By How does WeFi connect traditional finance and blockchain? What myths still hold back mainstream crypto adoption?
We spoke with Maksym Sakharov, a record-holding entrepreneur with more than ten years in finance and technology, and five years dedicated specifically to crypto.
Before co-founding WeFi in 2024, he launched Exflow, a licensed B2B and OTC exchange in Europe, and Whitemark, a blockchain-based real estate platform where he led product development, investor relations, and more.
Drawing on this experience, he shared his views on compliance, community, and the future of Web3 adoption.
Invezz: Many projects talk about merging Web2 and Web3, but few deliver. How is WeFi actually achieving this?
As you said, there’s a lot of empty talk around merging Web2 and Web3. Most projects either stay purely Web2 or go full crypto-native, and that leaves users stranded between worlds.
We took a route that shows a hybrid model, which gradually transitions users from familiar banking to full decentralization. And it has the best of both worlds.
When Tether co-founder Reeve Collins and I founded WeFi in 2024, we wanted to give people something familiar — Telegram onboarding, a web app, Visa cards, Apple Pay, even ATM withdrawals.
These are all well-known Web2-style experiences, but behind the scenes, every transaction runs on blockchain rails.
That way, we wanted to give real-world solutions to 1.4 billion adults who remain unbanked worldwide.
As users grow comfortable, they can move deeper into Web3 with DeFi tools like staking, liquidity pooling, and yield optimization — all unlocked step by step.
Invezz: What role does regulation play in your strategy — how do you balance compliance with the self-custodial model?
Regulation isn’t our enemy — it’s our competitive advantage. While others see compliance as a burden, we’ve built it into our core architecture from day one.
Our AI-powered verification actually enhances compliance beyond traditional banking standards.
We meet FATF guidelines, Bank Secrecy Act requirements, and FATF Travel Rule mandates while preserving user control.
The transparency of blockchain transactions provides better audit trails than legacy systems ever could. On top of that, it’s simple.
For us, it’s about working hand in hand with regulators. We want them to see that decentralised doesn’t mean lawless. Smart contracts take away counterparty risk and still make every transaction easy to track.
A good example is our Canadian money services business license. It shows we can work within existing rules while still pushing forward with new models.
This approach has gained traction with traditional institutions that initially looked at deobanks with scepticism.
Now we’re getting partnership requests, because people see we’ve figured out the regulatory side.
Invezz: You’ve been featured in outlets like Cointelegraph and NASDAQ. What misconceptions about crypto adoption do you most often try to correct in these conversations?
Thinking that using crypto means leaving behind everything people already know is misleading.
People think they need to become technical experts or give up traditional banking entirely. That’s simply not true anymore.
Another myth is that high volatility makes crypto unusable for daily transactions. That’s why we built our entire ecosystem around stablecoins — they provide blockchain benefits without price swings.
I’ve already talked about Argentina, where 60% of purchases are in dollar-pegged stablecoins because people need stability, not speculation.
If you ask me, real adoption happens when people solve actual problems, not chase price movements.
In Brazil, for example, 90% of crypto transactions use stablecoins for practical purposes like international purchases, inflation protection, and remittances.
The media often focuses on trading and overall financial speculation, but the real story is utility.
When a grandmother from Tokyo can send money to her granddaughter in Manila instantly for pennies instead of paying 8-12% fees, I see that as a genuine adoption.
Invezz: You’ve said the community is at the center — that users drive product improvements. Can you give an example of how user feedback directly shaped WeFi?
First of all, it might seem cliché, but I think every successful project must be built around the client’s needs.
For instance, we’ve started out thinking about a regular rewards program, but pretty quickly our community told us they wanted more control over their perks and fees — and we integrated this feedback.
Users wanted to earn rewards not just for transactions, but for contributing to the ecosystem — running nodes, providing liquidity, referring friends.
Flexibility is always in demand, so we give users lower fees, the chance to boost their mining returns, and access to premium features.
That’s why we developed Energy as our native reward currency. You can farm it through various activities, then deploy it as you want across our platform.
Someone might use Energy to reduce card transaction fees from 1.5% to nearly zero, while others boost their stablecoin yields from standard rates up to 18% APR.
The community also pushed us to make Energy transferable and stakeable and to create a micro-economy within our ecosystem.
This wasn’t in our original roadmap, but user feedback showed us they wanted true ownership of their rewards, not just points in a database.
Invezz: What do you mean by real mass adoption versus the “bubble” kind of adoption we often see in crypto?
Bubble adoption is driven by speculation — people buy because they expect prices to go up, not to solve real problems. Real adoption happens when crypto becomes the heart of infrastructure that improves people’s lives.
The data shows stablecoins now make up 35–50% of on-chain transactions, whereas Bitcoin and Ether used to be the main entry points. In emerging markets, we see genuine adoption patterns.
In Argentina, people turn to dollar-backed stablecoins to shield themselves from peso devaluation.
In the Philippines, they’re used for remittances to dodge high fees. In Brazil, it’s mostly for international purchases.
To me, these are smart, deliberate choices that have little to do with trading.
That said, real adoption equals real-world implementation. Our Telegram integration and simplified onboarding prove this works. When someone can send money globally in seconds without knowing what a private key is, that’s mass adoption.
The bubble creates noise, while real adoption creates lasting value.
Invezz: Looking ahead, what steps must the industry take to make it possible for, say, a grandmother in Tokyo or a small town to confidently use crypto in daily life?
First, we need to stop talking about crypto and start talking about better money. Grandmothers don’t care about blockchain — they care about sending money to grandchildren safely and cheaply.
The interface has to feel familiar, which is why WeFi offers virtual cards that connect with Apple Pay and Google Pay, along with physical cards for ATM withdrawals.
The underlying technology is revolutionary, but the user experience should feel evolutionary.
Education can’t be technical — it needs to be practical. Instead of explaining smart contracts, show how someone can earn 18% yield on their savings versus 0.1% at traditional banks.
Instead of discussing decentralization, demonstrate how they maintain control of their money.
Regulatory clarity is crucial. Governments need frameworks that protect consumers without stifling innovation.
Our proactive compliance approach shows this is possible — we’re operating legally while maintaining the benefits of decentralization.
Finally, the industry needs to focus on solving real problems, not creating new ones. If we can agree that crypto makes life genuinely easier, adoption should follow naturally.
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