Crypto Exchanges Today: Innovation, Inclusion, and the Next Phase of Global Growth

At the 2025 Istanbul Blockchain Week, Badi Sudhakaran, Co-Founder and CPO of VALR, took centre stage to discuss the future of cryptocurrency, highlighting the growing adoption of crypto in emerging markets, the importance of institutional infrastructure, and the role of regulation in shaping the industry’s future. Here’s a breakdown of the key points from his insightful panel discussion.

Badi Sudhakaran at Istanbul Blockchain Week VALR's Co-Founder and CPO

Crypto Adoption in the Global South: More Than Just Speculation

Badi emphasised that the key to the growing popularity of cryptocurrency in regions like Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia isn’t driven by speculative trading or the desire to "get rich quick." Instead, crypto is increasingly being adopted for its utility. In these markets, cryptocurrency is seen as a solution to real-world financial problems, such as currency devaluation, access to financial services, and inflation. This trend is paving the way for crypto to become a mainstream financial tool, particularly where traditional financial systems are either inefficient or unavailable.

Institutional-Grade Infrastructure: Building the Future of Finance

One of the cornerstones of VALR’s mission is to create institutional-grade infrastructure that supports the seamless integration of crypto into both retail and institutional markets. Badi shared how VALR’s offerings—ranging from spot trading and derivatives to savings and staking products—provide a robust platform that enables financial institutions, including large banks in South Africa, to offer crypto products to their clients. By providing API solutions, VALR helps institutions integrate crypto services without having to build the infrastructure themselves.

This infrastructure approach is about creating a financial ecosystem where users can access crypto in the same way they use the internet—effortlessly and without needing to be crypto experts.

Navigating the Regulatory Landscape: A Proactive Approach

As crypto moves from a fringe asset to a more mainstream financial instrument, regulation is a critical factor. Badi discussed the importance of acting as if you're regulated everywhere. When VALR first launched in 2018, South Africa lacked a clear regulatory framework for crypto, so the team worked on a self-regulated model. Today, VALR holds licences in several regions, including South Africa, Poland, and is pursuing licences in the Cayman Islands and Malta.

Badi believes that as the industry matures, it’s essential to focus on the key regulatory pillars: Know Your Customer (KYC), asset custody, and transaction reporting. These principles allow crypto businesses to scale globally while adapting to local regulatory environments. For VALR, building a robust compliance framework has been essential in establishing trust with both regulators and users.

Infrastructure Challenges in Emerging Markets

Badi also highlighted the infrastructure challenges faced by emerging markets, where high smartphone penetration doesn't always equate to reliable or affordable internet access. This disparity can make it difficult for users to fully participate in the digital economy. However, it also presents an opportunity for the crypto industry to step in and offer alternative solutions that are not reliant on traditional financial systems.

Over the past seven years, VALR has focused on building an infrastructure that addresses these challenges by offering products like spot trading, remittances, savings, and more. By doing so, VALR has created a platform that can drive user education and behaviour, which in turn attracts attention from regulators. As Badi pointed out, without infrastructure, there is no user behaviour—and without user behaviour, there is nothing for regulators to focus on.

The Necessity of Crypto: Moving Beyond Speculation

Looking to the future, Badi sees a world where crypto adoption is driven by necessity rather than speculation. In countries with high inflation rates and currency debasement, like Turkey and several African nations, people are turning to crypto to preserve value and access financial services. Badi explained that crypto’s role is becoming more about providing essential utility—enabling people to secure their wealth and make transactions in ways that traditional financial systems can't.

The next wave of crypto users, Badi believes, won’t be driven by the promise of huge profits but by the need to protect their finances from economic instability.

Building a New Financial System for the Future

Badi concluded his discussion by sharing his vision for the future of financial systems. Just like the internet, Badi believes that crypto should become something people use without even thinking about it. The goal is for crypto infrastructure to be seamlessly integrated into daily life, providing easy access to financial products and services to people around the world.

At VALR, the aim is not just to provide crypto services but to help create a more inclusive and accessible financial system that serves global markets. By focusing on infrastructure, user education, and regulatory collaboration, Badi is confident that the industry can build a more sustainable and robust future for crypto.

Badi Sudhakaran’s insights at Istanbul Blockchain Week painted an optimistic picture of the future of cryptocurrency—one where infrastructure, regulation, and utility converge to create a financial system that works for everyone. At VALR, we’re excited to continue playing a part in this journey, enabling users and institutions alike to access the transformative potential of crypto.

Risk Disclosure

Trading or investing in crypto assets is risky and may result in the loss of capital as the value may fluctuate. VALR (Pty) Ltd is a licensed financial services provider (FSP #53308).

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author and should not form the basis for making investment decisions, nor be construed as a recommendation or advice to engage in investment transactions.