In this episode of Beyond the Code, Yitzy sits down with Aaron Payas — partner at Hassans International Law Firm in Gibraltar, CFA charterholder, and former international footballer. From the early days of Gibraltar’s DLT licensing regime to holding a Bored Ape and co-leading one of the first fully SEC-approved token offerings, Aaron brings a unique blend of legal precision, mathematical logic, and personal passion to everything he touches.

Together, Yitzy and Aaron explore:

• Aaron’s path from math grad to fund lawyer to crypto specialist;

• The rise (and recalibration) of Gibraltar as a blockchain jurisdiction;

• Behind-the-scenes of INX — the first SEC-registered security token offering;

• Why Aaron went deep into NFTs and still proudly displays his Bored Ape;

• The maturing of the tokenization ecosystem — and why it hasn’t scaled yet;

• Honest takes on MiCA, regulatory arbitrage, and how startups should choose jurisdictions;

• How football, legal practice, and crypto law can all be driven by the same thing: passion.

And yes — Spurs fandom makes a guest appearance too.

Follow Aaron on LinkedIn and X (@AaronPayas) for more.

In this episode of Beyond the Code, I’m joined once again by Justin Wales, Head of Legal for the Americas at Crypto.com and author of the Crypto Legal Handbook — now in its newly released second edition.

Justin and I dive into:

• The real-world impact of the SEC's changing posture on crypto enforcement;

• Why version 2 of the Crypto Legal Handbook is more than just a light update — and how it was rewritten to reflect today’s evolving landscape;

• Crypto.com’s legal journey through Wells notices, proactive litigation, and ultimately a no-action letter;

• How the shift in administration is restoring confidence and innovation to the U.S. crypto ecosystem;

• The tension between traditional finance and crypto-native companies;

• Big Law, legal rankings, and why the current system of legal prestige is broken;

• And a candid take on what excites Justin about the future — including AI x crypto, real product innovation, and global regulatory convergence.

We also plug some amazing legal tools like Justin’s AI-powered GPT search tool for the Crypto Legal Handbook and Crystal, the AI platform purpose-built for crypto lawyers.

Whether you’re in-house, in practice, or just trying to understand the regulatory momentum in crypto today, this episode is essential listening.

🎧 Listen now.
📚 Grab the Crypto Legal Handbook v2 on Amazon.
📰 Subscribe to Justin’s newsletter at https://thecryptolegalhandbook.com/.
💬 Follow Justin on LinkedIn for his no-BS takes on crypto law and legal culture.

In this episode of Beyond the Code, I sit down with the brilliant and trailblazing Joni Pirovich — a lawyer, entrepreneur, and the mind behind Crystal, an AI-powered legal tool tailored for the crypto industry.

We trace Joni’s remarkable journey: from growing up on a mango farm in Australia to becoming one of the most forward-thinking crypto lawyers in the space. She shares how her passion for tax reform led her into international law, and eventually into crypto — long before it was cool.

Along the way, we talk about:

🔹 The origin story of bdas'l (pronounced "bedazzle"), her crypto-focused law firm;

🔹 What it was like advocating for blockchain-based tax reform at the OECD;

🔹 The evolution of crypto legal services and why “full stack” lawyering is essential;

🔹 The creation of Crystal — an AI tool trained on global crypto regulation and designed to support lawyers and compliance professionals;

🔹 What makes Crystal different from ChatGPT (hint: it's smarter at crypto);

🔹 Building for privacy, scalability, and the future of agentic compliance;

🔹 Visions of a future with Crystal Companion, an always-on co-pilot for DeFi and legal workflows;

Plus, we dive into the challenges of building in AI, the overlap with legal ethics, and what makes crypto still worth believing in.

Whether you're a lawyer, builder, or investor in the crypto space — this one’s packed with insight.

🎧 Explore Crystal: 💡 https://www.cryptococounsel.com

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👤 Follow Joni on LinkedIn: Joni Pirovich⁠