Recently, PolyFlow held its first AMA event in 2025, inviting industry experts Bitget CEO Gracy, Scroll co-founder Sandy and Geoswift founder and PolyFlow co-founder Raymond. The discussion revolved around the transformative role of payment finance (PayFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) in modernizing global finance, connecting traditional systems and addressing regulatory challenges.
From real-world applications to emerging opportunities, guests shared practical insights on how to leverage these technologies to build a more efficient and connected financial ecosystem.
What is PayFi and why is it important?
PayFi is a major step forward in combining the benefits of blockchain with the accessibility of the traditional financial system. It offers faster transactions, lower costs, and a level of transparency that is difficult to match with existing infrastructure. The true value of PayFi lies in its ability to integrate into the payment habits of everyday users while leveraging the potential of blockchain technology.
Gracy emphasized Bitget’s important role in driving the adoption of PayFi. She pointed out that its card solution combines the convenience of traditional payment systems with the advantages of cryptocurrency settlement. In Gracy’s view, this fusion is not only a technical improvement, but also an effort to create a seamless experience for users, allowing them to intuitively feel the value of cryptocurrency in real-world scenarios.
Sandy pointed out from another perspective how PayFi can unlock new efficiencies in industries such as trade finance. She mentioned that companies can use blockchain for liquidity management and hedging, while reducing the costs and delays of traditional cross-border payments. In Sandy's view, PayFi can combine decentralized technology with traditional systems to bring blockchain closer to mainstream applications.
Raymond analyzed how PayFi solves the inherent inefficiencies in the traditional banking system from a more macro perspective. The traditional system usually requires multiple intermediaries to process transactions, resulting in delays and increased costs. PayFi eliminates these bottlenecks through direct and transparent fund flows.
PayFi and DeFi’s role in financial empowerment
PayFi and DeFi are disrupting traditional finance. By removing intermediaries, DeFi provides users with direct access to financial instruments such as lending, trading, etc. This is not only a disruption, but also an invitation for more people to participate in a financial system that prioritizes accessibility and user control.
Raymond shared how cryptocurrencies solve inefficiencies that are difficult to solve in traditional systems. By supporting peer-to-peer transactions, PayFi simplifies the flow of funds and reduces costs. He mentioned PolyFlow's Payment Liquid Pool (PLP), showing how PayFi provides scalable solutions to global financial challenges.
Gracy talked about how DeFi empowers users to control their own assets. Without the need to rely on centralized intermediaries, users have greater autonomy. However, she also pointed out that challenges such as smart contract vulnerabilities, user errors, and the learning curve faced by newcomers are still obstacles to widespread adoption.
Sandy explored the risks in DeFi smart contracts in more depth and proposed strategies on how to minimize such risks. She mentioned that innovations such as Tempest, an AI-driven tool launched by the Scroll platform, can automatically calibrate risk levels and optimize investments, thereby reducing the manual operations required by traditional DeFi. These innovations are crucial to lowering the technical threshold for users and achieving universal access to DeFi.
The regulatory balance
Compliance is an inevitable part of the financial sector, and the blockchain industry is no exception. The panelists discussed how to maintain the core principles of decentralization and innovation while meeting regulatory requirements.
Gracy stressed that regulators are particularly concerned about tracking the source and use of funds in transactions. She pointed out that Bitget builds trust and ensures that the platform can operate smoothly in a regulated environment by complying with anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) requirements.
Raymond provided an additional perspective, describing how compliance is often a learning process for regulators themselves. He shared how PolyFlow uses tools such as Payment ID (PID) to address regulatory issues without compromising user privacy. PID allows merchants and regulators to verify necessary transaction details (such as whether a user is eligible for a specific operation) without disclosing unnecessary personal data.
Panelists agreed that a clear regulatory framework is critical to blockchain innovation. Although compliance can sometimes appear restrictive, Gracy and Raymond stressed the importance of building trust through active engagement with regulators. By providing transparency and ensuring security, projects like Bitget and PolyFlow are working to bridge the gap between innovation and compliance.
Looking Ahead: Driving Adoption and Building Connectivity
At the end of the AMA, the panelists turned their focus to practical steps to bring PayFi and DeFi to a wider audience. They emphasized that in addition to technical and regulatory barriers, user engagement and strategic marketing are equally important in promoting adoption.
Sandy answered audience questions about marketing strategies, noting that education is the cornerstone of effective marketing. She stressed that in order for PayFi and DeFi to succeed, users must understand the value these technologies bring in their daily lives. Whether through referral programs or content tailored to specific user groups, she believes that simplifying complex concepts is key. Sandy also mentioned that incentives such as cashback programs or AI tools for risk management play an important role in encouraging users to explore blockchain solutions.
Gracy shared Bitget’s insights on navigating this evolving space. She stressed that marketing is not just about creating visibility, but also about launching products that align with user needs. Gracy also stressed the importance of partnerships with payment networks and local merchants to expand PayFi’s reach and ensure that users can easily adopt and trust these new technologies.
Raymond concluded by reviewing the importance of collaboration and long-term planning. He mentioned that PolyFlow's strategy is to build tools like Payment ID (PID) that can both meet current market needs and lay the foundation for a more integrated financial ecosystem. He emphasized that blockchain projects need to remain adaptable and balance innovation, usability and compliance as the industry develops.
The guests agreed that the future of PayFi and DeFi depends on connecting with users, building trust, and providing meaningful value. By focusing on collaboration, education, and user-centered design, they believe that blockchain will become a transformative force that redefines global finance.
Summarize
PayFi and DeFi hold transformative potential in building a more efficient, inclusive and transparent financial ecosystem. While challenges such as compliance and technical risks remain, panelists demonstrated how these barriers can be overcome through collaboration, innovation and education. As blockchain matures, its ability to redefine global finance and democratize access to financial tools will continue to grow.
For PolyFlow, the mission is clear: to build solutions that connect traditional systems with blockchain and make every transaction worthwhile. Under the leadership of industry leaders such as Gracy, Sandy, and Raymond, the future of finance is not only digital, but also collaborative, inclusive, and unstoppable.
