Looking toward the future, the evolution of business, finance and the internet appears to be undeniably interconnected — and the team at Chainlink Labs is at the forefront.
The prevalence of cryptocurrency, smart contracts and other blockchain-powered financial functions — both in newer markets and traditional financial institutions — has created a wealth of new opportunities in the Web3 space. Blockchain platforms promise a number of novel, futuristic technological features, like greater financial security, automation, efficiency and internet decentralization.
One of the pioneers helping to deliver on that promise is Chainlink Labs Global Head of Banking and Capital Markets Angie Walker. With a career focused on developing the future of business and the advancement of trading software, she saw opportunities to take the current market to the next level with the company’s Web3 and blockchain platform. Chainlink Labs has already enabled trillions of dollars in value for its users.
Today, Walker is working to help bridge the gap between traditional finance and the revolutionary power of blockchain, decentralized finance and smart contracts.
Built In spoke with Walker about her journey from the world of finance to Web3, the critical and transformative role of Chainlink Labs’ products in the modern marketplace and why other market professionals should consider making a similar transition to join the Chainlink Labs team.
Tell us about your professional journey. How did you move from traditional finance into Web3? What drew you to this new space?
I have spent many years driving strategic business development in capital markets and have been especially involved with trading software. I began to see the real opportunity for improved efficiency and introducing new asset types that is enabled by distributed ledger technology. It showcased the incredible potential to improve market structure.
What excites you most about your current role at Chainlink Labs? What is your vision for Chainlink’s impact on the financial industry?
I enjoy being at the intersection of technology and business change. Chainlink is uniquely positioned to enable data, workflow and automation across blockchain-based initiatives in the capital markets and Web3 spaces.
With the emergence of newly developed Web3 platforms, it is essential that liquidity can flow between established infrastructure and Web3 environments. Chainlink enables marketplaces to focus on building momentum by solving interoperability, data and privacy challenges. An “Internet of Contracts,” powered by Chainlink, will accelerate the transformation of our markets by seamlessly integrating data, liquidity and workflows across both blockchain and traditional systems.
What is Chainlink Labs’ ‘Internet of Contracts’?
With the rise of blockchain, Web3 and other decentralized online financial services, businesses have become more reliant on interconnected smart contracts. As these trends continue, Chainlink Labs and other companies have noted an “evolution” of the Internet as it moves closer to a “world underpinned by interoperable smart contracts” — i.e. the Internet of Contracts. Tools like Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol allow other assets to move more easily into this new ecosystem of smart contracts and blockchain security.
How would you describe the culture at Chainlink Labs?
We’ve developed a high-performance culture that fosters the creation of world-leading technologies and the widespread adoption of the Chainlink standards. We take ownership of our workstreams, focus on what matters most and provide clear feedback to our teammates. We believe blockchain technology will fundamentally alter how the world operates and are committed to driving its adoption.
“We believe blockchain technology will fundamentally alter how the world operates and are committed to driving its adoption.”
How has remote work impacted how you lead and collaborate with your teams?
Remote working has become the norm. Of course, as business development professionals, we travel a lot and see potential and existing clients in person much of the time. Remote work practices allow us to stay in touch with the entire team wherever we are. As a global organization, remote work practices are extremely valuable in allowing a diverse team to connect online and align on shared goals easily.
Why should traditional finance and capital market professionals be excited about joining Chainlink Labs? What advice would you give?
Chainlink doesn’t power a single market, asset class or business type. Chainlink’s standards are blockchain agnostic and provide a suite of products that underpin the entire world of on-chain finance.
For those interested, I recommend they look into the rich variety of pilot projects and collaborations across the industry today — like Project Guardian, run by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and others. Chainlink was heavily involved in these real-world collaborations and is the foundation from which future capital markets will take shape.
Why do you think Chainlink Labs is a good place for a capital markets professional to grow their career?
Chainlink works across industries and multiple technologies, offering opportunities to participate in projects in many areas. We also have an amazing team of multidisciplined, talented technologists, marketers and business developers.
