and challenges. The idea of providing a financial instrument that allows someone to save money without worrying about inflation is incredibly valuable in places like Patagonia and Argentina. My grandmother was an immigrant who had a difficult childhood, growing up in conditions shaped by hyperinflation, capital controls and other financial challenges. I’ve seen similar situations in my travels, and while I didn’t live through them myself, those experiences made the realities of financial instability very real to me in a way that goes beyond intellectual understanding.

我感到非常幸运，能够前往世界各地，那里获得金融服务和机会的机会比美国人通常认为理所当然的要有限得多。在阿根廷或印度等地度过的时光让我清楚地认识到世界的机遇和挑战是多么多样化。在巴塔哥尼亚和阿根廷等地，提供一种让人们省钱而不必担心通货膨胀的金融工具的想法非常有价值。我的祖母是一名移民，她的童年很艰难，在恶性通货膨胀、资本管制和其他金融挑战的环境下长大。我在旅行中见过类似的情况，虽然我自己没有经历过这些情况，但这些经历让我对金融不稳定的现实变得非常真实，超出了理智的理解。

What sets Agora and AUSD apart from other stablecoins like USDT or PYUSD?

Agora 和 AUSD 与 USDT 或 PYUSD 等其他稳定币有何不同？

Firstly, we are credibly neutral. USDC, for example, shares half its income with Coinbase. Tether doesn’t have any partners, and PYUSD is essentially a PayPal subsidiary designed to compete with various remittance companies. We’re like a vanilla fiat coin. We take in a dollar, mint one AUSD, and that dollar is in a bank account somewhere. Our focus from day one has been to stay credibly neutral and concentrate on building the best digital dollar network without competing with our customers. We believe in an open model where we share revenue with the underlying applications or businesses using AUSD.

首先，我们是可信的中立。例如，USDC 与 Coinbase 分享一半收入。 Tether 没有任何合作伙伴，PYUSD 本质上是 PayPal 的子公司，旨在与各种汇款公司竞争。我们就像一枚普通的法定硬币。我们接收一美元，铸造一澳元，该美元存在于某处的银行账户中。从第一天起，我们的重点就是保持可信的中立，专注于建立最好的数字美元网络，而不与我们的客户竞争。我们相信开放的模式，我们使用 AUSD 与底层应用程序或企业分享收入。

Why are stablecoins so critical to the crypto ecosystem, especially in Asia?

为什么稳定币对加密生态系统如此重要，尤其是在亚洲？

Stablecoins are the lifeblood of the crypto economy, just as money is for any economy. In Asia and Southeast Asia, they provide a stable unit of account in regions where access to financial services is limited and local currencies often face volatility. What’s often misunderstood is that stablecoins aren’t just about trading — they enable wealth preservation, lending and other financial services. For many people in emerging markets, they offer opportunities that traditional systems cannot.

稳定币是加密经济的命脉，就像货币对于任何经济体一样。在亚洲和东南亚，它们为金融服务机会有限且当地货币经常面临波动的地区提供了稳定的记账单位。经常被误解的是，稳定币不仅仅用于交易——它们还可以实现财富保值、借贷和其他金融服务。对于新兴市场的许多人来说，它们提供了传统系统无法提供的机会。

What challenges do stablecoins face in achieving widespread adoption?

稳定币在实现广泛采用方面面临哪些挑战？

Regulation is the main hurdle. Businesses are keen to use stablecoins due to their cost efficiency and speed, but they need clarity on legal and compliance

监管是主要障碍。由于稳定币的成本效率和速度，企业热衷于使用稳定币，但他们需要明确法律和合规性