Interview with Cregis Asia-Pacific Business Leader: From Self-Custodial MPC Wallets to Payment Engine, Unlocking the Compliant Future of Web3 Infrastructure  

Guest: Eric, Head of APAC Business at Cregis      

Interviewed by: momo, ChainCatcher

The global crypto regulatory landscape is evolving at unprecedented speed. With the U.S. FIT21 Act, Singapore's MAS new guidelines, and the EU's MiCA coming into effect consecutively, compliance has transformed from a Web3 option into a mandatory entry ticket. Both native Web3 enterprises and traditional financial institutions are accelerating their blockchain adoption, fueling surging demand for secure, scalable, and regulatory-compliant infrastructure.

Cregis has been addressing this need since 2017. As one of the earliest providers focused on compliance-driven Web3 infrastructure, the company offers enterprise-grade self-custodial MPC wallet and payment engine. Today, it serves over 3,500 enterprise clients and safeguards more than $60 billion in digital assets, all while maintaining a flawless security record.

During Malaysia Blockchain Week, ChainCatcher conducted an exclusive interview with Eric, Cregis’s Asia-Pacific Business Lead. With more than 13 years of experience in payments and fintech, including positions at American Express, Western Union, and Web3 on and off-ramp platforms, Eric has witnessed the full evolution from traditional finance to the digital asset economy.

In this conversation, Eric outlines Cregis’s founding philosophy: Why build compliance-first infrastructure? How can enterprises plug into regulatory frameworks without friction? And what’s next for Cregis in 2025 as regulatory clarity becomes a competitive advantage?

Self-Developed Compliant Infrastructure, Managing Over $60 Billion in Assets

1. ChainCatcher: Please introduce yourself, your current role at Cregis, and your key professional experiences before joining.
 
Eric: I currently serve as the Head of Business Development for Cregis Asia-Pacific, where I lead commercial sales, client growth, and regional marketing initiatives. Cregis is a global provider of secure, efficient, and compliant digital asset solutions for global enterprises, serving over 3,500 enterprise clients and securing more than $60 billion in digital assets.

My career in the payments industry began in 2012, starting with American Express in card issuance before expanding into e-commerce and fintech roles at Wallace and Western Union Business Solutions. Later, I joined Atomy, a leading Southeast Asian company, as the first employee in its Hong Kong office, where I helped establish and scale regional operations.

I then transitioned to the acquiring space, providing credit card acquiring and on/off-ramp services for Web3 companies and crypto exchanges. This path naturally led me to the digital asset infrastructure sector, where I now focus on wallet and custody solutions at Cregis.

With over a decade of experience across traditional payments, fintech, and Web3 infrastructure, I bring deep expertise in receivables, payables, digital asset access, and enterprise wallet architecture.
 
 
2. ChainCatcher: Could you share the background of Cregis’s core leadership, the company’s current team size, global office locations, and team composition? Also, why did you start this project?
 
Eric: Cregis was founded in 2017 by our CEO, Shawn Yan. We provide secure, efficient, and compliant digital asset solutions for global enterprises. Over the past 8 years, we have supported more than 3,500 clients worldwide. Our core offerings include a self-custodial MPC wallet and a fully in-house payment engine, designed to help businesses store, manage, and transfer digital assets, including stablecoins. Products such as Wallet as a Service, Payment Engine, Tron Gas, and Cregis Card are widely used by exchanges, asset managers, payment providers, and cross-border platforms.

We currently have over 100 team members, with 80% dedicated to research and development. Our headquarters is in Hong Kong, supported by regional offices in Dubai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. This presence enables us to serve clients across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. We are also actively entering the U.S. market through local partnerships.

To date, we have served more than 3,500 enterprise clients. Our infrastructure supports over 100 million on-chain wallet addresses and secures approximately 60 billion dollars in digital assets. On average, we process 100 million dollars in daily on-chain transaction volume, maintaining a consistent record of operational security.

With the emergence of clearer regulatory frameworks such as the U.S. FIT21 Act and rising global demand for compliant crypto custody, we aim to provide enterprises with a scalable, all-in-one solution for digital asset custody and payments through our self-custodial, MPC-based wallet infrastructure—built in-house to ensure security, compliance, and operational control.

Connecting Compliance Enabling Infrastructure

3. ChainCatcher: How do you view the increasing complexity of global crypto regulations? What impact will this have on the crypto infrastructure industry, and what specific opportunities does Cregis see?
 
