Macrina Kgil recalls a moment when she first encountered blockchain technology and “could not grasp whatever it was trying to do,” she tells us. Even with an engineering background, the concept felt distant and unclear. Yet that early confusion would later become a defining thread in her career.
Years later, when the opportunity arose to join Figure, Kgil recognized something different. The company had moved beyond theory—it was actively commercializing blockchain to reshape capital markets. That realization, she tells us, drew her in. What she saw was an intersection between consumer lending and blockchain innovation, two domains she had come to understand deeply through prior roles.
Read MoreAt Figure, that intersection takes form as a capital marketplace where loans can be originated and sold with greater speed and transparency. Traditional processes, she explains, required extensive validation and negotiation across multiple parties. By contrast, blockchain enables a standardized system where loan ownership is visible and singular—“you can only have one owner,” she tells us—reducing inefficiencies and risks like double pledging.
This progression—from uncertainty to conviction—mirrors Kgil’s broader strategic mindset. Rather than waiting for technologies to mature, she leans into complexity, learning from within. Her decision to engage with blockchain early reflects a willingness to navigate ambiguity in pursuit of long-term impact.
For Kgil, innovation is not simply about adopting new tools. It is about applying them in ways that improve outcomes—making financial systems faster, clearer, and ultimately more effective for those who depend on them.
Made Possible By
Market Context
CFOTL: Tell us about Figure. And let’s see—you joined them in 2024. … Tell us about this latest chapter. What is Figure about and how does it intersect the world of blockchain yet again?
Kgil: I was very excited when I got the call to interview as CFO of Figure because I realized it was one of the few companies that had truly commercialized blockchain technology. What we’re building is a different type of capital marketplace, where loans and assets—(including) tokenized versions—can be freely bought and sold across multiple parties. That simply wouldn’t be possible without blockchain.
Read MoreWhat drew me in was the intersection of two areas I’m passionate about: consumer lending and blockchain innovation. At Figure, we’re modernizing how capital markets operate by improving efficiency and transparency. Ultimately, that benefits the borrower—loans can close much faster because there’s a marketplace behind the scenes with insurance companies, private credit funds, and other buyers, all accessing transparent information.
Another key advantage is that blockchain eliminates issues like double pledging or unclear ownership. Because everything is recorded on a public blockchain, you can clearly see who owns a loan—there’s only one owner at a time. That removes the need for costly third-party validation and reduces the risk of fraud.
CFOTL: Well, could you help us tell us something about Figure here—its capital journey? What does that look like so far?
Kgil: Figure was founded in 2018 with the goal of creating a marketplace where loans could be originated and then sold to multiple types of buyers. Traditionally, that process was very manual—you’d approach firms like Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, or Fortress Investment Group individually, and each transaction required separate agreements, third-party validation, and lengthy back-and-forth.
What Figure has done is standardize that entire process. Everyone in our marketplace operates under the same agreement, and because loans are structured consistently and recorded on blockchain, they are easier to evaluate and trade. This creates a more efficient and equal marketplace where transactions can happen faster and with greater confidence.
In short, we’ve taken a fragmented, time-consuming process and turned it into a streamlined, transparent system powered by blockchain technology.
Figure | www.figure.com | Reno, NV