Jakob Kronbichler
Jakob Kronbichler is an entrepreneur and executive in the Web3 industry, primarily known as the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Clearpool, a decentralized credit marketplace. He also co-founded and serves as CEO of Ozean, a blockchain focused on Real-World Asset (RWA) yield.[1][2] In addition, he is the co-founder of Nara, a technology and consulting venture launched in 2026, and a partner at CP Labs, an investment and venture studio focused on Web3 and digital asset projects.[8]
Career
Jakob Kronbichler is the CEO and co-founder of Clearpool, a decentralized credit marketplace for stablecoins, a position he has held since July 2021.[8] Since 2022, Clearpool has originated over $900 million in stablecoin credit to institutional borrowers such as Jane Street and Wintermute, and has expanded into Payment Financing (PayFi) for fintech companies through products including PayFi Vaults and cpUSD, a yield-bearing stablecoin backed by receivables-based PayFi credit and liquid yield-bearing stablecoins.[8][9][10] Clearpool also expanded to the Arbitrum network in July 2024, originating $18 million in loans at launch and receiving an ecosystem grant from the Arbitrum Foundation.[11]
Separate from his Clearpool and Ozean responsibilities, Kronbichler is the co-founder of Nara, a technology and consulting venture established in 2026, and a partner at CP Labs, an investment and venture studio focused on Web3 and digital asset projects.[8]
Prior to Clearpool, Kronbichler held leadership roles in fintech and technology companies across Asia. He was Head of Commercial at Aspire (2020–2021), a Southeast Asian business neobank, and Chief Growth Officer at Eatigo Group (2017–2019), overseeing expansion across eight APAC countries. He also led the launch of foodpanda’s corporate platform (2015–2016) and served as Sub-Regional Managing Director for Kaymu under Rocket Internet (2014–2015).
Earlier in his career, Kronbichler gained financial sector experience as a Research Analyst at Fontainburg Capital in Shanghai (2012) and completed a credit internship at Deutsche Bank in Milan (2010).[3][4][8]
Clearpool and Ozean
In June 2021, Kronbichler co-founded Clearpool, a decentralized capital markets ecosystem, alongside Robert Alcorn. The introduction was made by Alessio Quaglini, the CEO of digital asset custodian Hex Trust, who also became a co-founder and senior advisor to the project. Initially serving as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Kronbichler later transitioned to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).[3][2]
Under Kronbichler's leadership, Clearpool has originated over $900 million in total stablecoin credit, serving institutional borrowers in the digital asset and trading sectors.[8] The project is backed by several venture capital firms, including Sequoia, Arrington Capital, Sino Global Capital, and HashKey Capital.[4][5]
Building on the infrastructure of Clearpool, Kronbichler also led the launch of Ozean, a blockchain specifically designed for Real-World Asset (RWA) yield. Ozean is supported by Optimism and aims to provide a dedicated environment for the tokenization and trading of off-chain assets within the DeFi ecosystem.[4][1]
Public Appearances
Kronbichler is a speaker at industry conferences, where he discusses topics related to institutional DeFi, credit protocols, and real-world assets. He was scheduled to speak at Consensus Hong Kong in February 2025 on a panel titled "Spotlight on Hong Kong."[4]
In a 2025 appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box Asia, he discussed developments in digital assets, stating that while Bitcoin will remain important, stablecoins could replace parts of the traditional financial stack, though tokenization is unlikely to transform the entire financial system.[6]
