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One thing is clear from our series of interviews with blockchain thought leaders: they’re willing to think different. That’s certainly true for Anna Štrébl, CEO of global payment platform Confirmo, who entered the world of crypto in 2021 shortly after a three-year stint working for the UK Government.
“I was struck by [blockchain’s] potential to redefine trust in digital transactions,” she told us. “I saw how its decentralized nature could eliminate inefficiencies, reduce costs and access financial systems to the unbanked millions.
“What stood out most was its transparency – every transaction was recorded immutably on a public ledger, removing the need for intermediaries while enhancing security. The idea of borderless, instant and censorship-resistant payments felt revolutionary, especially compared to the slow and costly legacy systems we rely on today.”
Anna joined Confirmo as Head of Business Development and was appointed CEO in 2023. But while Confirmo is there to simplify the use of cryptocurrency in everyday life, she’s keen to point out that blockchain isn’t only about money.
“While crypto was the first major use case, blockchain is a much broader technology that can transform many industries and aspects of our lives,” she told us.
“Another common misunderstanding is that blockchain is inherently slow and expensive. While early networks like Bitcoin faced scalability challenges, innovations like Layer 2 solutions made transactions faster and cheaper, rivalling traditional payment networks.
Anna adds: “Many also believe that blockchain is wholly unregulated or anonymous. Regulations are evolving rapidly, and most blockchains operate with transparency. Transactions on public blockchains are pseudonymous, not anonymous, meaning they can still be traced and audited.”
Which brings us naturally to the first question in our interview: how on Earth do you explain it to people?
Blockchain powers global crypto payments by enabling secure, transparent and fast transactions without banks. As a decentralized digital ledger, it records and verifies transactions across multiple computers, preventing fraud and reducing fees. This allows businesses and individuals to send crypto across borders instantly.
Decentralized identity and voting systems.
Instead of relying on centralized databases, blockchain allows individuals to own and control their digital identities, reducing identity theft and streamlining verification processes for services like healthcare or travel.
Blockchain-based voting eliminates fraud and increases elections transparency, ensuring integrity and accessibility in democratic processes.
In healthcare blockchain enables secure, tamper-proof medical records, giving patients perfect control over their data while ensuring seamless sharing. That reduces errors, prevents fraud and improves overall coordination.
In the supply chain, thanks to an immutable ledger of transactions, blockchain ensures product authenticity, reduces counterfeiting and enhances traceability. Companies can track goods in real-time while ensuring ethical sourcing and compliance.
It’s the same for public services.
It’s certainly going to be a payments and banking industry. Traditional financial institutions will struggle to keep up with the speed, transparency and cost-efficiency of blockchain-based payments. Cross-border transactions, remittances and probably even CBDCs [central bank digital currencies] will reshape the way money moves.
I also expect blockchain’s significant impact on real estate, logistics and governance industries.
Stripe and Adyen. They both relentlessly focus on seamless user experience, global scalability and innovations.
Stripe has set the gold standard for easy-to-integrate APIs, making it frictionless for businesses to accept payments. And their fraud detection system, Radar, is world-class.
Adyen’s focus on tailored solutions for enterprise clients showed us how payment companies can create real value beyond just transactions. Also, their real-time, high-speed payment processing is exactly what crypto payments need to achieve mass adoption – instant, seamless and secure transactions.
The biggest one is scalability. That means ensuring blockchain networks can handle high transaction volumes without compromising speed or cost.
Regulatory uncertainty is another roadblock, as different jurisdictions impose varying rules, making global expansion difficult.
Blockchain’s ability to provide tamper-proof records and eliminate intermediaries makes it a powerful tool for social good. It can be used for transparent charity funding, ensuring donations reach the intended recipients.
It can also help in fair elections by preventing voter fraud and ensuring auditability.
The same things we prioritize in Confirmo. Privacy, accessibility, and fairness. While blockchain enhances transparency, not all data should be publicly accessible – we must protect sensitive personal or financial information.
Traditional databases are vulnerable because of their centralized nature. If a central server is hacked, data can be manipulated or lost. Blockchain, by contrast, distributes data across a decentralized network, making it nearly tamper-proof. Cryptographic hashing ensures data integrity, and smart contracts enable secure, automated transactions without exposing sensitive information.
While blockchain enhances security, it’s not flawlessly immune to risks. 51% attacks on smaller networks can compromise integrity. Privacy concerns also arise with public blockchains, where transactions are visible to all, leading to traceability issues. Solutions like zero-knowledge proofs and privacy-focused blockchains help address this.
Blockchain, AI and IoT are converging in exciting ways. AI can enhance blockchain security by detecting fraudulent transactions or optimizing smart contracts. IoT devices, which often have weak security, can leverage blockchain for secure, immutable data storage.
Together, these technologies will drive automation – from self-executing supply chain contracts to autonomous financial transactions in a machine-driven economy.
Coinbase. Its team delivers high-standard products and makes a good name for the industry. They managed to bridge traditional finances with crypto while strongly focusing on compliance, security and user experience.
