ChangeNow, l'exchange crypto qui respecte votre vie privée - Avec Pauline Shangett

ChangeNOW is a platform focused on non-custodial swaps, aiming to provide a seamless crypto experience. Pauline, the Chief Strategy Officer, oversees strategy, brand, and growth, including market research for product integrations. The platform's core business is exchanging any crypto for any other, complemented by NowPayments, a crypto payment system for businesses, and NowNodes, a blockchain infrastructure provider selling nodes. ChangeNOW caters to both beginners and advanced users, but not traders, who typically use centralized or decentralized exchanges. It targets retail investors, particularly novices, who may find traditional exchanges complicated. The platform simplifies the process with a calculator-based interface, making interactions easy and smooth. While basic swaps don't require registration, advanced users can opt for a "pro version" with different verification levels, allowing for large crypto trades more conveniently and cost-effectively than on traditional exchanges. For instance, converting a large amount of Monero to USDT on an exchange requires small, stable trades, a time-consuming and error-prone process for experienced traders. ChangeNOW allows the same transaction in about five minutes. Smaller amounts are also handled quickly and efficiently, with good rates. The platform maintains its speed and efficiency, even with large volumes, through a complex underlying infrastructure. This includes advanced trading, storage, and liquidity engines, similar to how a centralized exchange operates but with a unique approach. Rapid scaling events, often during volatile market periods, highlight areas for improvement and drive internal scaling, particularly within the large tech department responsible for these advanced systems. One of ChangeNOW's most discussed features is "Private Send." This service acts as an intermediary for transactions, particularly for large holders (whales) who wish to maintain privacy. When a user sends crypto through Private Send, the recipient receives money from ChangeNOW's wallets, obscuring the original sender's wallet address and the amount held. This feature addresses the security risks associated with whale activity, such as hacking or physical assault, which are significant concerns in the crypto community. Pauline emphasizes the importance of online privacy, noting that current trends and regulations, such as those in the US and Europe, are increasingly compromising it. She believes that blockchain transparency, while often sought after, can feel like surveillance. Regulations like MiCA and the Clarity Act are forcing crypto users to identify themselves, contradicting blockchain's original intent for anonymity. Furthermore, broader online safety bills, often under the guise of protecting children, lead to increased surveillance and potential prosecution for online speech, undermining free speech principles. In the context of Web3, this means that even crypto transactions could lead to identification and legal repercussions in certain countries for activities like donating to NGOs. To balance privacy with compliance, ChangeNOW implements an advanced and complex Anti-Money Laundering (AML) system. If "bad money" linked to illicit activities is detected, the user is asked to complete a KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure. Users can refuse, in which case they receive a refund and are prevented from using the service again. ChangeNOW actively collaborates with police departments worldwide, aiding in the recovery of funds from scams, an ongoing process. Despite the KYC requirement in certain situations, the platform aims to keep the user experience as easy as possible, respecting clients who seek no-strings-attached swaps. A large legal team continuously monitors Web3 law, regulations, and licensing to ensure compliance while preserving user privacy where possible. ChangeNOW also introduced "limit orders" due to significant demand from both users and wallet partners. This feature caters to retail investors who desire a more centralized exchange-like experience but lack the time to monitor graphs constantly. Users can set a limit order within the pro version and wait for the swap to complete at a desired price. Another significant development for ChangeNOW is the integration of Real World Assets (RWAs). The platform has listed tokenized stocks, oil, gold, and silver, with plans to expand its RWA offerings. Pauline expresses excitement for RWAs, viewing them as finally bringing real-world utility to crypto, moving beyond the "casino or scam" reputation often associated with memecoins, social tokens, and NFTs. She notes that earlier attempts at tokenizing assets like real estate or racehorses often lacked customer protection, verification, and coherent promises, sometimes leading to scams. RWAs, in contrast, offer accessibility to investments that were previously difficult for many to access, such as stocks, treasury bonds, and commodities. For example, users can now buy Apple stock with a credit card, Bitcoin, Solana, or other cryptocurrencies directly on ChangeNOW. This allows individuals to own fractions or multiple stocks in their crypto wallets, with 24/7 trading and investment availability globally. Pauline believes RWAs promote long-term stability, more accessible investments, and less speculation, making them a crucial addition to the market, especially in challenging times. She anticipates that RWAs will stabilize the traditional finance market rather than destabilize it, as they are less speculative and offer perpetual futures. ChangeNOW aims to become an "everything crypto platform." Its pro version already offers a custodial wallet, crypto buying, exchanging, storage, staking, yield generation, and loans. France is one of ChangeNOW's biggest markets, with localization efforts to ensure accessibility for French users. The platform is expanding further into Europe, collaborating with European companies like Trezor and exploring partnerships with Ledger. Europe is seen as a more interesting market than the US due to a stronger focus on decentralization and financial independence among crypto users. ChangeNOW is working on advanced licensing to maintain compliance and collaborates with law enforcement agencies like Europol. Pauline is optimistic about the future of crypto, particularly regarding the increasing real-world utility brought by stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. She believes this development will help legitimize crypto and shed its "casino/scam" reputation, a goal she actively works towards through public speaking and articles.