During the panel “Reshaping Brazil's Crypto Capital Markets,” held at Web Summit Rio 2025, representatives from companies in the sector discussed the strategic directions of crypto platforms. According to the participants, the sector is at a crossroads between advancing integration with the traditional financial system (TradFi) or accelerating the adoption of decentralized solutions, such as those proposed by DeFi. The conversation was moderated by Christian Bohn, an executive at Circle, and brought together prominent figures such as Ibiaçu Caetano, CFO of Bitybank, Juliana Felippe, CRO of Transfero Group, and Adriano Ferreira, head of MB Labs digital assets.
According to Ibiaçu Caetano, the current moment demands more than just technological innovation. He believes exchanges face a central strategic decision regarding their long-term positioning. "Exchanges today have the strategic challenge of understanding whether they will steer their businesses towards a more TradFi model, offering products more similar to the traditional financial market, or whether they will advance towards more decentralized product models," he states. The choice, he says, should prioritize user experience.
Caetano also explains how Bitybank has structured itself to offer integrated solutions to the public. “We have partners today who handle the entire logistics process for sending funds abroad via stablecoins. This happens in seconds, without bureaucracy and with traceability,” he said. He added that the company connects liquidity between exchanges, resulting in more competitive prices. “We connect liquidity between exchanges, which is why we can offer the best prices for crypto investments.”
According to Juliana Felippe, the adoption of stablecoins has been one of the main gateways to the everyday use of crypto assets. "Linking these assets to traditional fiat currencies facilitates public understanding and simplifies the use of these instruments in retail." The instant nature of stablecoins, she says, represents an advantage over traditional money, which is often limited in digital transactions.
The executive also cites as an example the real-world use of stablecoins in retail chains, such as the Zona Sul supermarket in Rio de Janeiro. In her view, familiarity with this type of solution tends to grow as more companies adopt crypto payments. Felippe believes that consumers are already receptive to new forms of payment, provided they are secure, easy to use, and offer clear advantages in their daily financial lives.
The panelists pointed out that crypto platforms are ceasing to be merely trading tools and are consolidating themselves as complete financial hubs. In this new model, products such as foreign exchange, payments, custody, and investments operate in an integrated manner. Interoperability between services allows users to move more fluidly and autonomously, without depending on multiple institutions or fragmented interfaces.
According to experts, the next step is to eliminate the technical barriers that still keep the general public away. More intuitive and accessible interfaces are seen as a priority to expand the sector's reach. The goal is for users not to need to understand blockchain or technical concepts to benefit from crypto solutions. Usability, therefore, becomes a key point in the popularization of these technologies.
According to Ibiaçu Caetano, the future of the sector will be defined by whoever manages to translate complexity into simplicity. “The logic now is to structure the sector as a complete, decentralized, and interoperable financial system. An environment that offers control, transparency, and speed without requiring technical knowledge from the user,” he concluded. For him, large-scale adoption in Brazil depends on trust, efficiency, and a total focus on user experience.
