Key Takeaways: The PayDo 2026 Strategy: At a Glance
With blockchain and cryptocurrency redefining the global financial sector, most platforms are looking to shift towards a consolidated payment stack. PayDo is a leading platform in the payments and financial services sector, spearheading this transformation. At Times Of Casino, we had the opportunity to speak with Serhii Zakharov, Founder & CEO, PayDo, who shared with us his insight on the roadmap, and the different hurdles that platforms usually face in this sector.
Q1:
For us, unified payments only matter if they remove real friction. In 2026, our three hard bets are a consolidated payments stack, including combining accounts, acquiring, open banking, payouts, and FX into one ecosystem. Also, real-time risk infrastructure, making faster decisions without slowing down withdrawals and cross-border liquidity control, reducing intermediaries and using more direct rails for global flows.
If we get this right, operators won’t need to stitch together multiple providers. If we fail, we’ll become just another API.
Q2:
iGaming remains central to PayDo, and it’s essentially our stress test. It’s one of the toughest payment verticals with extremely high volume, high fraud risk, and constant regulatory pressure. If you can survive and scale in iGaming, your infrastructure is ready for any high-frequency or high-risk eCommerce model.
Q3:
The uncomfortable truth is that most operators underestimate compliance. They chase growth projections and overlook local licensing, capital controls, and repatriation rules. Entering LatAm or Africa requires proper local structuring from day one, or risk escalates quickly. But there’s another layer to this, as many sectors now suffer from over-compliance driven by teams without deep industry expertise. At PayDo, we see this gap frequently. We’ve built our expertise around understanding the nuances of diverse industries, allowing us to navigate complex regulatory landscapes without stifling growth. It’s not just about following rules; it’s about knowing how to apply them intelligently to different business models.
Q4:
FX costs are visible and easily measured. The real bleed comes from what I call the “fragmentation tax.” This includes hidden, cumulative issues like manual reconciliations, suboptimal routing, failed deposits, and internal inefficiencies. These small problems compound over time and usually cost far more than shaving basis points off FX rates. We focus on closing those operational gaps because tiny percentage gains on FX mean very little if you’re leaking money through chaotic processes.
Q5:
Migration isn’t a lie, but it isn’t painless. What breaks first are internal processes and habits. Teams used to fragmented workflows may struggle when everything consolidates, and that friction can expose existing inefficiencies. Cash flow rarely collapses entirely, but without careful planning, you can see temporary hiccups or disruptions. We recommend a phased approach to consolidating providers. An overnight switch usually causes more problems and risk than a gradual, controlled rollout.
Q6:
APIs standardise access, but they don’t remove complexity by themselves. True simplification happens when your risk rules, compliance processes, and routing logic are already well-designed and integrated. Technology is just a tool, and expertise is the filter. Operators feel the simplicity when they no longer have to manage every payment edge case themselves. In other words, an API only delivers real value when the plumbing behind it is built correctly.
Q7:
In some EU markets and the UK, open banking (C2B) already outperforms cards on approval rates and cost, but it’s not a universal replacement. Cards still dominate in regions where consumer habits, rewards programs and global acceptance matter. Open banking wins on cost and consumer trust, while cards win on ubiquity and both will coexist. The key change is that cards are no longer untouchable and operators should offer multiple options to optimise both approval rates and user experience.
Q8:
Instant cross-border payouts require confidence in your own systems. Most operators delay withdrawals out of fraud concerns and liquidity planning challenges. In practice, it’s the risk engine that is slow, not the payment rails. If your fraud detection or liquidity model isn’t rock solid, you’ll automatically slow down money flow. True instant payouts only happen when you trust your internal controls to catch problems in real time, not when you rely on external confirmations.
Q9:
AI is powerful at spotting behavioral anomalies and transaction patterns in real time, but AI doesn’t replace human judgment. High-risk or unusual cases, especially involving cross-border transfers or compliance-sensitive flows, still require a human review. Think of AI as noise reduction, where it filters out obvious issues and reduces false positives, leaving the edge cases. Then skilled analysts step in to manage those exceptions. This balance lets us keep reserves low while maintaining security.
Q10:
Reconciliation remains difficult because funds flow across multiple rails – cards, open banking, wallets, and crypto, and most systems weren’t built to unify them in real time. In 2026, operators who build reconciliation into the payment flow (instead of treating it as an afterthought) will pull ahead. That means collecting and normalising data at transaction time. Clean, consistent data across all channels becomes a competitive advantage, reducing errors and freeing teams from endless manual fixes.
Q11:
Accepting crypto inflows is straightforward, yet the challenge is off-ramping smoothly. Converting crypto to operational fiat often faces delays, liquidity gaps, and compliance hurdles. Banks remain wary of crypto, causing these bottlenecks. At PayDo, we tackle this by building the fiat infrastructure first and layering crypto on top. In our view, crypto payments only work reliably when the underlying fiat plumbing (and compliance model) is rock solid. That ensures operators have a smooth path to spend deposited funds.
Q12:
Hybrid fiat-crypto payment stacks are likely to dominate in 2026. Pure crypto casinos still face major hurdles, including liquidity constraints, price volatility, and unclear regulations. A hybrid model lets players deposit in crypto or fiat, while the operator settles in whichever form fits their needs. Full-crypto may grow as a niche, but at scale, a flexible hybrid approach provides the best balance of user choice and operational stability. We expect hybrid stacks to win out for mainstream operators.
Q13:
Account freezes usually happen because of compliance gaps, not the vague label of “high-risk.” Common triggers are usually incomplete or inconsistent KYC documentation, transaction flows that don’t match the stated business model, unexplained spikes in volume, and weak AML controls. Essentially, poor compliance hygiene is the culprit. Operating under a regulated framework (for example, as a UK electronic money institution) adds oversight, mandatory reporting, and clear regulatory alignment. This structure enforces discipline that helps prevent sudden freezes.
Q14:
The biggest mistake is assuming cross-border transfers are automatic. Many emerging markets have quietly tightened capital controls and repatriation rules. If operators don’t plan exit routes early, funds can get trapped in local accounts. In practice, successful LatAm or Africa expansion requires exit planning as much as entry planning. That means understanding local currency controls and banking requirements from day one, or you risk finding your funds held hostage by local regulations.
Q15:
Crises reveal the weak points in any strategy. Assumptions that rely on a single banking partner, thin liquidity buffers, or weak licensing collapse first. Real-world shocks, including Brexit, COVID, and the war, showed the value of diversified funding, multi-region licenses, and contingency plans. Operators should demand sustainable resilience from their providers. In practice, stability comes from being able to adjust quickly. We’ve faced structural disruptions before, and we’ve learned that flexibility and solid risk planning matter far more than short-term gains.
Q16:
Cards won’t disappear by 2028, but their dominance will erode in markets where open banking and wallets win with better approvals rates and lower costs. Incumbent players will survive, but not unchallenged. The real losers will be the operators who rely on a single payment method and fail to diversify early. Those who adapt by offering a mix of payment options (cards, open banking, wallets, etc.) will thrive, while the rest will fall behind.
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