Building the Infrastructure Behind Institutional Crypto

A conversation with the CEO of Fordefi

As institutional capital continues its move on-chain, crypto is entering a more mature phase. The focus is shifting away from speculation and towards execution, governance, and control, the foundations required for digital assets to function as real financial infrastructure.

Fordefi operates at this intersection. Built specifically for institutional use cases, the platform enables organisations to move beyond custody and safely operate on-chain at scale.

This article forms part of Axiom’s exclusive partnership with Fordefi to build its global sales and go-to-market teams, supporting the next phase of institutional adoption across key markets.

The Interview

The Market Has Grown Up

One of the strongest themes to emerge from the conversation was just how much the market itself has matured.

Early DeFi was dominated by individuals, loosely governed protocols, and rapid experimentation. Today, the centre of gravity is shifting. Institutions are no longer experimenting. They are designing operating models.

“We’ve moved past the stage where institutions are just testing the waters,” Josh said. “They’re now thinking seriously about how on-chain finance fits into their core operations.”

This aligns closely with what Axiom highlighted in its 2026 Crypto & Fintech Hiring Report. After several years of cost control and conservative hiring, institutional firms are returning to the market with intent.

Axiom 2026 Global Hiring Report

Demand is rising for execution-focused talent: infrastructure specialists, compliance aware engineers, and commercial leaders who can sell complex products into regulated environments. Compensation is following suit, particularly for candidates with proven delivery experience.

From Josh’s perspective, this change is visible at the product level.

“Custody is table stakes. Holding assets securely is no longer the hard part. The real challenge for institutions is operating on-chain safely, with the same level of control and governance they expect in traditional finance.”

What Fordefi Was Built to Do

Fordefi exists to address that operational gap. 

Rather than positioning itself as another wallet provider, the company was built to help institutions use digital assets at scale. That means approving transactions intelligently, enforcing internal policy, understanding smart-contract risk, and coordinating activity across teams and strategies.

“Institutional clients want the efficiency and programmability of blockchain infrastructure,” Josh explained, “but they can’t give up visibility or control to get it. That’s the problem we set out to solve.”

This focus was deliberate from the beginning. Fordefi was never designed for retail users or speculative traders. It was built for institutions deploying real capital across DeFi, payments, stablecoins, and tokenised assets.

That positioning now defines its customer base, which spans trading firms, asset managers, fintechs, exchanges, and an increasing number of traditional financial institutions.

Institutions Are Raising the Bar

Institutional involvement has reshaped crypto in ways that go far beyond capital inflows.

“Institutional participation brings discipline. Risk, compliance, integration, long-term viability, those things suddenly matter a lot more. That forces the ecosystem to mature."

This echoes what Axiom is seeing across hiring mandates globally. Regulation and infrastructure scale are no longer side considerations. They are driving the need for experienced operators, and companies are increasingly willing to pay for people who have navigated these environments before.

Importantly, Josh does not see this as a brake on innovation.

“It doesn’t slow innovation. It makes it more intentional. Products still move forward, but they’re built to last, not just to work in a bull market."

Wallet infrastructure sits at the centre of this shift. As tokenisation, stablecoins, and on chain settlement expand, wallets are no longer endpoints. They are control layers that determine whether institutions can participate safely at scale.

Fordefi, Paxos, and the Institutional Stack

Fordefi’s own journey reflects this institutional focus. 

Before founding the company, Josh held senior leadership roles across institutional crypto and traditional finance, including helping scale Curve through its acquisition by PayPal. That experience shaped Fordefi’s emphasis on durability over hype.

“We were very intentional about building for institutions from day one. That meant saying no to things that might have looked exciting short-term, but didn’t align with where the market was actually going.”

That discipline became particularly important in 2024, when Fordefi was acquired by Paxos.

Paxos is one of the most established names in regulated digital asset infrastructure. The acquisition brought Fordefi credibility, regulatory alignment, and access, while allowing it to retain its product focus and culture.

“Paxos gives us trust and scale with institutions, but Fordefi still operates with the speed and ownership of a focused product company. That balance is incredibly important.”

Together, the two businesses are building an end-to-end institutional stack. For institutions navigating the shift from traditional finance to digital assets, that coherence matters.

Culture, Ownership, and Who Thrives

Inside Fordefi, trust and ownership shape how the company operates. With a brilliant global team all focused on shared success and wider market adoption.

“We hire people we trust and give them real ownership. If you want responsibility and the ability to shape how things are done, this is that kind of environment.”

Fordefi tends to attract people who are intellectually curious, self-directed, and interested in building lasting crypto infrastructure rather than reacting to market cycles.

“You’ll have real impact without the early stage risk.” Josh added, “It’s a rare time to join.”

Lessons From Building Through Cycles

Building Fordefi has involved difficult decisions, particularly around hiring.

“One of the hardest lessons is making sure leadership roles are filled by people who have actually done that job before. Early on, it’s tempting to stretch people too far, too quickly.”

He also reflects on some of the common pitfalls founders encounter in crypto.

“Too many teams optimise for narrative instead of product. If your main selling point is that you’re ‘crypto-native’, you’re already in trouble. The technology should disappear behind something that actually works.”

Looking back, Josh would change very little about Fordefi’s direction.

“We made a clear bet on institutions early and stayed focused through the cycles,” he reflected. “That consistency mattered more than perfect timing.

For founders earlier in their journey, his advice is simple: “Build for where the market is going, not where the noise is today. Fundamentals catch up eventually.”

Why This Matters Now

As the market continues to gather pace,  the alignment between Josh’s view and the broader market is clear. Institutional finance isn’t stepping back from digital assets, it’s becoming more disciplined, more selective, and more willing to pay for proven execution.

This is why Axiom is working exclusively with Fordefi to scale its global sales and go-to market teams across leadership, enterprise sales, pre-sales, demand generation, and account management. 

Fordefi isn’t building for the next cycle. It’s building the infrastructure institutions will rely on for the next decade.

Check out Axiom’s dedicated hiring page for Fordefi’s Sales opportunities here.