Turning RWAfi Into Real Payments the World Actually Uses with WeFi
In Brief
Michael Batuev sees crypto going mainstream when people stop noticing they’re using it, and in this chat he explains why RWAfi is booming and how WeFi plans to make everyday crypto effortless.
What stands out immediately in Michael Batuev’s perspective is his simple prediction: crypto will go mainstream the moment people stop noticing they’re using it. In this conversation, the former Visa Innovations leader — now Global Head of Payments at WeFi — breaks down why RWAfi is surging in 2025. Additionally, what’s still holding back everyday crypto payments, and how WeFi aims to turn tokenized assets into something people can actually spend, send, and use without thinking about blockchains at all.
RWAfi has become one of the hottest narratives of 2025. What’s driving this momentum?
High interest rates made real yield attractive, pushing capital toward tokenized treasuries, credit and money-market products.
Institutions finally moved on-chain — asset managers, banks and fintechs started issuing and settling real-world assets directly via blockchain.
DeFi requires higher-quality collateral, provides stability, transparency and lower liquidation risk.
Regulatory clarity improved, especially in the EU and APAC, creating legally compliant frameworks for tokenized assets.
Cross-border payments and treasury operations went on-chain
What do you see as the biggest barrier between crypto and everyday payments today — regulation, technology, or mindset?
The biggest barrier between crypto and everyday payments isn’t just one factor — it’s the intersection of all three: regulation, technology and mindset.
Regulation is the biggest blocker, technology is catching up quickly, and mindset will shift once the first two are solved.
How can crypto payments move beyond speculation and actually create tangible financial inclusion?
Crypto payments can drive real financial inclusion when they stop being investment products and start solving practical problems. The shift happens in three ways:
- Removing barriers to basic financial services;
- Enabling low-cost cross-border money movement;
- Building new rails for small business and digital workers.
Crypto payments create inclusion not by replacing banks, but by giving people and businesses access to global money movement that’s faster, cheaper and independent of local financial limits.
Many RWAfi projects focus on yield — but how can this space also improve utility in payments?
RWAfi can turn payments from a passive transfer into a dynamic financial layer — with stable value, real liquidity and embedded credit — making global money movement faster, cheaper and more useful than today’s banking rails.
WeFi can play a key role in bringing RWAfi utility into everyday payments by combining tokenized real-world assets with a full payments stack — cards, IBAN accounts, stablecoin rails and global on/off-ramp infrastructure. By giving users access to stable, yield-generating assets on-chain while enabling them to spend, send and settle funds instantly across borders, WeFi turns RWA-backed value into a practical payment tool. This bridges the gap between traditional finance and crypto, making real yield, liquidity and credit usable for merchants, freelancers and consumers in their daily financial lives.
Many projects talk about bridging TradFi and DeFi. What does that bridge actually look like in practice?
It looks like tokenized deposits and treasuries that settle 24/7, on/off-ramp infrastructure integrated directly into wallets, compliant KYC/KYT layers, and payment products — like cards and IBANs — that let users spend or receive on-chain value in the real world. We believe that DeFi’s speed and programmability are usable within the legal and operational frameworks of traditional finance.
In your view, what’s the missing piece that would make stablecoin or tokenized payments mainstream in Europe or APAC?
The missing piece is a fully compliant, consumer-grade on/off-ramp integrated directly into everyday payment tools. Europe and APAC don’t need new stablecoins — they need a regulated way for users and businesses to move between bank accounts, cards and tokenized value without friction. Today the rails are fragmented: KYC is duplicated, issuers block crypto relate, and settlement depends on legacy banking hours. Once a unified, licensed layer exists that makes stablecoin balances spendable through cards, IBANs or local payment schemes — just as easily as euros or yen — stablecoin and tokenized payments will move from niche to mainstream.
How do you see regulatory frameworks evolving to support real-world crypto payments without killing innovation?
For everyday crypto users in Europe and Asia, the biggest change is that the rules have finally become clearer and more user-friendly. In Europe, the new MiCA framework now sets one unified standard for all crypto services, making licensed exchanges and stablecoins safer and more trustworthy. In Asia, countries like Japan and South Korea introduced clearer laws separating payments, stablecoins and investment tokens, which means fewer surprises from banks and more reliable access to on/off-ramps. Overall, crypto has become more regulated, less risky, and much easier to use in day-to-day life.
How will real-world payments evolve once RWAs, stablecoins, and CBDCs all coexist?
Stablecoins will power day-to-day consumer spending, CBDCs will handle regulated settlement between banks and governments, and RWA tokens will provide the liquidity, yield and credit that sit underneath those payment flows. Instead of today’s fragmented systems, money will move on interoperable rails where value can be held, transferred, financed or settled instantly — across borders, currencies and platforms. In practice, this means faster payments, lower costs, built-in credit, and a financial system.
Do you think we’re moving toward a multi-asset world where users don’t even realize they’re transacting on-chain?
Yes — we’re absolutely moving toward a multi-asset world where users won’t even notice what rail their payment is using. And this is exactly what we’re building at WeFi. The future of payments is abstraction: our platform lets users hold stablecoins or tokenized assets, but pay, transfer or cash-out as simply as using a normal card or account. Behind the scenes, WeFi automatically handles on-chain settlement, FX, liquidity and compliance, choosing the fastest and most efficient rail — whether it’s stablecoins, RWAs or traditional fiat. When the rails disappear from the user experience and the complexity is handled by the platform, that’s when crypto payments truly become mainstream — and that’s the gap WeFi is closing.
Finally, what does “real-world crypto adoption” look like to you — and what will it take to get there?
Real-world crypto adoption means people using digital assets without thinking about blockchains at all — getting paid, sending money, spending with a card, or settling cross-border instantly, simply because it’s faster and cheaper than the old system. To get there, we need three things:
- clear regulation so banks and issuers feel safe;
- consumer-grade payment rails that abstract away the complexity;
- real utility like stable value, on/off-ramps and embedded credit.
Once that foundation is in place, crypto stops being an investment niche and becomes invisible infrastructure. And this is exactly where WeFi with our DeoBank concept is focused — turning on-chain value into everyday payments that feel as simple as using your normal card or bank account.
Disclaimer
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About The Author
Victoria is a writer on a variety of technology topics including Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her extensive experience allows her to write insightful articles for the wider audience.
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Victoria is a writer on a variety of technology topics including Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her extensive experience allows her to write insightful articles for the wider audience.
