Panelists at SBC Malta discussed how tokenised assets, regulated stablecoins and evolving payment infrastructure are shifting crypto from a speculative asset into a functional layer of financial services.
Picture collecting digital coins in a video game and immediately cashing them into your bank account. No intermediaries, no delays but instant value.
That seamless future of finance was at the centre of discussion at SBC Malta on June 12, where crypto insiders debated whether the technology’s moment had finally arrived, or whether poor communication, regulation and user friction were still holding it back.
The panel featured Sabine Roiss, CEO of Crypto-Play; Wesley Ellul, CCO of Quizando; Joseph Borg, Partner at WH Partners; and moderator Mark Grech, CEO of Pyaza.
Roiss reminded the audience that “nobody has ever lost money when holding it going more than four years”. That hopeful mantra now spans tokenised assets, stablecoins and emerging AI-driven systems, and it anchored a panel discussion on crypto’s evolving role in payments and finance.
Roiss and Borg engaged on how tokenisation – turning tangible assets into tradable digital tokens – could reshape global finance. Roiss highlighted that tokenisation unlocks liquidity, enables fractional ownership and provides global access, especially for private real estate and structured products.
Research from Deloitte supports this view. Tokenised private real estate is projected to reach US $1 trillion by 2035, while tokenised loans and securitisations could total ~$2.4 trillion. Other forecasts even project a $4 trillion tokenised real estate market by the same year.
Roiss noted the direct application in payments infrastructure. Ethereum currently hosts over $6 billion in tokenised treasuries, with BlackRock’s BUIDL fund alone holding $2.5 billion. Payment professionals can expect faster settlement and broader access to previously illiquid assets.
However, Borg raised a cautionary note: regulators are “afraid of losing control” over conventional systems. He warned that strong regulation often begins robustly and rarely scales back, potentially complicating tokenised asset models that rely on clear ownership and compliance.
Gaming meets crypto: hype versus experience
The conversation shifted to gaming—a natural crypto adoption zone. Ellul noted gamers, characterised as early adopters, should have championed blockchain gaming.
“No project that involved this technology has very managed to succeed,” he remarked, blaming hype and poor execution for the failures. He emphasised that blockchain should be invisible to users—“just another payment method”.
Academic research confirms this perspective: tokenomics alone cannot sustain engagement; compelling gameplay is essential. Tech-first messaging, said panel moderator Grech, courted attention but repelled users.
Major firms echo the panel’s caution. Valve has banned NFT titles, while developers like Ubisoft and Square Enix take a cautious, experimental stance rather than rushing in.
Are stablecoins and CBDCs on the verge of trust?
Stablecoins – crypto assets pegged to fiat currencies – garnered considerable attention. Roiss and Borg debated how to balance traceability and freedom. Borg warned that privacy is eroding: “We’re no longer free to use our money without being questioned. And that’s not what freedom means.”
Market data speaks in volumes. The total stablecoin supply is around $247 billion as of May 2025, roughly 10% of US cash in circulation. Transaction volumes have expanded faster than payment networks, albeit still dominated by crypto trading at 88%.
Analysts project substantial growth: Citi anticipates a $3.7 trillion market by 2030, while others forecast up to $2 trillion by 2028.
Legislation is following. The US GENIUS Act proposes reserve backing and disclosure rules, while the EU’s MiCA regulation, now active, offers clarity with a tempered cap on innovation.
In parallel, big payments firms like PayPal, Stripe, Bank of America and Standard Chartered are forging entry routes into stablecoin transactions. Panel members anticipate that “mass adoption” hinges on invisibility—crypto must work seamlessly, behind the scenes.
Until users interact with value rather than tech, growth will stay incremental.
AI meets DeFi
The panel touched on a frontier area: AI-managed DeFi. Ellul referred to autonomous smart-contract agents as proto‑DAOs operating on autopilot.
This aligns with broader trends. Industry insiders project the AI agent market growing from $5.1 billion in 2024 to $47.1 billion by 2030—supported by $10 billion inflows into AI tokens within a single week. Reports like Coindesk’s describe AI bots autonomously managing liquidity, yield optimisation and protocol interactions .
But panelists raised concerns about accountability and regulation—especially in risk and governance structures that currently remain fluid. AI agent security, biases and liability are open questions. Organisations like Y Combinator now back agent-centric startups—underscoring both promise and emerging risk .
