{"id":"john-delaney","title":"John Delaney","content":"**John Delaney** is the co-founder and CEO of [Crown](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv), a São Paulo-based company focused on creating regulated, programmable money solutions for emerging markets [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-nHnk3w48MVETLf8P) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-0wcF68KfZvA4Eutz). As an American expatriate living in Brazil, he has a background in both traditional finance and [decentralized finance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) (DeFi), having worked on early enterprise [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) projects at Nasdaq and held leadership roles at crypto protocols [Raydium](https://iq.wiki/wiki/raydium) and [IDEX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/idex) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL). He is primarily known for launching BRLV, a yield-bearing [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) pegged to the Brazilian Real [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-FsHEMohyXBe5WY0m).\n\n## Education\n\nJohn Delaney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Delaware, attending from 2004 to 2008. He later pursued postgraduate studies at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, where he obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) between 2012 and 2014 [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL). He is also a New York-qualified lawyer [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-0wcF68KfZvA4Eutz).\n\n## Career\n\nDelaney began his career as a lawyer and relocated to Brazil around 2011, where he became an early participant in the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) sector [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-0wcF68KfZvA4Eutz). He transitioned into the financial technology industry, joining Nasdaq from July 2014 to September 2017. During his time at Nasdaq, he worked as a Product Manager and was involved in the development of Linq, the company's initial enterprise [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) offering [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL).\n\nFollowing his tenure at Nasdaq, Delaney moved more deeply into the crypto industry. He joined the [decentralized exchange](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-exchange) [IDEX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/idex) in September 2017, serving as the Director of Business Development for three and a half years. In February 2021, he took on the role of Head of Business Development at [Raydium](https://iq.wiki/wiki/raydium), an [automated market maker](https://iq.wiki/wiki/automated-market-maker) (AMM) built on the [Solana](https://iq.wiki/wiki/solana) [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain), where he worked for three years until January 2024. In January 2024, Delaney co-founded Crown to address what he identified as a significant market opportunity for [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) in Brazil's high-yield financial environment [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-0wcF68KfZvA4Eutz).\n\n## Crown\n\nIn January 2024, Delaney co-founded the São Paulo-based fintech company [Crown](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv), where he serves as CEO [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL) [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-nHnk3w48MVETLf8P). He founded the company with Brazilian natives Raphael Mota and Vinicius Correa, who previously worked at the Brazilian neobank Nubank. The company's mission is to bridge traditional finance with the digital asset space by creating a regulated and transparent gateway for global capital to access Brazil's high-yield markets [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-0wcF68KfZvA4Eutz) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL).\n\nCrown operates as a payment institution in Brazil through a partnership with a local licensed entity, ensuring its operations comply with Brazilian Central Bank regulations [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL). In a 2025 interview, Delaney expressed Crown's long-term vision, stating a goal to have one trillion reais in [BRLV](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv) circulation within ten years [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-0wcF68KfZvA4Eutz).\n\n### BRLV Stablecoin\n\nCrown's flagship product is [BRLV](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv), a [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) pegged 1:1 to the Brazilian Real (BRL) that was launched in late 2025 [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-nHnk3w48MVETLf8P). The primary feature of BRLV is its yield-bearing design. Unlike traditional stablecoins with reserves held in non-interest-earning accounts, BRLV is fully backed by short-term Brazilian government bonds known as Tesouro Selic notes [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-FsHEMohyXBe5WY0m).\n\nThis structure allows the yield generated from the bonds, which is tied to Brazil's benchmark Selic interest rate, to be passed on to the [BRLV](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv) token holders. The product was created to offer both Brazilians a stable savings alternative and a regulated product for international institutional investors, hedge funds, and fintechs to gain exposure to the yield of the Brazilian market [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-FsHEMohyXBe5WY0m). To ensure transparency, the company stated that its reserves would be attested to by a major global accounting firm [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL).