Key Takeaways
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In an interview with CCN, Tether co-founder Reeve Collins revealed what he believes will be crypto’s next frontier.
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Collins predicts users will eventually interact with blockchain systems through AI agents.
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Collins says tokenized assets and clearer stablecoin regulation are laying the foundation for broader adoption.
Reeve Collins helped create Tether, the stablecoin that became a foundational piece of the crypto economy.
More than a decade later, the entrepreneur who helped usher digital dollars into the mainstream told CCN that crypto’s next transformation will be about rebuilding banking infrastructure itself.
The comments come as governments worldwide move closer to formal regulation of stablecoins, a shift Collins believes will help overhaul how people move and invest money globally.
From Stablecoins to “Programmable Banking”
Collins, who co-founded Tether in 2013, described his career as part of a larger technological evolution that began long before crypto itself.
Starting in online advertising during the early internet era, he said he watched technology gradually make industries more customizable and user-driven.
After helping launch Tether, Collins moved into NFTs and tokenized digital assets through ventures including Block V and SmartMedia.
His newest company, WeFi, focused on what he describes as decentralized on-chain banking infrastructure.
“We’ve tokenized the dollar, we’ve tokenized ownership of digital objects, and now we’re actually upgrading the rails themselves,” he said.
Adding: “WeFi is the financial infrastructure. It’s the bank of the future.”
Tether’s Reeve Collins: Why Blockchain Remains Essential
Reeve Collins told CCN that many core banking systems remain slow due to outdated technology stacks and fragmented regulations that vary by country.
“We do have the ability to move money globally instantly and for free,” Collins said.
“So why aren’t we doing it?”
According to Collins, blockchain’s biggest advantage is reducing the layers of intermediaries and operational overhead.
He said that efficiency will eventually be the factor that allows platforms to return more value directly to users.
“That’s really the promise of Web3, redistributing the value that’s put into the network to the users of that network,” he said.
Financial Inclusion
A major focus of Collins’ vision is financial access for underbanked populations.
He described a future in which users without traditional bank accounts could still receive salaries and send payments globally through smartphone applications.
“People have access to all the information in the world via the internet,” Collins said.
“Why don’t they have access to all the financial services in the world? Well, they do now.”
Collins pointed specifically to the remittance market, where migrant workers and low-income earners often pay high fees to transfer money internationally.
“There are very extractive layers to send money traditionally for the working class,” Collins said.
He said WeFi was designed to build the infrastructure layer that would allow financial institutions to integrate blockchain payments more seamlessly.
“We’re building the entire stack to make it very efficient, very user-friendly, and open them up to a wide variety of high-quality financial services,” Collins said.
Collins argued the technology could ultimately give merging markets access to the same financial tools available in developed economies.
“We have the technology to reach everyone in the world with a smartphone in their pocket,” he said.
Regulation Moves
Collins acknowledged that regulation has historically slowed crypto innovation but said governments are increasingly shifting from resistance toward integration.
“In the beginning, they tried to kill it,” he said. “And now, since it’s provided so much utility, they’re leaning into it.”
He said recent legislative efforts around stablecoins and crypto market structure — including the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act — are helping create clearer pathways.
“Regulation always does add friction, and it’s not always a bad thing,” Collins said. “But it is taking a big step in the right direction.”
Collins argued that incumbent financial institutions have resisted some crypto developments due to concerns about competition.
“The incumbents were trying to protect their business, even though a new, better, more robust product offering is here,” he said.
Tokenization’s Next Phase
Collins said tokenization of traditional financial assets is already accelerating, pointing to tokenized treasuries as early examples.
“Right now, tons of treasuries and money market funds are tokenized,” he said.
“And those assets are going to be used as collateral for stablecoins and then more assets that will create new and novel investments.”
Collins argued that tokenization could fundamentally change who has access to investing by reducing minimum entry barriers.
“Most traditional assets will be tokenized in some form,” he said.
According to Collins, the long-term impact will be the democratization of financial products that have historically only been accessible to institutions or wealthy investors.
He said blockchain-based infrastructure would eventually allow users to “invest a dollar into something that’s really high quality” while opening access “to everyone in the world.”
“The internet plugged the whole world into global information,” Collins said. “But it missed one thing. It didn’t plug you into global business.”
“When you have all of the world’s knowledge at your fingertips and the ability to interact financially with anyone in the world at your fingertips, who knows what’s going to happen?”
However, Collins cautioned that widespread institutional adoption will take time, particularly given the pace of regulatory change.
“It will take a couple of years for the large institutions to transition fully,” he said.
He added that while crypto-native companies are moving quickly, traditional financial ecosystems remain constrained by compliance requirements and legacy systems.
“Everyone in the crypto space is working really diligently to make it happen,” Collins said.
AI as Crypto’s Interface
Reeve Collins believes AI will remove much of the complexity that has historically made crypto difficult for mainstream users.
“Soon you’ll just talk into your wallet and tell it how you want to transact, and it will execute it for you,” he said.
He predicted that AI agents will increasingly automate financial decision-making and route transactions through whichever systems provide users with the best returns.
“Your AI is gonna route it through that path,” Collins said.
According to Collins, evolution could eventually make the underlying financial brands themselves less important as automation handles much of the complexity on behalf of users.
“The brands disappear, and all that matters is the quality of the product,” he said.
Despite growing public concern around both AI, Collins feels optimistic.
“We’re trying to build technologies that AI can utilize to really deliver prosperity to everybody around the world,” he said.
“So I am optimistic for our future.”
Community Matters Most
As blockchain infrastructure becomes more standardized, Collins believes the most valuable asset in finance will be access to communities.
“The big space is distribution,” he said. “Where are the people aggregating?”
He suggested future financial services could become embedded within online communities, brands, or even sports teams.
“Do you love a soccer team and do you want all your financial transactions and everything you do to get you loyalty and rewards for that team?” he said.
In that future, Collins said, community relationships themselves could become the primary gateway into financial products.
“Community is going to matter the most in the future,” Collins said.
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