Together with Lilia Malikova, marketing manager of Bitget in the CIS, journalists discussed in detail the main trends at the intersection of Web3 and TradFi.
ForkLog (FL): In recent years, exchanges have been moving into the territory of classic brokers. What was behind this decision specifically for Bitget?
Lilia Malikova (LM): On the one hand, our goal is to keep the user and assets within one ecosystem so that a person doesn’t have to move to a bunch of other apps. On the other hand, we see a real demand: people don’t want to just trade crypto, they want to build a broader portfolio.
This is a logical step in development, where we look at the market in a broader way, closing financial needs on one universal platform.
FL: Who in the CIS market is most interested in new instruments right now?
Л. M.: In the CIS, most of the audience are those who came to crypto a few years ago, survived the cycles and now want the financial result to depend not only on crypto. Our target audience already lives in a digital environment and is simply looking for expanded tools.
At the same time, traders from traditional brokers are also coming, who see how fast, technological and convenient everything is with us.
FL: Users are used to the volatility of memcoins and easy Xs. What challenges do you face in offering them classic stocks and indices?
Л. M.: Crypto audiences are used to fast movements, so buying stocks often seems uninteresting to the new generation because of slow market movements.
Here we just change the angle of the pitch: we don’t propose to completely replace crypto with stocks, but to give them a tool to safely survive the bear cycle.
In general, it is not so important for traders what exactly to trade, the main thing is to balance risks effectively.
FL: What business goal is behind the integration of the MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platform ?
Л. M.: MT5 is a familiar environment for a huge number of professional traders, and the first goal is to open the door to the crypto exchange for them.
The second goal is to give our current crypto users an alternative interface that accommodates more metrics and algorithms. We didn’t change the main Bitget app much, we just seamlessly expanded the ecosystem by adding a TradFi button.
FL: MT5is associated with algo trading. Is there a spillover of users running forex robots in the crypto market?
Л. M.: There is interest, and since MT5 is historically associated with complex strategies, we are noticing a peak in the use of robots by advanced traders. However, the crypto market is different in terms of movement patterns, so algorithms are not transferred one-to-one, and it is impossible to simply copy old forex code.
We don’t think that everyone will move to algo trading en masse, it’s just another convenient window for experienced users.
FL: Bitget has introduced contracts for price difference (CFDs). What traditional asset classes are generating the most interest in the CIS?
Л. M.: The most popular assets in all regions are gold, oil, and classic indices. Gold in the CIS is traditionally perceived as a protective asset, while indices attract traders because they are very volatile on macro news.
US equities are the least attention right now, people mostly prefer the S&P 500 and other fundamental instruments.
FL: What are the risks of CFD contracts and can a large-scale market crash like in October 2025 happen again?
Л. M.: The risk is high, especially if you go into this instrument for quick Xs: leverage works both ways, and a mistake is very painful. Our main task is to explain the mechanics of margins and liquidations to users, because CFDs are designed exclusively for mature traders. At the same time, gold will not fall by 90% in a few hours, unlike altcoins, and the probability of the contract price being decoupled from the real asset is extremely minimal.
FL: How effective is artificial intelligence for trading cryptocurrencies?
Л. M.: The main misconception is that AI will become a “dough button” – there is no miracle here, it simply analyzes deep layers of data and helps make decisions faster.
AI is good at giving a quick answer amidst information noise, forming a plan itself and reminding about risks. But the final responsibility for the transaction and understanding of risk management in any case lies with the trader himself.
FL: Tell me what GetClaw is and how it works.
Л. M.: It is an AI-agent that allows you to manage your exchange account directly in a chat format in Telegram via API-key, without authorization in the application. You can check your balance directly in chat or give a text command to buy, sell and withdraw assets from the staking.
I think this is the future of the whole industry, when it will be these agents, not the people themselves, who will be trading through the platform.
FL: Are AI-based tools being used internally?
Л. M.: In order to consistently stay at the top of the market, we have to accelerate with AI: the initial draft of content and creatives is already generated through neural networks. We also partially automate the helpdesk, where the first filter of requests is done by an algorithm, plus we use AI for marketing analytics.
At the same time, sensitive legal communications and public position always remain the personal responsibility of the team.
FL: Why did people suddenly start trading in prediction markets en masse, and why do you need AI analytics there?
Л. M.: Prediction markets have become a very human kind of trading: the user doesn’t need to know wave analysis, they just bet the way they feel themselves.
AI analytics is needed here mainly to help structure information and not to drown in the huge info-noise around world events. Artificial intelligence gathers context, but the final investment decision is still on the user’s side.
FL: Will crypto exchanges be able to completely replace classic banks and retail brokers in the future?
Л. M.: Our exchange has an ambitious goal: to take 40% of the traditional finance market by 2030, and thanks to fiat cryptocurrencies we will really be able to replace banks.
In the future, the ideal user portfolio will include a core core (bitcoin, equities, gold) and a risk layer of altcoins. Tactical TradFi tools will give traders stability, so people will have more complex and robust portfolios.
