The evolution of crypto trading is increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, transparency, and the convergence between centralized and decentralized markets.
In this exclusive interview with CryptoBreaking, Vugar Usi Zade, Chief Operating Officer at MEXC, shares insights into how AI is transforming trading behavior, how exchanges can rebuild trust, and why the future of crypto may be defined by hybrid market structures.
Interview with Vugar Usi Zade, COO of MEXC
1. MEXC’s AI trading suite reached over 2.35 million users in a relatively short time. What do you think is driving this rapid adoption, and what does it tell us about the future role of AI in crypto trading?
I think the main driver is practical value. Traders adopt tools that help them make sense of fast-moving markets without adding more noise. AI suite reached 2.35 million users in roughly six months, generated 10.8 million interactions, and averaged about 93,000 daily active users, with usage clustering around periods of market stress. That tells me people are using AI when speed, clarity, and emotional discipline matter most.
What does that say about the future? AI will become part of the trading workflow itself. Not a substitute for judgment, and not something traders should follow blindly, but a layer that helps with screening, interpretation, monitoring, and risk framing. The strongest products will be the ones that make markets easier to read and decisions easier to pressure-test.
2. AI is often seen both as an opportunity and a risk in the crypto space. In your view, how can AI evolve into a reliable “risk guardian” rather than a source of new vulnerabilities?
AI becomes useful as a risk guardian when it is asked to do the right jobs. That means spotting anomalies, flagging concentration risk, monitoring portfolio exposure, surfacing unusual behavior, and giving users earlier warnings when conditions change. MEXC’s AI Consultant was introduced with portfolio diagnostics, continuous monitoring, and automated risk alerts, and that is the kind of direction that makes sense.
But reliability depends on discipline. An alert is only helpful if users can understand why it appeared and what changed in the market. And also, how confident the system is in what it is flagging. In crypto, mistakes can scale quickly, so AI needs guardrails, human oversight, and verifiable data underneath it. Otherwise, it simply creates a new black box right where an old one used to be.
3. Trust and transparency remain key challenges in digital finance. How can centralized exchanges leverage AI and data to strengthen user confidence without compromising decentralization principles?
A centralized exchange doesn’t need to imitate decentralization to respect its logic. Users need evidence, not theater. That starts with proof of reserves they can verify, clear reserve ratios, transparent wallet data, and simple ways to check that customer balances are backed. The Proof of Reserves framework states that user assets are backed 1:1 or beyond. Its broader Proof of Trust model adds a public Guardian Fund and other protection layers that users can inspect directly.
AI can strengthen that trust when it improves visibility instead of obscuring it. Better fraud detection, faster warnings, clearer explanations of risk, and more readable account intelligence all help users feel more in control.
The balance is to keep the centralized service accountable and transparent, preserving at the same time users’ freedom to verify, withdraw, and move on-chain when that is the better path.
4. With the rise of on-chain trading and decentralized liquidity, how do you see the role of centralized exchanges like MEXC evolving over the next few years?
I definitely see the role of centralized exchanges evolving, not shrinking. DEX share of spot volume rose to 13.6% in January 2026, with DEX share of perpetuals reaching 10.2%. At the same time, centralized exchanges still handled more than $1 trillion in monthly spot volume. So this is not a story of one model replacing the other, but a story of the market becoming more layered.
CEXs still play a role that on-chain venues do not fully replace. They remain major liquidity anchors and entry points for newer users. This is the place many traders turn to when they want depth, speed, support, and operational accountability in one environment. What’s changing is user expectation. People increasingly want access to both centralized order books and decentralized liquidity without friction between the two.
So, I think, over the next few years, centralized exchanges will move closer to a hybrid model. They will still provide deep liquidity, custody infrastructure, fiat access, and customer support, but they will also need to function more like intelligent routing layers. The goal is to help users reach the best venue for a given trade or strategy, whether that sits on-platform or on-chain.
In that setup, execution quality, reserve transparency, and asset protection become even more important. Trust is not just about holding assets safely, but about helping users navigate a more connected market with confidence.
5. From your experience across global companies like Facebook, Bain, and leading Web3 firms, what are the biggest differences in scaling growth between traditional tech and crypto-native businesses?
In traditional tech, scaling is engineered. It is structured, data-driven, and built on predictable funnels. You refine the product, optimize distribution, and expand market by market with precision.
In crypto, scaling is fluid. It is driven by speed, access, and momentum. Growth is non-linear, global from day one, and often triggered by product decisions like early listings or removing friction such as fees. Product and distribution are not separate, they move together.
My time at Bain shaped how I approach this contrast. It gave me a disciplined framework for solving complex problems in a structured way. I was fortunate to work with global leaders across hedge funds, banks, and large retail organizations, which built a deep understanding of how to scale efficiently and sustainably. That foundation is something I actively apply at MEXC.
If traditional tech is about scaling efficiency, crypto is about scaling opportunity.
At MEXC, our aim is to become a trade-everything superplatform for financial needs. While the business model is different, we can learn from ecosystems like Grab, Careem, and WeChat in how they aggregate services, reduce friction, and become the default gateway for users.
6. Regulation is becoming increasingly relevant worldwide. How do you see the balance between innovation and compliance shaping the next phase of the crypto industry?
The next phase of the industry will be shaped by platforms that treat compliance as part of how they build, and not as something they add later. Europe now has MiCA fully in force, with the broader framework applying since December 30, 2024. Hong Kong’s SFC has set out its ASPIRe roadmap to expand the virtual-asset market with a stronger focus on safeguards, product clarity, and infrastructure. That is a sign of a maturing market. Innovation is still moving quickly, but the expectation now is that it should stand up to scrutiny.
The balance works when regulation focuses on custody, disclosures, resilience, market integrity, and consumer protection, while still leaving room for product development. The companies that get this right will not just satisfy regulators, but build the kind of credibility attracting a broader and more durable user base.
7. Looking ahead, what are the key trends or narratives you believe will define the crypto market over the next 12 to 24 months?
I think a few themes will shape the market at the same time. One is the continued convergence of centralized and on-chain trading, because the data already shows users are moving more actively across both environments. Another is tokenization becoming more practical and institutionally legible, especially as regulators like Hong Kong’s SFC continue to link market development with clearer frameworks for digital assets and tokenized financial instruments.
I also expect AI to move deeper into the infrastructure of trading, as a working layer for research, monitoring, execution support, and risk management. And beyond all that, trust will become more measurable. The platforms that stand out will be those combining liquidity, transparent safeguards, and cross-market access in a way that feels coherent to users. In my view, the market is heading to fewer false binaries, more connected systems, and a much higher premium on execution and credibility.
Final Thoughts
As the crypto industry continues to evolve, the intersection of AI, transparency, and hybrid market structures is becoming increasingly central.
For platforms like MEXC, the challenge is no longer just growth, but building systems that combine speed, trust, and usability in a rapidly maturing global market.
