Lukka’s Materazzi: Crypto Is Here, and All the Biggest Banks Know It

Crypto businesses are increasingly leaning into traditional banking products, Materazzi said, and he is excited to see how traditional banking starts to merge with digital assets.

article-image

Robert Materazzi, CEO of Lukka

share

key takeaways

  • Robert Materazzi sees further regulation as an opportunity to bring greater security and legitimacy to the digital asset space, if done well
  • There is going to be an increase in traditional financial institutions leaning into crypto products and offerings, he said

Banking in cryptocurrencies is here to stay, Robert Materazzi, CEO of Lukka, told Blockworks earlier this month at the Bretton Woods: The Realignment conference. 

“I don’t think that many people can argue that it isn’t here,” said Materazzi “All of the big banks are working on it in some way, with actual business units, if they haven’t already launched, they are just about to, which is very exciting.” 

Crypto businesses are increasingly leaning into traditional banking products, he said, and he is excited to see how traditional banking starts to merge with digital assets. 

Materazzi, who works closely with regulators day-to-day, is excited about how further regulation can elevate the digital asset space. 

“Buy some crypto, first,” Materazzi said of his advice to regulators trying to better understand the space. “What I mean by that is get your hands dirty, you have to actually go through the motions.” 

Watch my full interview with Materazzi below.

Want more investor-focused content on digital assets? Join us September 13th and 14th for the Digital Asset Summit (DAS) in NYC. Use code ARTICLE for $75 off your ticket. Buy it now.

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates.png

Research

Pipe Network is a decentralized content delivery network (dCDN) that replaces the sparse, capital intensive data center footprint of traditional CDNs with a permissionless mesh of independent node operators. By orchestrating under-utilized resources that already exist at the edge, rather than purchasing or leasing thousands of servers, Pipe slashes capital intensity while letting supply expand autonomously in the places where bandwidth is scarcest and most expensive.

article-image

On Empire, Dragonfly’s Rob Hadick noted that we may see M&A activity pick up in DATs

article-image

The SEC begins a new chapter in its crypto love affair

article-image

Despite two governor dissents for the first time in 30 years, Powell remained sternly hawkish

article-image

Rarity, exclusivity, and community are key tenets of NFTs — how did Labubus execute them so much better?