Eric: The growing clarity in regulatory frameworks across key jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, and the United States represents a major step forward for the digital asset industry. This evolution is shifting the mindset of enterprises from prioritizing rapid product launches to embedding compliance at the foundation of their business models.
 
At Cregis, we see this transition as a defining opportunity. Our infrastructure is built to support compliance by design. Through our self-custodial MPC wallet, we offer enterprises integrated capabilities that include transaction risk analysis, address control, audit logs, and fund traceability. These features are developed to help clients align with regulatory expectations while enhancing operational efficiency.
As regulations become more standardized and enforced, infrastructure providers have a critical role to play. By simplifying compliance implementation, we enable businesses to scale with confidence and focus on long-term, sustainable growth.
 

4. ChainCatcher: What complex challenges do traditional enterprises face when expanding from Web2 to Web3 in terms of wallet and payment infrastructure? How does Cregis help them overcome these?
 
Eric: One of the most significant challenges is navigating compliance requirements, particularly around anti-money laundering (AML), know-your-customer procedures (KYC), and adherence to Travel Rule obligations. While traditional banking systems are supported by well-established processes and standard operating procedures, Web3 introduces entirely new technology stacks, regulatory considerations, and risk management models. From SWIFT to virtual banking to blockchain infrastructure, we view this as a natural progression in the evolution of financial systems. 

Cregis addresses these challenges by absorbing much of the underlying complexity on behalf of our clients. Our wallet infrastructure is equipped with a native compliance engine that supports automated transaction routing, risk monitoring, and policy enforcement. We maintain an active dialogue with regulatory bodies to ensure our solutions remain aligned with evolving legal requirements.

For clients with specific operational needs, we offer modular tools that allow them to build customized compliance frameworks while leveraging our infrastructure as a secure and scalable foundation.

5. ChainCatcher: What key compliance milestones has Cregis achieved so far, and what are your next steps?
 
Eric: Cregis has made consistent progress in strengthening its compliance foundation. We have obtained PCI-DSS certification and successfully completed SOC 2 Type 1, with the SOC 2 Type 2 audit currently underway.

On the regulatory licensing front, we hold a Trust or Company Service Provider (TCSP) license in Hong Kong and have received initial approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), with the full licensing process actively progressing.

Looking ahead, our priority is to expand our compliance framework across additional key jurisdictions to support our global client base and ensure our infrastructure remains aligned with evolving regulatory standards.

Cregis’s Three Core Infrastructure Advantages

6. ChainCatcher: Building underlying infrastructure is often harder than developing single-function applications. Why does Cregis prioritize an “infrastructure-first” approach, and how does this shape your strategy and products?
 
Eric: Every new technology or business model requires a strong foundation in order to scale. Applications designed for a single use case may succeed in the short term but often struggle to sustain relevance as market dynamics shift. Core functions such as wallets, custody, and payments form the financial backbone of the digital asset ecosystem. These are enduring needs that remain essential regardless of trends.

My focus has always been on enabling capital movement. Payments, as a universal function of business, represent the most critical link between users, platforms, and assets. The fact that Cregis has operated consistently for eight years confirms the long-term validity of our infrastructure-led strategy.

 
7. ChainCatcher: Why focus on “wallets + payments” when building a digital asset infrastructure ecosystem for enterprises, and how do you plan to expand horizontally?
 
Eric: Wallets and payments address some of the most pressing challenges faced by enterprises, such as fragmented on-chain operations, inefficient reconciliation processes, and a lack of financial tools. We begin by establishing the wallet as the core layer of capital flow. From there, we gradually introduce integrated features including reconciliation systems, treasury tools, compliance modules, and risk controls.
This layered approach provides clients with a growing suite of tools that evolve alongside their operational needs. It also forms the basis for horizontal expansion into additional service lines.

8. ChainCatcher: Do wallets and on-chain payments conflict with traditional banking systems?
 
Eric: They do not conflict—they complement each other. Traditional cross-border payments involve multiple intermediaries, high fees, long processing times, and the risk of fund freezes. I’ve personally experienced a U.S. dollar transfer from Hong Kong that was stuck for an entire month.

Blockchain payments are instant, traceable, and immutable. These characteristics help address many inefficiencies in traditional systems. Right now, we are in a Payment 2.5 phase. Legacy systems still play a central role, but on-chain settlement can significantly improve overall efficiency. We believe the true Web3 Payment 3.0 era will only begin once the infrastructure is fully mature.

 
9. ChainCatcher: What are the core advantages of Cregis’s infrastructure services, and why have they attracted over 3,500 enterprise clients?
 
