Peter Kozyakov, Co-Founder and CEO of Mercuryo, discusses the upcoming Big Time Summit in Limassol, Cyprus, and the event’s significance for the crypto industry exclusively in Future Media.
Kozyakov’s journey into crypto began as a practical solution to a payment issue, leading him to explore Bitcoin. Inspired by the growing demand for cryptocurrency access, they launched Mercuryo to bridge the fiat-crypto gap and streamline digital payments. Today, Mercuryo works with top platforms like Ledger, MetaMask, and Mastercard, offering a secure, accessible infrastructure for cryptocurrency payments worldwide.
Kozyakov views his role at Mercuryo as uniquely positioned at the crossroads of traditional and emerging digital payments. The company addresses regulatory and security concerns globally, collaborating with bodies like CryptoUK to build a balanced regulatory framework. Mercuryo’s mission is to simplify crypto payments for businesses worldwide, making crypto integration easier and safer.
The Big Time Summit reflects Mercuryo’s commitment to fostering dialogue and innovation within the crypto community. Held in Cyprus, the event emphasizes the country’s growing tech and crypto hub role, offering industry leaders a space to explore emerging trends.
This year’s agenda will cover key topics such as AI in crypto, asset tokenization, the rise of bitcoin ETFs, and current regulatory challenges. Mercuryo aims to strengthen the local crypto ecosystem by bringing this event to Cyprus and elevating Cyprus’s standing in the global blockchain landscape.
Looking ahead, Mercuryo plans to expand into Asia, Latin America, and Africa, with new on-ramp services and wallet integrations. As the digital asset industry grows, Mercuryo’s global presence continues to reinforce its mission: making crypto accessible and practical for businesses around the world.
Let’s dive deep into our conversation.
Peter, could you tell us more about your background and how you transitioned into the crypto industry and built Mercuryo?
My first encounter with cryptocurrencies happened out of necessity. I was trying to send payment for advertising services from Asia to the United States, but I struggled to find an efficient solution.
That’s when I decided to give Bitcoin a shot. To my surprise, the transfer went smoothly, and the experience turned out to be quite fortuitous. Fast forward to 2017, as the crypto boom was in full swing, my co-founders Greg, Alexander, and I started getting inundated with questions about how to buy crypto and whether we could provide a solution.
Given our expertise in online payments, we saw a unique opportunity to step in. We rolled up our sleeves and built a service designed to make obtaining access to crypto as easy as possible. This wasn’t just about offering a new payment method; it was about bridging the gap between the fiat and crypto worlds. That realization laid the foundation for what Mercuryo is today.
What excites you most about your role as CEO at Mercuryo?
As a leading payment gateway provider, Mercuryo’s business model is at the intersection between traditional payments, Web2, and the emerging Web3 universe. There is much to be excited about!
We are partnering with leading pillars in the space such as Ledger, MetaMask, and Trust Wallet while also collaborating with global giants from the traditional payments world such as Mastercard. Mercuryo is a trailblazer as we enter a new era in digital payments.
Mercuryo aims to integrate crypto and fiat solutions globally. Could you elaborate on how Mercuryo’s ecosystem is making crypto payments more accessible to businesses worldwide?
Mercuryo is making cryptocurrency payments more accessible to businesses across the globe, providing a safe and seamless infrastructure over which payments can be executed.
With crypto’s growing role in business payments, how does Mercuryo address regulatory and security concerns that businesses may face in different regions?
Mercuryo works proactively with regulators across the globe to help ensure that we achieve the balanced and progressive regulatory framework that the space needs. For example, in the UK we joined CryptoUK, a body representing the digital asset space that is in dialogue with a variety of key stakeholders to help ensure the UK achieves a harmonious regulatory framework, enabling our industry to grow and flourish.
Can you share the vision behind Mercuryo’s establishment of the Big Time Summit, and what drove the decision to host it in Cyprus?
Mercuryo has meaningful partnerships with an array of leading participants in the digital token industry. The Big Time Summit provides a forum for discussion and the sharing of ideas among thought leaders and innovators in our space.
Our vision is to drive innovation and propel our space forward. In this regard, the Big Time Summit, the sharing of ideas, and IRL experiences play an important role.
Why did Mercuryo choose Cyprus as the location for this high-profile event?
Cyprus provides an authentic Mediterranean experience and is the perfect place to mix business with pleasure. The country is also home to a burgeoning tech startup scene.
What do you see as the potential impact of this summit on Cyprus’s local crypto and blockchain scene?
As a nascent space, the blockchain industry is witnessing new hubs grow across the globe that are far away from traditional financial centres. The Big Time Summit will also showcase Cyprus as a place of innovation in blockchain technology and, I feel, bolster the status of the country as an emerging startup hub.
What are some of the key topics and trends that the summit will explore?
The Big Time Summit will explore the latest developments in our space, including Artificial Intelligence and crypto, the tokenisation of real-world assets, and this year’s launch of a flurry of bitcoin ETFs. While we are of course not advocates of any financial speculation, this year’s memecoin frenzy is a hot topic in crypto that can’t be ignored.
The Big Time Summit will also explore the current state of regulation of the space along with the latest innovations that we’re seeing from some of the best-performing startups.
How does Mercuryo envision the future of the crypto landscape in Cyprus, and what part will it play in that development?
We see a bright future for the cryptocurrency landscape in Cyprus! As a major payment infrastructure platform in the digital token space, Mercuryo will undoubtedly play an important part in the development of the country’s blockchain ecosystem.
What’s next for Mercuryo?
The digital asset space is of course an industry that has tentacles everywhere and our focus is global!
We see great opportunities for expansion in Asia, building on this year’s launch of on-ramp services in Indonesia. Latin America and Africa also present many opportunities. Meanwhile, we will be launching Spend across a host of leading non-custodial wallets. Watch this space!
