AI is shifting from experimental tech to core infrastructure for the next generation of finance. As blockchain and digital assets mature, the real frontier is building systems where intelligent agents can actively participate in the economy.
On this episode of Ascend: Stories of Scale, host Angelique Strauss sat down with Sagar Shah, Chief Business Officer at Evernorth, about building the infrastructure layer for next-generation digital asset markets and how crypto is evolving into a new operating system for finance.
Key Takeaways
- Blockchain and digital assets are transitioning from experimental technology into foundational financial infrastructure.
- Most trust and perception barriers around blockchain have significantly decreased, unlocking new opportunities for real-world systems.
- The next major moat in digital assets will be the ability to build scalable GTM motion inside highly regulated environments.
- AI agents represent a new category of economic participant, even without traditional bank accounts.
- Programmable credit and digital asset systems could enable AI systems to operate within financial ecosystems.
- The long-term opportunity is building financial infrastructure designed not just for humans, but for intelligent systems.
- We are moving toward an “agentic economy” where value is fluid, programmable, and continuously transferable.
- AI agents may soon be able to move digital assets and interact with blockchain-based value systems autonomously.
- The convergence of AI and blockchain creates a new category of financial operating system.
- This shift represents a structural redesign of how value is created, moved, and managed globally.
Evernorth is a financial infrastructure company focused on helping crypto become part of the traditional financial system.
Instead of treating crypto as something separate or experimental, Evernorth sees it as the next stage of how global financial markets will operate.
Speakers
Sagar Shah
Chief Business Officer, Evernorth
Sagar Shah is the Chief Business Officer at Evernorth, a digital asset treasury platform backed by Ripple, SBI Holdings, and Arrington Capital.
Sagar brings deep experience across traditional finance, enterprise tech, and crypto infrastructure. He previously spent five years at Ripple, where he held leadership roles across RippleNet, digital asset custody (including the acquisition of Metaco), and stablecoins, helping launch RLUSD.
Earlier in his career, he worked in investment banking at Citi and private equity at Brentwood Associates, and held strategy roles at Salesforce and WeWork.
Angelique Strauss
CEO/Founder, AScaleX
Angelique Strauss is the CEO of AScaleX, where she works with companies to improve operational efficiency, accelerate revenue growth, and build strategic partnerships that support long-term scale. With more than ten years of experience leading international teams, she has helped organizations unlock significant business expansion and drive measurable growth.
- 10+ years of experience across B2B technology, fintech, edtech, security & compliance, enterprise technology, and professional sports.
- Venture growth and fundraising leader with contributions to over $50M in combined funding across fintech and edtech companies.
- Generated over $2M in client pipeline from a single integrated campaign.
- Contributed to more than 60% of new business generation in under a year through strategic GTM execution.
- Known for combining operator-level execution with strategic leadership to drive scalable growth.
- Forbes Business Council member and contributor
