Disrupting the $139B Credit Industry: Devon Shigaki Rewires Trust with Blockchain
TAMPA BAY, Fla., June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Credit systems are reaching a breaking point. According to a recent report by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft complaints have surged over 1.1 million—a 9.5% increase from last year—costing Americans an estimated $12.7 billion. (1,2) To make matters worse, 44% of surveyed Americans discovered errors in their credit reports, leading to financial setbacks and unjust consequences. (3)
This week on Disruption Interruption, host Karla Jo Helms (KJ) welcomes Devin Shigaki, founder of FreshCredit, to shed light on a groundbreaking solution to these systemic issues. "Trust in centralized credit systems is broken—they control our opportunities," Shigaki explains. "By leveraging blockchain technology, we can rebuild trust and create a more equitable financial future for millions."
Cracks in the Traditional Credit System The current centralized model of credit reporting has long been plagued by inefficiencies, inaccuracies, and biases. These systems have not only undermined trust but also excluded billions from economic participation.
"Credit isn't just about money; it's about dignity, mobility, and connection," Shigaki argues. Yet, credit bureaus charge consumers and lenders for data riddled with errors, often manipulating profit models that benefit from breach incidents without addressing their root causes.
Additionally, the rise in identity theft highlights the vulnerabilities of these outdated systems. Shigaki's own experience with identity theft, which consumed 18 months of his life, fueled his mission to overhaul credit reporting globally.
"We pay for home insurance, car insurance, even pet insurance," Shigaki notes, "but what about protecting the one thing that dictates all of those rates? Our credit data."
FreshCredit: A Future Built on Trust, Inclusion, and Innovation FreshCredit uses blockchain's immutable ledger to pioneer a hybrid credit reporting system. Instead of depending on centralized repositories vulnerable to breaches, it empowers individuals to manage their own encrypted credit data through a secure smartphone app.
"Our app allows users to securely store verify and share their credit reports directly, eliminating middlemen," explains Shigaki. "By democratizing access, we're not just modernizing credit—we're restoring trust, dignity and inclusion."
His solution also shifts the industry's profit model: offering unlimited free credit reports and only charging after a transaction occurs—unlike current systems built on recurring, report-based fees.
With the credit reporting industry valued at $139 billion, and acting as a chokepoint in a $19 trillion global economy, the stakes are massive. "Fixing it," Shigaki notes, "can unlock real economic mobility—and meaningful change."
Links Disrupting the Broken Credit System: Blockchain, AI, and Verified Trust, with Devon Shigaki https://omny.fm/shows/disruption-interruption/disrupting-the-broken-credit-system-blockchain-ai-and-verified-trust-with-devon-shigaki
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devonshigaki Company LinkedIn: https://freshcredit.com
Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption. Disruption Interruption can be listened to in Apple's App Store and Spotify.
About Disruption InterruptionTM Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo "KJ" Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world's key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at http://www.disruption-interruption.com.
About Devon Shigaki Devon Shigaki is the founder of FreshCredit®, a financial technology company reshaping how trust is built, measured, and scaled in digital systems. With a background at the intersection of computational neuroscience, behavioral economics, and emerging technologies, Devon is pioneering solutions that give individuals ownership of their credit and identity—challenging centralized models that have historically excluded millions from economic opportunity. At the core of his work is the DOCAS framework, a neuroscience-based model that maps trust behaviors to brain chemistry—specifically dopamine, oxytocin, cortisol, adrenaline, and serotonin. This model helps explain why trust fails in both human relationships and digital infrastructures, and how systems can be rebuilt to restore it. Devon applies these insights to technologies like AI, blockchain, and verified identity tools to create transparent, decentralized platforms that prioritize people over institutions. Through FreshCredit® and The FreshCredit Org, Devon is leading the charge to disrupt legacy credit reporting systems and design a future where financial dignity is not just accessible—but standard. Whether engineering new infrastructure or mentoring others on trust-centered design, Devon's work aims to transform trust from a buzzword into a measurable, actionable force for equity.
About Karla Jo Helms Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.
References 1. Luthi, Ben. "U.S. Fraud and Identity Theft Losses Topped $12.7 Billion in 2024." Experian.com, Experian, 30 May 2025, experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/identity-theft-statistics/. 2. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission. "New FTC Data Show a Big Jump in Reported Losses to Fraud to $12.5 Billion in 2024." Federal Trade Commission, 10 Mar. 2025, ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/03/new-ftc-data-show-big-jump-reported-losses-fraud-125-billion-2024. 3. Reynolds, Ryan. "Almost Half of Participants in Credit Checkup Study Find Errors on Credit Reports; More than a Quarter Find Serious Mistakes - CR Advocacy." CR Advocacy, 30 Apr. 2024, advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/almost-half-of-participants-in-credit-checkup-study-find-errors-on-credit-reports-more-than-a-quarter-find-serious-mistakes/.
Media Inquiries: Karla Jo Helms JOTO PR™ 727-777-4629
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Karla Jo Helms, JOTO PR™, 727-777-4629, khelms@jotopr.com, jotopr.com
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