\n\n### Funding\n\nIn late 2025, [Crown](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv) announced it had raised a total of 8.1 million seed round and a subsequent 13.5 million round was led by the venture capital firm [Paradigm](https://iq.wiki/wiki/paradigm) and marked the firm's first institutional investment in Brazil [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-zHc77JkqWyx7Cacp) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-0wcF68KfZvA4Eutz).\n\nOther notable investors that participated in Crown's funding rounds include Founders Fund, Greenoaks, Valor Capital Group, [Framework Ventures](https://iq.wiki/wiki/framework-ventures), [Coinbase](https://iq.wiki/wiki/coinbase) Ventures, and [Paxos](https://iq.wiki/wiki/paxos) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-FsHEMohyXBe5WY0m).\n\n## Notable Quotes\n\n* On the structure and safety of [BRLV](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv): \"We structured BRLV to be both safer and fairer.\" [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-nHnk3w48MVETLf8P)\n* On the business model for the [BRLV](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv) stablecoin: \"This is not a traditional [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) where the reserves are sitting in a bank account earning zero... The reserves are actually being put to work in the safest asset in the country, which are government bonds.\" [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL)\n* On the company's dual mission: “We’re providing a regulated, transparent and secure product that helps millions of Brazilians protect their wealth while also opening up new rails for global investors to access Brazil’s high-yield markets.” [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL)\n\n## Interviews\n\n### **Crown and the Brazilian Stablecoin Market #01**\n\nAn interview with John Delaney was published on December 18, 2025, on the Brazil Crypto Report podcast hosted by Aaron Stanley. During the conversation, Delaney discussed the development of Crown, the design of its Brazilian real–denominated [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) [BRLV](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv), and the broader context of stablecoins within Brazil’s financial system.\n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=FNWALzs7RHg)\n\nDelaney described [BRLV](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv) as a [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) denominated in Brazilian reais and issued by Crown. According to his explanation, the project was developed in response to structural characteristics of Brazil’s financial system, including the size of the country’s money supply, the limited use of foreign currencies in domestic financial activity, and the presence of relatively high domestic interest rates.\n\nIn the interview, Delaney stated that [BRLV](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv) reserves are composed of Brazilian government debt instruments. These reserves are held through a legal structure designed to separate the reserve assets from the issuing company. According to Delaney, the arrangement was intended to allow holders to maintain a legal claim on the underlying collateral if the issuer were to become insolvent.\n\nDelaney also described the [stablecoin’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) reserve model as incorporating a mechanism through which interest generated by the reserve assets may be distributed to token holders. He explained that the design reflects the structure of Brazil’s interest-rate environment, where government debt instruments generate interest tied to benchmark rates.\n\nThe discussion also addressed [Crown’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crown-brlv) initial focus on institutional users. Delaney indicated that potential participants include asset managers, family offices, and international investors seeking exposure to Brazilian interest-rate instruments. He stated that the project’s early strategy concentrates on institutional financial flows rather than retail adoption.\n\nIn addition, Delaney discussed the possible role of [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) in financial infrastructure associated with tokenized assets. According to his description, stablecoins could function as a settlement asset in systems involving tokenized financial instruments and digital payment infrastructure.\n\nDuring the interview, Delaney also presented an estimate regarding the potential scale of [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) within Brazil’s monetary system. He stated that, if financial infrastructure continues to migrate to [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain)-based systems, stablecoins could represent a portion of Brazil’s M2 money supply over time. As part of this scenario, he referenced an estimate of approximately one trillion Brazilian reais in stablecoins circulating within a ten-year period. [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-6EhjZYYpZWCnpCyH) ","summary":"John Delaney is co-founder/CEO of Crown, a fintech firm tokenizing Brazilian financial assets, with prior experience in business development at DeFi protocols Raydium and IDEX and on Nasdaq's blockchain