The Next Generation of Crypto Wallets | ChangeNOW, MetaMask & Trezor

 

In this episode of The White Papers, The Block's Kelvin Sparks is joined by representatives from MetaMask, ChangeNOW and Trezor to explore the evolution of crypto wallets, the challenges of balancing security and usability, and the rise of AI-powered transactions.

 

 

In recent years, crypto wallets have evolved from simple storage solutions into complex, multifaceted asset management platforms. Many now combine trading, yield generation, payments and other financial services on a single platform. As their products grow in complexity, however, wallet developers face a challenge: making crypto more accessible without compromising security.

In episode 10 of The White Papers, recorded at Token2049 in Singapore, The Block's Kelvin Sparks sat down with Francesco Andreoli, Head of Developer Relations at MetaMask, Yana Mar, Head of B2B and Partnerships at crypto super app ChangeNOW, and Denis Rojčyk, Software Product Lead at Trezor, to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the next generation of wallet providers.

Andreoli began by highlighting the growing user demand for a unified experience. Rather than connecting to numerous dApps and moving funds between platforms, users increasingly expect wallets to consolidate these activities within a single interface. MetaMask itself has integrated a range of features into its platform, from crosschain swaps to prediction markets (via a partnership with Polymarket).

ChangeNOW, meanwhile, has grown from a crypto exchange into a super app for users and a business platform for partners, with crosschain swaps remaining its core product. Private transfers, prediction markets and limit orders were added in response to user demand.

Mar added that a broader range of features needn’t bring additional complexity. She highlighted ChangeNOW’s efforts to simplify onboarding and abstract away the complexities of blockchain operations. "We do have this feature for swaps from USDT on Tron, where users don't have to pay the gas fee in TRX. [...] That solves a lot of problems for the users," Mar said.

As a hardware wallet manufacturer, Trezor caters to users with somewhat different expectations. These customers are often especially security-conscious, seeking to safeguard substantial holdings. Rojčyk explained that the company takes a highly selective approach to integrations. "We don't necessarily want to support everything because sometimes when we have a new chain, you cannot know what it will end up as," Rojčyk said.

Across all subsectors of crypto custody and trading, trust is a core concern. Prospective users might still have lingering doubts over the security of digital assets, a problem exacerbated by some high-profile wallet exploits this year. For Rojčyk, trust ultimately comes down to reputation and track record: "You need to earn it, basically," he said.

Asked what the future may bring, the panel agreed that artificial intelligence could transform the way users interact with blockchains and wallets. Andreoli highlighted how MetaMask is exploring agentic tools that could allow users to execute strategies through natural-language commands interacting with a wallet interface.

"We start to see [...] interesting use cases, like context-based trading with social sentiment [...] arbitrage between different platforms — centralized and decentralized exchanges," he said.

Rojčyk stressed the importance of retaining human control in this increasingly automated future, envisioning systems in which AI agents cue transactions based on user commands, with hardware wallets providing the final authorization step before any funds are transferred. 

"I don't think you would trust any agent with your wallet or anything like 100%, right?" he said.

Together, the three panelists painted a picture of a future in which self-custody extends far beyond simply holding digital assets. Expanding feature sets, AI-powered automation and seamless crosschain functionality could make crypto more accessible than ever before — the challenge is ensuring that security and user protections keep pace.

Yana Mar is Head of B2B and Partnerships at ChangeNOW, a crypto super app built for every crypto move, giving newcomers, professionals, and businesses the tools they need to access Web3 finance in a simple and secure way.

Francesco Andreoli is Head of Developer Relations at MetaMask. His work focuses on supporting Web3 developers and expanding the wallet's functionality across decentralized applications and emerging technologies.

Denis Rojčyk is Software Product Lead at Trezor. He oversees the company's mobile and desktop applications, focusing on usability, security and the development of new wallet features.