Agora is the new frontier of payments: from cryptocurrencies to businesses

Now, the startup led by entrepreneur Nick van Eck is rewriting its strategic roadmap. After consolidating its position in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, the company is now looking toward an even more promising market: the use of stablecoins for corporate payments, B2B transactions, and international money transfers.

Growth in the DeFi segment remains robust – the total value locked (TVL) on Agora’s platform increased by 60% last month thanks to new launches – but this is just the beginning. The company’s real bet lies in its ability to capture the traditional business market, a sector where native cryptocurrencies have not yet achieved widespread adoption.

From DeFi to corporate payments: Agora’s strategy

Van Eck outlined a clear vision during a recent interview: Agora aims to become the primary partner for managing corporate payrolls, payment flows between companies, and cross-border transactions. “We are dedicating significant resources to these real-world problems that actual businesses need to address,” he explained.

However, the expert recognizes that the path will not be quick. Traditional companies will gradually adopt stablecoins, but they must first overcome three major hurdles: insufficient infrastructure, lack of clear regulatory frameworks, and widespread knowledge gaps. “If the level of stablecoin awareness in the crypto world is at one hundred,” van Eck stated, “then in the rest of the economy, it is only five.”

Agora issues AUSD, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, and also offers stablecoin-as-a-service for projects wishing to launch branded tokens. However, van Eck advises against this approach for most users. “It only makes sense within a closed ecosystem,” he clarified. “Otherwise, it’s better to use a well-established stablecoin.”

Corporate stablecoins: where is the value

The greatest opportunity, according to van Eck, lies in transforming traditional cross-border payment systems. Currently, these mechanisms require pre-financing and involve significant transactional costs that erode corporate margins. “If a company saves 1% on revenue through more efficient payments, this could translate into a 5% gain on EBITDA,” he calculated.

The ideal candidates for early adoption? Multinational corporations with extensive global supplier networks, where efficiency in money transfers directly impacts profitability.

Agora represents this vision through a platform that companies can use without worrying about the underlying blockchain technology. “Businesses don’t want cryptocurrencies,” van Eck reiterated. “They’re looking for something that works like a bank account but better in terms of speed and costs.”

Blockchain consolidation: what role for Agora

The competitive landscape is becoming increasingly clear. Van Eck predicts that blockchain networks controlled by large companies – such as Circle’s Arc, Coinbase’s Base, and Stripe’s Tempo – will gradually attract activity flows from traditional open-source networks. “We will see consolidation around a small number of blockchains,” he forecasted, “as large corporations bring capital, technological firepower, and distribution channels.”

In this market reorganization context, Agora’s ambition is to become one of the top five stablecoin issuers worldwide. To achieve this goal, the company aims to develop tools that businesses understand and want to use – intuitive interfaces that hide blockchain complexity behind a familiar and improved banking experience.

Van Eck will participate in the upcoming Consensus Hong Kong to further present this vision to the industry. With the corporate stablecoin market still in its infancy, Agora is positioning itself to capitalize on one of the most significant transitions in the digital payments sector.