PHILIP MATOV: WELCOME TO THE BRAVE CRYPTO WORLD

Blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies are no longer a novelty. They often make the news – sometimes for their astonishing market performance, and sometimes for their spectacular price drops. However, when we zoom out from day-to-day fluctuations and focus on the bigger trends, we quickly realize that blockchain and crypto are not just here to stay – they are the future of markets, economies, and ultimately, our lives.

Investing early in a promising technology is one of the best ways to secure your future. But how? Belayer helps you do just that. Founded in 2017, Bulgaria's first crypto asset management service is the ideal solution for enthusiastic yet smart investors looking to venture into this new market. The company was founded by a man with the vision to recognize crypto as humanity's next great leap forward – and the talent to turn his insight into a successful business that benefits all stakeholders.

Philip Matov holds MA degrees in Financial Markets from Université Paris-Dauphine and Applied Mathematics from City University of Hong Kong. He has also served as director of visionary companies such as ConsenSys.

When and how you, personally, realised that blockchain technology is not a fad but a factor that is going to change the world?

Back in 2015, I was working at BNP Paribas Group in Japan and regularly attending banking and insurance conferences. Most of them felt lifeless, with uninspiring talks, little innovation, and almost no real energy in the room. At a time when I was actively searching for purpose and fresh ideas, these events left me wanting more.

By chance, I met one of the most active members of the Japanese crypto community and organizer of the first major crypto conference in Tokyo, to which Joe Lubin, known as one of the founders of Ethereum, was invited. He spoke of an "Internet of Value" where assets move as freely as information. The hall was buzzing with young builders whose optimism was contagious, and in that moment I understood that blockchain was not a passing trend but a foundational layer for more transparent, efficient and inclusive markets in finance, commerce, digital identity and far beyond. From that day on, I have been fully committed to the field.

Belayer has been in the business with crypto assets since 2017. How did the market change in this time? How did the company evolve?

Since 2017 Belayer has navigated through several boom-and-bust cycles without ever losing sight of its long-term vision. That consistency has protected both our team and our clients, allowing us to deliver uncompromising service quality through solid custody, disciplined risk management, and institutional-calibre investment decisions. The newly adopted MiCA framework in Bulgaria only widens our runway for growth. Regulation has never been an obstacle for us. It has simply been a timeline. By investing early in compliant infrastructure, institutional-grade custody and independent audits, we were already ahead of the curve the moment licensing requirements took effect. That discipline continues to earn us our clients' trust.

What should everyone who wants to invest in crypto today know and be aware of?

Crypto offers extraordinary upside, but its risks are equally distinctive. The first pitfall is mistaking technological promise for investable quality; only a small fraction of projects create lasting value. Operational hazards are just as real – private-key management, smart-contract exploits and relentless phishing campaigns can wipe out gains overnight. On top of that, the market trades non-stop and narratives pivot quickly, demanding far more time and discipline than most retail investors expect. Thorough due diligence, conservative position sizing and risk management are key to protect capital in digital assets.

Why should we then choose crypto over more conservative investments, such as gold or government bonds?

By 2025 digital assets have become a recognised asset class, and the harder case is to justify zero exposure rather than a small allocation. Their market capitalisation is still a fraction of gold's, yet they provide diversification, 24/7 liquidity and direct participation in the rails of the digital economy. Beyond price appreciation, blockchains enable use cases that traditional stores of value cannot: instant settlement, tokenised real-world assets, programmable money for AI agents and Web3 gaming economies. Even a modest stake grants investors access to technologies reshaping payments, finance, and online ownership, opportunities that bonds or bullion simply do not offer.

Which are the cryptocurrencies to look at in 2025? Which have the most potential?

The strongest candidates are the tokens that supply the rails for real-world blockchain applications. Over the past few months we have watched stablecoins explode in market capitalisation and daily use. Once the U.S. Stablecoin Act is finalised, their adoption will be a matter of "when," not "if," and every Internet user will be able to pay with them through mainstream channels – Shopify checkouts, Stripe integrations, banking dashboards and fintech wallets.

Ethereum secures more than 55 percent of today's stablecoin volume, with another 15 percent hosted on chains that ultimately settle back to Ethereum, making it a natural beneficiary. The same is true for tokenised real-world assets: BlackRock has already launched a US$3 billion money-market fund on Ethereum, and in late June Robinhood rolled out 24/7 on-chain trading in tokenised equities for its European clients, including private-company shares such as OpenAI and SpaceX. Beyond traditional finance and DeFi, blockchain use cases are expanding into AI, gaming, prediction markets and digital identity.

www.belayer.bg