Self-managing assets remains a fundamental value in the cryptocurrency field. Growing concerns about centralization and changing regulations have increased interest in user-friendly and secure solutions. Sebastien Gilquin, Head of Business Development and Partnerships at Trezor, the original hardware wallet creator, provides insights into how their company drives adoption beyond initial crypto enthusiasts.
BeInCrypto interviewed Sebastien to explore the philosophy driving Trezor, education-focused strategies, regulatory approach, and vision for asset self-management in the rapidly changing industry. Sebastien discussed Trezor's efforts to balance simplicity and functionality, adapting to user needs while maintaining core principles despite market and regulatory pressures.
Expanding Asset Self-Management and Trezor's Mission
Trezor is the company that created hardware wallets. We were the first to create hardware wallets and invent this concept. I think the focus has been, for example, we want to provide a more accessible product for asset self-management. I think we have many initiatives around this, one called Trezor Academy, mainly focusing on Africa these days, where we come and educate people there about asset self-management.
We are also looking at Trezor experts. We have had some people at our booth at conferences. They are there to support newcomers to the asset self-management journey and experienced users wanting to explore more advanced features.
We want to help people own their keys and assets while keeping asset self-management simple and awesome.
Balancing Minimalism and Functionality in Wallet Design
I think this is also related to how we can attract more early users to the product. I mean, we try to keep everything open-source, transparent, and accessible to everyone, so they can see what the product has to offer and build on that hardware.
There's also an idea about creating products that allow access to cryptocurrencies. So, newcomers, and new adopters, is a good product to explain that. You can buy with Fiat and your first cryptocurrency to Trezor, and we have this product in our Trezor suite, software interacting with the hardware.
Our main idea here is always prioritizing user needs, and that's how we explore new initiatives, new features we want to add to our product.
Collaboration Strategy: User Needs and Market Trends
So, we really always prioritize user needs, so we listen and understand what users are actually looking for, what they want to see in the wallet, and to some extent, the community in general. I think, from my personal perspective and on the roadmap, I think that DeFi asset self-management is something we want to explore further, clearly new chains, but also based on our users' needs and requirements.
I think we also want to maintain transparency, and that's also why we listen to what users want. But we also have to understand what the market is offering and what new trends are. So, we also listen to the market in general and see which direction we will choose. But let's wait and see. We have some new things coming up. And we are very excited about that.
Legal Pressure, Privacy, and Core Values
I think Trezor's mindset has always been around asset self-management as a human right, so we must keep that in mind. What we try to do with non-management is maintain privacy and transparency for our users, the community in general, and potential newcomers.
So, it relates again to the previous question, partners integrated into the product, if needed, to comply with any new regulatory frameworks out there. We have features like on and off ramps, allowing newcomers to buy cryptocurrencies in the wallet.
Integration and Technical Evolution: Identity, MPC, and Account Abstraction
You have the traditional method, existing with Trezor Keep metal, which is the basic initialization phrase you physically store. So, that's a process that has existed for a while. Now, I think we've launched a new standard called SLIP 39, which is a very interesting approach, simplifying the Mnemonics concept, and how to split the phrase and easily recover while maintaining asset self-management across multiple devices.
Personal Reflection and the Future of Asset Self-Management
So, at a personal level, I think asset self-management is the beginning of freedom beyond human rights, and that's what we want to continue pursuing, regardless of all the changes in the industry and all the new regulatory frameworks that exist. I think there are ways to maintain that and keep the core values that the company has always had.
