The Fuse Podcast: The future of digital assets with Ryan Hayward

In this thought-provoking episode of The Fuse Podcast, Shruti Ajitsaria—Partner and Head of Fuse, A&O Shearman’s award-winning tech innovation hub—leads a dynamic panel of industry leaders through the fast-evolving world of digital assets.

As tokenization, blockchain infrastructure, and regulatory reform reshape the financial landscape, this conversation offers a front-row seat to the forces driving innovation and disruption in digital finance. 

Joining Shruti are three distinguished voices at the forefront of digital transformation: 

• Barney Reynolds, former Global Co-Head of Financial Services Regulatory at A&O Shearman, now Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, renowned for advising global financial institutions through seismic regulatory shifts. 
• Ryan Hayward, Head of Digital Assets and Strategic Investments at Barclays, who leads the bank’s global strategy on tokenization, governance, and fintech partnerships. 
• Benjamin Santos-Stephens, CEO of ClearToken, a pioneering clearing house for digital assets, with a background spanning Nomura’s Laser Digital and Instinet’s global product strategy. 

Together, they unpack the infrastructure and policy frameworks shaping the future of digital finance—from the UK’s ambition to become a global hub for digital asset innovation, to the challenges of interoperability, inclusion, and market adoption.

What role will financial market infrastructures play in enabling tokenized economies? How are regulators balancing innovation with risk? And what does the future hold for institutional-grade digital asset platforms? 

The Fuse Podcast brings together industry leaders, technologists, and legal experts to explore the intersection of emerging technologies and law. Each episode offers practical insights into how innovation is reshaping business models, regulatory frameworks, and operational strategies. Designed for decision-makers navigating digital transformation, this series delivers forward-looking conversations that decode complex trends and spotlight actionable opportunities as technology drives the future of law.