Eric:  
Fast integration: Our platform offers fully self-service onboarding through both web and mobile applications. Clients can begin using the service in just a few minutes.

Comprehensive asset support: We support more than 85 mainstream tokens and over 40 public chains. Clients can easily list their own tokens and request custom chain integrations.

Proven security record: In 8 years of operation, we have not experienced a single security incident. Clients retain full control of their private keys, with offline signing capabilities available for emergency transfers.
These strengths allow us to support a wide range of institutions, from traditional financial firms to Web3-native platforms.

Focusing on Two Key Scenarios to Drive Mass Crypto Payment Adoption

10. ChainCatcher: Crypto payments are seen as a key driver for mass adoption of fiat and digital currencies. What are the unique advantages of Cregis’s payment services, and which application scenarios are you prioritizing?
 
Eric: Our payment engine is highly modular and integrates seamlessly into different business models. Right now, we are focusing on two core scenarios.

The first is forex and brokerage platforms. This space is highly competitive, and many firms want to leverage Web3 liquidity to enhance their Web2 operations. Crypto payments serve as an efficient capital channel in this context.

The second is Web3-native companies. For example, we are working with an AI company in Malaysia that accepts crypto payments from its clients.

Both of these verticals are capable of generating real, scalable transaction volume.

11. ChainCatcher: What are the most common pain points for traditional enterprises entering crypto payments, and how does Cregis help them succeed?
 
Eric:  Most Web2 enterprises are strong in their core operations but lack experience in Web3. They face a steep learning curve and have concerns around regulation and complex integration.
Cregis addresses this by offering a simple user interface and a one-line API integration. We provide built-in tools for KYC, risk control, and compliance, which enable a smooth transition from Web2 to Web2.5 to Web3. We also support over 40 chains, making it easy for clients to activate multi-chain payments with one click and lower the technical barrier.

 
12. ChainCatcher: What key trends do you observe in the crypto payment space, and what role will Cregis Pay play in the ecosystem?
 
Eric: Stablecoins are becoming the universal settlement layer. With regulatory developments like the Hong Kong Stablecoin Ordinance, the U.S. FIT21 framework, and the EU’s MiCA regulation, we are entering a phase of unprecedented regulatory clarity. This is encouraging more enterprises to enter the market at scale. We are seeing forex brokers, fintech firms, and even luxury brands and high-net-worth service providers exploring crypto payments.

Cregis Pay is designed to meet this demand. It is a modular, embeddable, and compliance-ready payment engine that supports mobile, web, and POS integration. Our goal is to become the preferred partner for compliant, scalable crypto payments in the stablecoin era.

2025 Roadmap: Continued Focus on Wallets and Payments

13. ChainCatcher: Why focus on Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, and Malaysia? Are you considering Japan, South Korea, or other Southeast Asian markets?
 
Eric: Our strategy focuses on regions with clear regulatory frameworks and strong infrastructure demand. Singapore and Dubai both have active exchanges and high wallet adoption. Hong Kong stands out due to its policy leadership in stablecoins and real-world asset tokenization, which makes it an ideal market for wallet-based custody. Malaysia serves as our Southeast Asian hub, where we work through local partnerships to reach Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other fast-growing markets.
We are also exploring opportunities in Japan and South Korea. Both markets have strong potential, though they require deeper localization, and we have already begun discussions with local partners.

14. ChainCatcher: Why choose Malaysia Blockchain Week, and how do you view the Malaysian market compared to Singapore?
 
Eric: Malaysia’s government has spent the past one to two years quietly laying the foundation for Web3 development. It has also encouraged Singaporean companies to set up academies and support local talent development. As regulatory pressure increases in Singapore, some companies are shifting their regional strategies, making Malaysia an attractive new entry point for the Southeast Asian Web3 market. 
 

15. ChainCatcher: What are Cregis’s strategic goals and key events in the Asia-Pacific for 2025?
 
Eric: Cregis will focus on wallet and payment services, enhancing our infrastructure and expanding ecosystem partnerships.

On the product side, we will upgrade our wallet infrastructure, improve API flexibility and integration, and launch tiered pricing to serve both startups and enterprise clients.

On the ecosystem side, we plan to partner with multiple blockchains to expand asset support and chain integration. We will also maintain visibility at key industry events like Dubai IFX Expo, Singapore TOKEN2049, and Singapore FinTech Festival to strengthen relationships with market players, regulators, and partners.

Our goal is to serve as an infrastructure catalyst in Asia-Pacific, helping enterprises enter Web3 securely and compliantly.