As traditional finance giants roll out tokenized rewards and stablecoin payment rails, Solayer's Head of Product, Joshua Sum, says the company sees these developments not as threats, but as validation of its crypto-native approach.
Speaking to Benzinga ahead of the Solayer Travel launch, Sum highlighted why speed, composability, and real-world perks will be critical differentiators as competition intensifies.
Web3 infrastructure firm Solayer today launched Solayer Travel, a crypto-native hotel booking platform promising discounts of up to 60% at over one million global hotels.
The service is exclusively accessible to Emerald Card holders, who use a crypto-linked Visa card powered by USDC (CRYPTO: USDC).
The move signals the company's broader ambition to integrate on-chain finance into everyday use cases.
In an interview, Sum discussed how the company is positioning its Emerald Card within a financial landscape increasingly populated by traditional finance (TradFi) players experimenting with stablecoins and tokenized loyalty programs.
"We see TradFi's entry into stablecoins and tokenized rewards as validation, not threat," Sum said. "Most of those systems remain closed, while Emerald Card offers real-world perks, on-chain rewards, and global utility from day one."
Solayer's competitive strategy, according to Sum, hinges on product agility and vertical integration within Solana's high-speed environment.
"Our edge is vertical product velocity on Solana: faster UX, crypto-native integrations, and a culture to move fast and build in a way TradFi incumbents can't," he added.
The company's latest offering, Solayer Travel, exemplifies this approach.
Through a partnership with Entravel, a supplier of non-public, wholesale B2B hotel inventory, the platform gives crypto users access to rates typically reserved for airlines, corporate booking tools, and exclusive cardholder programs.
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Users can access the discounts by registering for an Emerald Card, loading it with USDC, and making bookings through a user interface that mirrors traditional travel sites.
Alea Research reported average savings of 35% versus major platforms like Booking.com and Expedia.
Sum said the technical challenge was less about front-end design and more about back-end alignment.
"Crypto payments aren't natively supported by most hotel suppliers," he noted. "So we built a real-time bridge that converts USDC to fiat at checkout without sacrificing non-custodial architecture."
While TradFi institutions have begun developing stablecoin products and exploring tokenized assets, regulatory clarity remains a hurdle.
Sum said Solayer's long-term strategy anticipates a modular future.
"We're USDC-first today for liquidity and reach, but the platform is ready to support regional stablecoins, CBDCs, and SOL-native payments. We're building for a future where stablecoins are mainstream rails, not workarounds."
Despite recent regulatory uncertainty in the U.S., Sum remains optimistic about stablecoins becoming foundational to cross-border financial infrastructure.
But he stressed the importance of crypto-native adaptability. "We're not waiting for legislation to validate the model. We're already executing it," he said.
The launch of Solayer Travel is the first step in a broader roadmap.
The company plans to add global flight bookings, eSIM data packs, airport lounge access, and concierge services to the platform in the coming months.
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