We interviewed Nick Denisenko, the CTO & Co-Founder at Brighty, a European digital finance platform that we reviewed recently.
Nick is a fintech leader with a background in finance, software development, and net banking. He was employee #20 at Revolut and worked as Lead Backend Engineer at the neobank, where he made contributions to its most profitable division, Revolut Business. Nick has over 10 years of experience in applied mathematics, business process management, and app development. Nick is an expert in building and deploying crypto finance products across Europe, stablecoins, crypto remittance, regulation, and neobanking infrastructure.
Looking at all the digital assets out there, what is the most unexpected trend you see really growing in 2025?
It’s not about big banks or huge institutional money moves. The biggest surprise is how regular people are using crypto remittances—it’s a small, human-scale adoption that is really taking off.
This is less about high-frequency trading and more about the fundamental way digital nomads and the global, remote workforce are moving money. They are leveraging crypto to seamlessly transfer funds to and from their home countries. We’re seeing near-zero commission transfers that bypass the compliance bottlenecks and sky-high fees often associated with traditional cross-border fiat transfers. It’s unlocking true mobility.
Since we’re talking about remittances, how are people actually using the crypto for these transfers? Are they keeping it, or is it just a fast way to move money?
It’s overwhelmingly a transport layer. The typical behavior is a “swift conversion”—people rarely hold the crypto asset after the transfer is complete; they convert it immediately to local fiat currency.
We are seeing clear geographic trends in how crypto is used: People with EU passports often take out cash in the EU, then send it out as crypto. The opposite happens for many others, who send crypto into the EU and change it into Euros there. Also, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is becoming the top region for receiving crypto payments that are then changed into local money.
What is the real reason companies are using crypto payroll? Is it just to save money, or are there other big advantages that help them compete?
It goes far beyond mere cost cutting. The primary driver is access to global talent. Companies that hire internationally must be able to pay their employees and contractors swiftly and reliably. In many emerging markets, stablecoins—digital dollars, essentially—are perceived as more stable and trustworthy than the local national currency. Offering to pay people in stablecoins quickly went from being new and unusual to being a real advantage when hiring globally.
How does this actually change the group of available workers and the way the worldwide workforce is structured?
It makes the workforce truly global and borderless. Historically, businesses defaulted to local hires, minimizing cultural and logistical friction, but this was incredibly expensive. Hiring remote, international employees was complex, prone to high commissions, and subject to account freezes or rigid, unforgiving regulations. For example, it’s still often difficult for an individual in a specific country to simply open a bank account in USD.
It decouples the hiring decision from geographic location and the associated payment complexity. Companies can now afford to work with the absolute best fit for the role, who may well be cheaper and more suitable than a local candidate. Border-crossing crypto fintech is forcing the traditional economy to adapt, ensuring that location no longer dictates a competitive edge in the pursuit of talent.
People often claim they can cut cross-border payment costs by 70% to 90%. What are the real savings you are actually seeing, and what are the hidden costs that companies don’t usually talk about?
Those high figures are certainly achievable in the most notoriously expensive payment corridors. However, in most real-world scenarios, once you factor in spreads, compliance checks, and the essential operational overhead, we’re observing genuine savings closer to the 30% to 60% range.
The hidden costs are not in the transfer but in the setup and legal side. Companies have costs for adding digital wallets directly into their existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. They also need to pay for managing the required Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks, plus handling complex tax reporting across different countries.
The savings are absolutely real and significant, but it requires a dedicated effort—it is not a free ride.
Moving to the recipient side: What feedback are you getting directly from workers regarding this shift? Are there significant regional differences in adoption?
The choice to use crypto is very practical and directly linked to the local economy. In countries with high inflation, workers often ask for stablecoin pay. This lets them hold the value of the US dollar without their local currency losing value. Many freelancers in Latin America and parts of Africa specifically prefer stablecoins like USDC or USDT instead of regular bank transfers. However, in places like Brazil, which already have very good instant domestic bank payment systems, crypto payroll is used mostly for money earned from other countries, not for payments inside the country.
Looking ahead 12 to 18 months, what are the key regulatory developments that will most profoundly shape the future of crypto payroll and global work?
We are focused on three main regulatory areas right now. First is Europe’s MiCA Rules (Markets in Crypto-Assets). This is very important because it gives companies one of the first clear, full sets of rules in the world. This clarity is exactly what big companies need to feel safe and confident enough to operate using crypto.
Second, we are closely watching the U.S. Stablecoin Regime. Any real effort by the U.S. to create a national framework for stablecoins will be a turning point. This clear guidance is essential for large, more careful American companies who are thinking about using crypto for mass payroll and global business.
Finally, we look at Policy Swings in Emerging Markets. In these regions, rules can change very quickly, sometimes overnight. Even with this uncertainty, these markets are often where the most people are using and adopting crypto quickly and urgently, so we have to watch their policy moves closely.
Looking at how fast people are adopting crypto and the systems being built, when do you think crypto payroll will be as normal and routine as regular direct deposit? What must happen for us to reach that moment?
For freelancers and contractors, I’d argue we’ve already reached that point. Platforms have made stablecoin payouts a standard, seamless option.
For large companies to use crypto for full-time payroll, I think the real breakthrough moment will happen later this decade. To reach this tipping point, three main things must come together at the same time.
First, we need Regulatory Certainty. This means getting the clear rules from frameworks like Europe’s MiCA and the U.S. stablecoin clarity that we have talked about. These rules will give big companies the confidence they need to switch over.
Second, we must have Seamless Fiat Off-Ramps. This means creating simple, cheap ways for an employee to quickly change their crypto into their local currency in any country they are in. And third, payroll software companies must build Native Software Support to handle digital assets easily, so that a company’s financial officer can use crypto payroll as simply as checking a box.
The last question: as a part of a broader crypto economy, is this crypto remittance system linked to the price swings of Bitcoin, and what is your prediction for Bitcoin’s price in 2026?
Stablecoins bring input into the capitalization of the cryptocurrency market, which influences the price of Bitcoin. If the turnover of stablecoins continues to grow at the same rate as it did in 2025, then I assume that in 2026 Bitcoin could double in value.
Source:: Interview with Nick Denisenko, CTO & Co-Founder at Brighty