offering.","images":[{"id":"QmXfLHgYLtzbuv45oHdWDhXdTXukswRn9UCtD6YoTM3FGG","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"people"}],"tags":[{"id":"Founders"},{"id":"PeopleInDeFi"},{"id":"Stablecoins"}],"media":[{"id":"QmUDGK6GWU84GdtWX9ne7PKZU9wXB5tcw4QioDbvgSukF7","name":"1750765774476.jpeg","caption":"","thumbnail":"QmUDGK6GWU84GdtWX9ne7PKZU9wXB5tcw4QioDbvgSukF7","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmbkpJVH6RXbCi7yV6aJ2tapBk5o6gv3RRWMe4dT2NmmNh","name":"lhWtlEVU_400x400.jpg","caption":"","thumbnail":"QmbkpJVH6RXbCi7yV6aJ2tapBk5o6gv3RRWMe4dT2NmmNh","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNWALzs7RHg","name":"FNWALzs7RHg","caption":"","thumbnail":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNWALzs7RHg","source":"YOUTUBE"}],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"nHnk3w48MVETLf8P\",\"url\":\"https://blockworks.com/news/crown-brlv-brazilian-real-stablecoin\",\"description\":\"Blockworks profile on John Delaney and Crown\",\"timestamp\":1772728285225},{\"id\":\"0wcF68KfZvA4Eutz\",\"url\":\"https://ventureburn.com/crown-13-5m-funding/\",\"description\":\"Ventureburn report on Crown co-founder John Delaney\",\"timestamp\":1772728285225},{\"id\":\"hq2BnkBpJo1sRyiL\",\"url\":\"https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/33498113093234\",\"description\":\"Binance Square on John Delaney's career\",\"timestamp\":1772728285225},{\"id\":\"FsHEMohyXBe5WY0m\",\"url\":\"https://phemex.com/news/article/crown-launches-brlv-stablecoin-to-tap-brazils-highyield-market-27597\",\"description\":\"Phemex on the launch of the BRLV stablecoin\",\"timestamp\":1772728285225},{\"id\":\"zHc77JkqWyx7Cacp\",\"url\":\"https://www.theblock.co/post/381596/crypto-vc-paradigm-bets-13-5-million-on-stablecoin-startup-crown-in-first-brazil-investment\",\"description\":\"The Block on Paradigm's first investment in Brazil\",\"timestamp\":1772728285225},{\"id\":\"6EhjZYYpZWCnpCyH\",\"description\":\"Can Crown Become the Circle of Brazil? with John Delaney\\n\",\"timestamp\":1772729440770,\"url\":\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNWALzs7RHg\"}]"},{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://x.com/johnrichard"},{"id":"linkedin_profile","value":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/delaney/"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"\"https://ipfs.everipedia.org/ipfs/QmSpcD4YSi2HoYncmypYqe163ETB9GJRq9Cd3HrkU1fsJC\""},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"Removed page content for John Delaney\""},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmSpcD4YSi2HoYncmypYqe163ETB9GJRq9Cd3HrkU1fsJC"}],"events":[{"id":"55f609c2-113d-42ad-9724-588de7362f8e","date":"2014-05","title":"Graduated from Georgetown University","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"1f8948ca-bc8e-411d-a239-ec98d7c36f7f","date":"2021-02","title":"Became Head of Business Development at Raydium","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Joined the Solana-based automated market maker (AMM) Raydium as the Head of Business Development.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"e67c4a78-1782-4586-b73c-efe9fd5d89ae","date":"2024-01","title":"Co-founded Crown","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Co-founded Crown, a fintech company based in São Paulo, Brazil, to create BRLV, a stablecoin pegged to the Brazilian Real.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"0a74c13a-7519-4ed0-8ac2-47caf1331667","date":"2014-07","title":"Joined Nasdaq","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Began working as a Product Manager at Nasdaq, where he contributed to the development of its enterprise blockchain offering, Linq.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"45fa0a42-9e9e-4894-bd6b-7a81d9cee158","date":"2008-05","title":"Graduated from University of Delaware","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Finance and Economics from the University of Delaware.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"operator":{"id":"0xd5893989b9952c6568a99F854795AcC5Ae480D56"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":[],"founders":[],"speakers":[]},"recentActivity":"{\"items\":[{\"id\":\"d1d8e26c-58c7-48a9-95d5-b48eb61177f3\",\"title\":\"John Delaney\",\"description\":\"John Delaney is co-founder/CEO of Crown, a fintech firm tokenizing Brazilian financial assets, with prior experience in business development at DeFi protocols Raydium and IDEX and on Nasdaq's blockchain offering.\",\"timestamp\":\"2026-03-05T16:55:24.638Z\",\"category\":\"people\",\"status\":{\"icon\":\"RiGlobalLine\",\"label\":\"Wiki Updated\",\"iconClassName\":\"text-green-500\"},\"user\":{\"name\":\"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889\",\"address\":\"0xd5893989b9952c6568a99F854795AcC5Ae480D56\"},\"button\":{\"label\":\"View Summary\",\"icon\":\"RiFileTextLine\"},\"summarySections\":[{\"title\":\"Interviews\",\"subtitle\":\"Added 'Interviews' section detailing a podcast with John Delaney about Crown and the BRLV stablecoin.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":4,\"changes\":[\"Added summary of an interview with John Delaney on the Brazil Crypto Report podcast from December 18, 2025.\",\"Included details about the design of the BRLV stablecoin, its reserve composition of Brazilian government debt, and its interest-bearing mechanism.\",\"Mentioned Crown's initial focus on institutional users and the potential for stablecoins in tokenized asset systems.\",\"Added a quote regarding the potential for one trillion Brazilian reais in stablecoins circulating within ten years. [[6]](#cite-id-6EhjZYYpZWCnpCyH)\"]},{\"title\":\"Videos\",\"subtitle\":\"A new video was added to the wiki.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added YouTube video from the Brazil Crypto Report interview.\"]},{\"title\":\"References\",\"subtitle\":\"A new reference was added.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added reference: 'Can Crown Become the Circle of Brazil? with John Delaney' from YouTube.\"]}]}]}"}