Connor Dougherty: Open credit is transforming capital markets, the need for modernization in credit underwriting is critical, and stablecoin-backed credit cards offer unique operational efficiencies | On The Brink

Open credit is set to revolutionize private credit markets by enhancing transparency and borrower-lender collaboration.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team Apr. 10, 2026

Key takeaways

• Open credit is anticipated to transform capital markets by enhancing borrower-lender participation.
• Digital infrastructure is crucial for expanding the open credit market and enabling efficient direct lending.
• Credit underwriting processes have remained largely unchanged for two decades, highlighting a need for modernization.
• Greater transparency in private credit markets could boost investor confidence.
• The reliance on manual processes in credit underwriting creates trust issues.
• Stablecoin-backed credit card businesses benefit from efficient daily settlements.
• Digital financing supports high-velocity, fully collateralized transactions that traditional systems cannot handle.
• There is a significant opportunity to bridge the gap between crypto-native companies and institutional credit partners.
• Demand for real yield in the crypto space is at an all-time high.
• Technology is expected to drive a significant evolution in capital markets, leading to a more inclusive marketplace.
• Credit markets are set to experience a seismic shift due to technological advancements.
• The coordination between borrowers and lenders is becoming easier, thanks to digital tools.

Guest intro

Connor Dougherty is Co-Founder and CEO of Valinor Digital. He previously worked in credit investing at Blackstone. At Valinor, he is pioneering Open Credit, a blockchain-enabled upgrade to private credit markets.

The rise of open credit

• We think we’re on the preface of this new era which we refer to internally as open credit and it’s a big deal because it’s a big market shift… the coordination between borrowers and lenders has never been easier.

  — Connor Dougherty

• Open credit is expected to significantly transform capital markets.
• Digital infrastructure is key to the expansion of the open credit market.

• Digital infrastructure is gonna propel this entire change in capital markets where you’re gonna have fundamentally more participation… we can direct lend to borrowers easier than we ever could.

  — Connor Dougherty

• The evolution of credit markets is closely tied to digital infrastructure advancements.
• Open credit increases participation between borrowers and lenders.
• The shift towards open credit represents a major market change.
• Digital tools are reshaping traditional lending practices.

The outdated state of credit underwriting

• I think the core processes are pretty much the same and they’re definitely not reflective of the internet era.

  — Connor Dougherty

• Credit underwriting processes have not evolved significantly in the past twenty years.
• There is a critical need for modernization in credit underwriting.
• The reliance on manual processes creates inherent trust issues.

• As a result of that there’s just a lot of inherent trust that exists in the process… you’re trusting that the borrower is gonna do what they say.

  — Connor Dougherty

• Greater transparency could enhance investor confidence in private credit.

• I think that would be the one thing I point to is could probably be better… a lot of folks look at the marks of these bdcs and they don’t have a ton of confidence in them because they don’t know what backed them up.

  — Connor Dougherty

• Trust dynamics are a significant challenge in credit underwriting.

The efficiency of stablecoin-backed credit cards

• Stablecoin-backed credit card businesses can efficiently manage their financing through daily settlements.

• The financing comes into play because they need to settle with visa before they liquidate the stablecoins to pay themselves back… they liquidate their customer stablecoins to repay themselves daily.

  — Connor Dougherty

• Daily settlements highlight the operational efficiency of stablecoin-backed credit cards.
• Understanding stablecoin transactions is crucial for credit card operations.
• The efficiency of stablecoin-backed credit cards is a unique operational model.
• Stablecoin-backed credit cards offer a streamlined financing method.
• The mechanics of stablecoin transactions are integral to credit card business models.
• Daily settlements provide a financial advantage for stablecoin-backed credit cards.

The advantages of digital age financing

• Digital age financing allows for high-velocity, fully collateralized transactions.
• Traditional systems cannot support the speed of digital financing.

• We are doing a fully collateralized basically flow financing and why this is super interesting and is only possible in the digital age is because it’s a 100% stable coin enabled it’s a 100% programmatic and that’s the only way you could do the financing you couldn’t do it the manual way it’s too quick and it turns over too fast.

  — Connor Dougherty

• Stablecoins enable operational efficiencies in digital financing.
• The limitations of traditional financing systems are evident.
• Digital financing mechanisms offer unique advantages over traditional methods.
• The digital age supports innovative financing solutions.
• Fully collateralized transactions are a hallmark of digital financing.

Bridging the gap between crypto and institutional credit

• There is a significant opportunity for bridging the gap between crypto-native companies and institutional credit partners.

• There’s so many companies that are growing like a rane cards that are just not getting met on the supply side as they should… we’re gonna be working with rain to help them bridge that gap.

  — Connor Dougherty

• The current landscape of crypto financing presents challenges for growing companies.
• Accessing institutional credit is a hurdle for many crypto-native companies.
• Bridging the gap represents a clear market opportunity.
• Innovation is needed at the intersection of crypto and traditional finance.
• Institutional credit partners can benefit from engaging with crypto-native companies.
• The gap between crypto and traditional finance is a significant market challenge.

The demand for real yield in crypto

• The demand for attractive real yield in the crypto space is at an all-time high.

• I’ll be frank with the amount of inbound interest that we’re getting for the type of credit that we’re originating and to help partner with infrastructure in this space has never been higher.

  — Connor Dougherty

• Institutional interest in crypto lending is growing.
• On-chain lending trends reflect a shift in market dynamics.
• The crypto space is experiencing unprecedented demand for real yield.
• Institutional investors are increasingly interested in crypto credit.
• The demand for real yield highlights the evolving nature of crypto markets.
• Real yield opportunities in crypto are attracting significant interest.

The impact of technology on capital markets

• The capital markets are going to evolve significantly due to technology.

• There’s gonna be this seismic shift where technology at a high level is a great equalizer… technology is going to create a much bigger marketplace especially in my domain which is kind of lever lending type of world.

  — Connor Dougherty

• Technology is a great equalizer in capital markets.
• The future of capital markets is closely tied to technological advancements.
• A more inclusive marketplace is anticipated due to technology.
• The role of technology in capital markets is crucial for stakeholders.
• Lever lending is expected to benefit from technological shifts.
• The evolution of capital markets is driven by technological innovation.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.