Bitget COO: Payments, Tokenized Assets, and AI Will Drive 1B Crypto Users

The global crypto industry is entering a new phase of maturity, shaped by regulatory clarity, institutional adoption, and the rise of tokenized assets. During Token2049 Singapore, BeInCrypto sat down with Vugar Usi Zade, Bitget’s Chief Operating Officer. Vugar shared his perspective on crypto adoption, regulation, and Bitget’s ambitious plans to become “Next Stripe”.

In our discussion, he emphasized the importance of payments, accessibility, and innovation in driving mass adoption. From seamless transactions to tokenized real-world assets, Bitget is positioning itself as a Universal Exchange—Vugar’s vision: making on-chain living as natural as using the internet.

Crypto adoption often depends on clarity around regulation. From your perspective, what more needs to be done beyond favorable regulation to make crypto truly appealing to the masses?

People hate it when they feel like they are being strangled by regulation. We see money moving into the Middle East because of overregulation, and that is one of the most prominent lessons legislators should learn. Over-legislation is a significant burden. Legislation should motivate innovation and help builders to create new products, but too often it focuses on taxing rather than bringing new opportunities. The key to mass adoption is in day-to-day use cases such as buying coffee, commuting, or ordering food online. Crypto should not just be about trading; it should be integrated into real life. That is how we reach the masses and make living on-chain natural for everyone.

What concrete steps is Bitget taking to drive mass adoption and onboard new users?

We have grown tremendously, from 11 million to nearly 20 million users in the past three years. We aim to onboard the next billion, knowing they won’t all be traders. That’s why we focus on everyday payments, as mentioned previously. We also aim to become a universal exchange where users can buy, sell, invest, and trade tokenized assets, including commodities, stocks, and real-world assets. With Bitget Pay and partnerships with Mastercard, we have already enabled seamless crypto payments for over 100,000 merchants. Our vision is to make on-chain living as natural as online living.

User experience and accessibility remain major barriers in crypto. How is Bitget reducing complexity for newcomers while still serving advanced traders?

We clearly understand that not everyone wants to learn how blockchain works. Just as we don’t think about how Apple Pay or card processing works, users shouldn’t need to know the details of crypto. On Bitget, you can earn returns hourly instead of locking funds for 30 days, making it simple and flexible. Our copy trading platform helps new users by letting them follow experienced traders. At the same time, we offer futures and advanced products for seasoned investors. The goal is to remove friction so anyone can live on-chain without deep technical knowledge.

Bitget recently introduced innovative tools like the AI-powered “ Get Agent”. How do initiatives like this reflect your broader vision for combining data, AI, and trading?

User and behavioral research is a key area for us. Get Agent, our AI trading assistant, can read charts, analyze order books, and provide insights that humans may not process quickly enough. Usually, we publish around 500 depths of the order book, and a person can’t scan and act in time. The agent helps make faster, smarter trading decisions. By aggregating data and building services like Bitget Pay, we turn insights into products that improve how people trade and spend crypto.

In terms of global expansion, Bitget is pushing into compliance and payments. Can you share more about your licensing progress and the regions where you test remittances and card usage?

Bitget Pay and cards are currently being tested in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Brazil, some of the biggest markets. In Brazil, we even work with the government to promote digital payments. On compliance, we already hold 26 licenses and aim to reach around 100 by the end of the year. We work with more than 120 authorities globally on AML, KYC, and compliance. In many countries, legislation doesn’t yet exist, but we still cooperate with regulators to ensure every transaction is safe and secure for our users.

What major innovations and initiatives can we expect from Bitget as it evolves beyond a crypto exchange?

Our most significant initiative is becoming the Universal Exchange. We recently introduced US stock futures and see tremendous opportunities in Indian and European markets once they are tokenized. Beyond stocks, we are very excited about real estate. With RWAs and fractional ownership, young people can access assets that were once out of reach. In Dubai, it is already legal to own fractional assets, and by 2030, about 7% of Middle East real estate is expected to be tokenized. We want Bitget to be the platform where users diversify portfolios across crypto, stocks, and real-world assets.

Finally, how might rate cuts influence stablecoin adoption and usage, particularly as investors seek yield in on-chain money markets?

There are two or three aspects to consider. With excess cash in the ecosystem, we may see more flowing into Bitcoin, driving prices and yielding higher opportunities. Today, even retail users can earn around 18% APR with Bitget Wallet, which is far above banks. That shows how crypto competes directly with traditional finance. At Bitget, we see a massive opportunity in stable tokens, so our investment arm, Foresight Ventures, launched a $50 million fund to support projects in this space.