‘Real recognize real’ says Ledger exec on surprise sports deal

‘Real recognize real’ says Ledger exec on surprise sports deal originally appeared on TheStreet.

Ian Rogers, chief experience officer at Ledger, unpacked the company’s decision to back the San Antonio Spurs with a multi-year jersey-patch sponsorship. “Real recognize real,” Rogers said in an interview with TheStreet Roundtable, invoking his hip-hop roots to explain the choice.

Rogers emphasized that Ledger and the Spurs share core values of hard work, integrity and a global outlook. “The Spurs are a unique ball club — their ethics match ours,” he said.

He pointed to the franchise’s international legacy, from Tony Parker’s Hall of Fame career to Victor Wembanyama’s rising star power, as a mirror to Ledger’s own footprint.

“We ship our product into 200 countries every month,” Rogers noted — an advantage over region-locked FinTech firms constrained by local regulation.

By aligning with an NBA team that transcends U.S. markets, Rogers believes Ledger can better communicate its mission of financial empowerment.

“In America, we want to talk to people about financial freedom and the next phase of owning their financial journey,” he said.

As stablecoins and crypto assets become embedded across websites, Rogers warned of heightened fraud risks. “You might have significant value in stored-value accounts and stablecoins across many sites on the internet soon,” he said.

That proliferation of dispersed balances, he argued, underscores the importance of hardware wallets and two-factor authentication. Whether as a second factor for services like Coinbase and Robinhood or as a standalone vault, Ledger’s tools protect users from phishing and hacks.

New offerings in crypto payments

Beyond sports marketing, Rogers highlighted recent Ledger initiatives. The company rolled out its Recovery Key feature this spring and launched the CL credit card in the U.S., enabling users to spend crypto anywhere credit cards are accepted and earn Bitcoin as cash-back rewards.

“We’re always building new hardware, integrating blockchains and adding services,” Rogers said. He described Ledger’s guiding principle as delivering “the most secure hardware with the best user experience — no compromise on security or self-custody.”

Rogers concluded by reaffirming the partnership’s dual purpose: to work hard and play hard, while educating a new generation of trendsetters.

“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in my career,” he said. “We’re here to push the envelope on financial empowerment.”

‘Real recognize real’ says Ledger exec on surprise sports deal first appeared on TheStreet on Jul 3, 2025

This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.