Ex-Visa Payments Leader Michael Batuev Joins WeFi to Supercharge Global Payments Roll-Out
Dubai, UAE, November 12th, 2025, Chainwire
WeFi, the world’s first deobank redefining financial sovereignty through decentralized infrastructure, announced the appointment of Michael Batuev as Global Head of Payments. The former Visa digital solutions lead, Michael, brings 18+ years of fintech and banking experience to accelerate WeFi’s expansion across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other regions.
Michael Batuev, who studied at FESAEM and MIT, has spent his career at the intersection of finance, technology, and innovation strategy. At Tangem, he worked on the first self-custody payment card combined with a cold crypto wallet, bridging TradFi with DeFi. Before that at Visa, he spearheaded emerging‐product initiatives that expanded mobile and p2p payments globally, grew contactless adoption, and NFC-wearables. Earlier in his career, he developed retail digital services, R&D, card programs, and joint venture projects over the course of his two-decade professional career.
“The payments industry is now at a turning point,” says Michael Batuev, WeFi’s Global Head of Payments. “Legacy systems are struggling to keep up with the fluid, borderless nature of digital finance. WeFi’s model combines the trust of banking with the freedom of Web3. It creates the foundation for what modern payments should be: instant, transparent, and truly global. I’m thrilled to help build that future.”
In his new role, Michael Batuev will lead the development of WeFi’s payments and infrastructure across all regions, starting from Europe and the Asia-Pacific, focusing on product strategy, partnerships, financial services, and scalable usage of DeFi frameworks.
WeFi, co-founded by Maksym Sakharov, sets itself as the blueprint for decentralized finance that meets the compliance standards of modern banking. The company’s mission is to merge the accessibility of DeFi with the reliability of TradFi and give users control over their assets, while still maintaining full legal and operational transparency. The addition of Michael Batuev marks another step toward institutional-grade scalability.
“Michael understands how the world’s largest payment networks work and, even more importantly, where they can be significantly strengthened using Web3,“ comments Maksym Sakharov, Founder and Group CEO of WeFi. “Having Michael join us feels like unlocking the next level of payments development. At WeFi, what we’re trying to build is not actually a bank; it’s a new kind of financial infrastructure that gives people control and freedom. Michael’s arrival makes that vision real.”
Michael Batuev’s appointment fits WeFi’s ambition to evolve from a disruptive DeFi player into a global financial ecosystem. As fintech competition intensifies, WeFi’s “deobank” model seeks to offer users end-to-end financial autonomy: cards, deposits, loans, and payments conducted on-chain but regulated within clear, compliant frameworks.
With major institutional and retail interest in on-chain banking accelerating worldwide, WeFi’s timing is strategic. The company is expanding its European operations while launching new APAC partnerships aimed at digital-asset-friendly jurisdictions such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UAE. Michael Batuev’s cross-market experience, from corporate banking to global payment networks, positions him to unify these efforts.
About WeFi
WeFi is the world’s first deobank – a Decentralized Onchain Bank that leverages blockchain technology to simplify the DeFi experience while keeping it fast, secure, and efficient. On top of traditional financial services such as virtual cards, loans, and asset transfer, WeFi proposes non-custodial accounts and stablecoin earnings powered by AI agents.