Brighty is a crypto-native digital finance app that enables users to manage, exchange, and spend both traditional fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies using linked, everyday payment cards. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Brighty co-founder and CTO Nick Denisenko to learn more.
Nick Denisenko’s Background
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Could you tell me more about your background? Denisenko said:
“I started as a developer — programming has always genuinely fascinated me, not just as a career but as a way of thinking. I was one of the early engineers at Revolut, which was a formative experience. Being part of a company growing at incredible speed while continuously raising its product quality taught me what world-class fintech looks like. Before Revolut, I worked in IT consulting implementing systems for the financial sector, which gave me a deep grounding in accounting and financial infrastructure — a real head start when I eventually moved into fintech.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Denisenko shared:
“While at Revolut, I noticed that crypto remittances were booming — people were beginning to use crypto not just for investment but for paying salaries and making daily purchases. But the existing DeFi solutions were far too complex for ordinary users. Only crypto enthusiasts and technically skilled people could navigate them; everyone else struggled. I saw a clear gap: a user-friendly hybrid platform that could bridge fiat and crypto seamlessly. The vast majority of our engineering team came from Revolut and other notable fintechs, where we learned to obsess over UX and UI, so we were well positioned to solve exactly that problem.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Denisenko reflected:
“Early on, I reviewed our support message. It was invaluable. One of those conversations revealed something that reshaped our entire product direction — users wanted the simplest possible way to move between fiat and crypto instead of the most sophisticated technology. That insight, coming directly from a real user, became the foundation of what Brighty is today. It’s a small memory, but it captures everything I believe about building products close to reality.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Denisenko explained:
“At its core, Brighty is a hybrid digital finance platform combining crypto and fiat currencies. Users can receive salaries in stablecoins, spend via a debit card, convert between currencies, and save — all in one place.”
“We operate a freemium model: basic services are free, with paid Plus and Pro tiers unlocking higher yields on crypto deposits, more favorable exchange terms, crypto asset insurance, risk assessment of external wallets, crypto tax reports, and one-time wallets for online payments.”
“We’ve also launched a B2B platform targeting corporate payments and institutional investors in both traditional and crypto markets. On the AI side, we offer a portfolio management feature that categorises stocks by theme and handles daily rebalancing automatically.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector recently, and how did you overcome them? Denisenko acknowledged:
“Regulation is the defining challenge in our space, and specifically the EU’s MiCA framework. It brings higher operational costs and stricter reporting requirements, but we made a deliberate decision from day one to invest heavily in legal and compliance rather than treat it as a cost to minimise. The compliance process for obtaining a licence is already underway.”
“Many competitors tried to cut corners there and ended up spending ten times more fixing problems — or closing entirely. We see our compliance posture as a strategic asset. MiCA is also reshaping the stablecoin landscape; USDC may increasingly substitute USDT across Europe as major exchanges adjust, and we’re positioning ourselves ahead of that shift.”
“Fraud is another ongoing challenge — we use AI-driven behavioral pattern analysis to detect suspicious transactions while keeping the experience smooth for legitimate users. We’ve even partnered with the Lithuanian Ministry of Education to help educate students about the risks of financial fraud and account misuse.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Denisenko noted:
“We’ve come a long way from a straightforward crypto-fiat bridge. A good example of how our thinking has evolved is our recently launched cashback program for VISA and MasterCard cards. On the surface it sounds like a simple rewards feature, but the engineering behind it reflects a much more mature product philosophy.”
“Rather than the industry norm of locking users into platform tokens or complex staking mechanisms to earn rewards, we built a dynamic, tiered system that adapts to how people actually spend. Free users earn from day one, and paid plan users can unlock boosted categories — up to 1.75% back on the Pro plan — that shift month to month based on their real spending patterns. A digital nomad can prioritise travel one month and switch to groceries the next. That kind of personalisation at scale requires meaningful infrastructure work underneath.”
“More broadly, we’ve also added AI-powered fraud monitoring, an AI portfolio management engine that handles daily rebalancing across themed stock categories, corporate expense management tools, and most recently a full B2B platform for institutional and corporate clients. Throughout all of it, the standard we hold ourselves to hasn’t changed: every new capability has to make the product genuinely simpler to use, not just longer in the feature list.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Denisenko cited:
“We’ve surpassed 250,000 registrations. In December 2024 we closed a $10 million funding round, bringing total funding to $16.3 million. Launching the B2B corporate payments platform was a major step in diversifying beyond our B2C base.”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Denisenko highlighted:
“Our data tells a compelling story about how users actually engage with the platform. Customers receiving salaries in stablecoins typically spend around 60% of their funds and save 40% — the average crypto earner deposits $3,500, spends $1,550 monthly, and saves $1,950. That saving behavior is meaningful; these aren’t just transactional users, they’re building financial stability through the platform. The fact that 18% of our users also hold Revolut accounts shows we’re serving people who are genuinely embedded in the broader digital finance ecosystem.”
Funding/Revenue
Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Denisenko revealed:
“We closed a $10 million round in December 2024. We don’t disclose valuation. On the revenue side, we monetize through interchange fees on card usage, interest income from lending, and subscriptions for premium accounts — a model that mirrors proven neobank approaches while adding crypto-native yield products on top.”
Total Addressable Market (TAM)
What total addressable market (TAM) is the company pursuing? Denisenko assessed:
“The global fintech sector is projected to reach $124.3 billion by 2025, and the crypto market is set for significant further growth as adoption broadens and regulatory frameworks become clearer. Within that, we’re focused on specific high-value segments: cross-border freelancers, digital nomads, and migrants who need seamless international payment solutions — groups that are genuinely underserved by traditional banks. We believe Europe is the place where Brighty can provide the most immediate value.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Denisenko affirmed:
“Three things. First, we go deeper on crypto UX than almost anyone in the crypto space — our engineering culture comes from Revolut, where exceptional user experience is non-negotiable. Second, we serve a specific and underserved customer: the crypto earner, the international freelancer, the migrant. We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. Third, we’ve made compliance a genuine competitive advantage rather than a burden. In a regulated industry, trust is everything, and our legal infrastructure opens markets and protects users in ways that shortcuts simply can’t.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Denisenko concluded:
“Longer term, the goal is to become the default financial platform for anyone whose life or work sits at the intersection of crypto and traditional finance — a population that is only growing.”
