Georgios Vlachos on Axelar, Interoperability, and Crypto’s Transformative Power | Ep. 387

In an exclusive interview with Cryptonews.com, Georgios Vlachos, co-founder of Axelar Protocol, discussed his journey from studying computer science at MIT to co-founding Axelar, a leading interoperability platform for Web3.

From his early work at Algorand to Axelar’s role in bridging blockchains and connecting on- and off-chain systems, Vlachos shed light on the challenges and opportunities in blockchain technology and its potential to transform financial systems globally.

From Algorand to Axelar: Georgios Vlachos on Building for a Multi-Chain Future

Q: You played a significant role in building Algorand. What inspired you to start Axelar, and how does it address today’s blockchain challenges?

Vlachos explained that Axelar was born out of a need to connect disparate blockchain ecosystems.

“At Algorand, we quickly realized that onboarding users was a challenge, especially when most liquidity was locked in Ethereum’s DeFi ecosystem. While bridges offered a partial solution, we wanted to go further—creating a universal connectivity layer for the entire blockchain space.”

The vision for Axelar was shaped by the belief that multiple blockchains specializing in unique use cases would dominate the future.

“We had high conviction that no single blockchain could scale to meet global demand. Even Ethereum requires multiple Layer-2s to scale, and with the rise of AI agents generating massive transaction volumes, the need for scalable, interoperable solutions is only growing.”

Axelar’s innovative hub-and-spoke architecture connects blockchains through a central hub, offering many-to-many connectivity. This approach eliminates the inefficiencies of pairwise bridges while enhancing security.

“By decentralizing our validator set, we removed the single point of failure that plagued many early interoperability solutions. Today, Axelar connects 69+ chains, enabling seamless asset transfers and cross-chain communication.”

The Importance of Crypto in Developing Economies

Q: You’ve spoken passionately about crypto’s role in countries with unstable banking systems. How do you see this playing out in regions like Argentina or Greece?

Having grown up in Greece during its financial crisis, Vlachos has a personal connection to the transformative potential of crypto.

“I witnessed firsthand how families were locked out of their savings overnight when banks froze accounts. It’s why I’m passionate about giving people access to sound money and financial tools.”

Axelar’s partnerships with ecosystems like TON and Telegram aim to bring these tools to underserved regions.

“With Telegram’s wallet integration, users can access stablecoins and, eventually, tokenized savings accounts directly on their phones. Imagine someone in a developing country earning yield on tokenized treasuries instead of watching their savings erode due to inflation. That’s the kind of impact we’re striving for.”

Vlachos emphasized that while crypto’s infrastructure is critical, its real success lies in its applications.

“If all we achieve is providing sound money and savings accounts to billions of people, we’ve succeeded. That’s the promise of crypto—empowering individuals in ways traditional systems cannot.”

Interoperability, Real-World Assets, and the Future of Web3

Q: What makes Axelar’s approach to interoperability unique, and how does it support real-world asset tokenization (RWAs)?

“RWAs like tokenized treasuries or stablecoins need to be accessible across multiple chains because applications live on different chains,” Vlachos explained. Axelar simplifies this process by enabling developers to deploy assets on all connected chains with a single integration.

“Instead of spending months integrating with each blockchain, developers can use Axelar’s no-code tools to deploy assets everywhere seamlessly.”

This connectivity also plays a crucial role in onboarding institutions.

“Institutions like Deutsche Bank and MasterCard are exploring blockchain solutions, but they need interoperability to connect private and public chains. Axelar’s programmable interoperability layer allows them to customize their connections, ensuring security and scalability.”

Q: You’ve mentioned that AI agents could become the biggest users of blockchains. How do you see the intersection of AI and crypto evolving?

“AI agents will likely dominate blockchain usage in the future,” Vlachos said.

“These agents will need on-chain systems to hold funds, execute transactions, and interact autonomously. Blockchains provide the transparency and composability AI systems require. As AI adoption grows, so will the demand for interoperable, scalable blockchain solutions.”

Georgios Vlachos’ Vision for Blockchain’s Role in the World

Reflecting on Axelar’s mission, Vlachos emphasized the broader implications of blockchain technology.

“Crypto adoption is inevitable because it solves inefficiencies in existing systems. The question isn’t whether it will be adopted but how quickly we can accelerate that process.”

Watch the full interview here.

About Georgios Vlachos

Georgios Vlachos, Co-Founder of Axelar protocol and director at Axelar Foundation. Georgios received his BSc and MS Eng. in computer science at MIT. After graduation, he became part of the Algorand founding team, where he worked on the design and development of the consensus protocol and other core components. While in high school, Georgios became the first Greek to win a gold Medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad.