Show notes
Arthur Firstov, Chief Business Officer at Mercuryo, joined Alex Richardson at Paris Blockchain Week 2026 to challenge the dominant DeFi narrative.The future isn't DeFi platforms beating banks — it's DeFi primitives living as backend infrastructure inside Revolut, neobanks, and traditional banks with polished UX and millions of users. Plus crypto cards as the consumer gateway, the 2026 fintech-pivot M&A wave, and Mercuryo's Mastercard crypto credentials product.We cover:- DeFi's actual adoption path: white-label inside banks- Crypto cards as the mainstream stablecoin gateway- The fintech-pivot driving crypto M&A in 2026- Mercuryo + Mastercard's crypto credentials product- What MiCA actually changed for an early-stage compliant firm👇 Chapters:00:11 - Welcome and Introduction of Arthur Firstov01:01 - Overview of Mercurio01:29 - The Role of Stablecoins03:06 - Stablecoin Payments in Consumer Platforms05:12 - The Future of Crypto Cards06:25 - Peer-to-Peer Payments and Agents09:26 - Changes in DeFi and UX11:41 - Impact of Micah Regulation15:34 - Expansion to the US and Regulatory Challenges18:05 - Trends in Payments and FinTech23:21 - Future Trends in FinTech and AIDrop your take in the comments — are banks winning, or just adapting?📢 Follow for more crypto insights, interviews, and updates.
