GR8 Tech evolution: Sergey Ghazaryan on crypto, clarity and the Champions Club

You’re moving on from your Heavyweight Club concept – in practice, what does the new ‘Champions Club’ actually mean for GR8 Tech? 

Heavyweight Club reflects how performance is earned, and how GR8 Tech plays in the “under pressure” end of the market. The concept was also inspired by our Ready to Fight partnership with Oleksandr Usyk. Champions Club takes that same idea and makes it bigger than boxing. It’s about champions in the wider sense: operators, product teams, traders, affiliates, leaders. Anyone building results across different arenas. So, Champions Club is simply the next chapter: same high-performance standard, broader relevance and more ways for operators to actually use it. 

You’ve talked about honesty being an integral part of GR8 Tech’s brand – how important is that to client relationships, particularly with regard to your role generating revenue? 

It’s everything. In this business, trust follows performance, and honesty gets you there faster. I’m explicit about trade-offs, costs and timing, and I’ll say no when something won’t pay back or isn’t a fit. That clarity aligns teams, filters the pipeline and speeds decisions, so we win the right deals and keep them. That’s stronger outcomes, longer relationships and revenue that grows because clients choose us again. In essence, it’s a question of mindset, and I will elaborate on this further in my Acceler8 Lab lecture at ICE Barcelona 2026. 

It’s easy to imagine the productivity benefits of honesty, but sometimes that must mean really difficult conversations too. Does that candid ethos sometimes mean that potentially exciting partnerships don’t progress?  

Yes, and that’s a feature. If a prospect isn’t ready to own outcomes, share data, make trade-offs and assign owners, we won’t be able to work together productively. “Exciting” partnerships are exciting because both sides take responsibility and move fast on the first substantial change. When that mindset’s there, we move it forward. When it’s not, we don’t start. It protects time, protects teams and keeps us available for partners who are ready to win.  

And presumably it works both ways. How important is it for you to be able to hear honest constructive feedback from your clients – is it more difficult to entrench culturally? 

It’s essential. If clients can’t tell us the hard truth, we’re left to guess, which is expensive. I want direct, constructive feedback because it shortens the path to results. We ask for it, evaluate it, act on it and deliver the solution. We make it safe and structured: speak in numbers, critique the work – not the person – and end every conversation with a decision, an owner and a deadline. 

What are the primary benefits to clients of your new Crypto Turnkey Platform? 

Crypto Turnkey gives operators many advantages. First, it meets the new norm. Cryptocurrencies, especially stablecoins, are now a mainstream payment method for many players. We make it native to your stack without taking anything away from fiat, so teams can run both side by side with the same KYC and RG controls. 

It also unlocks your most valuable audience. VIPs are roughly 1% of the base, yet they drive about 47% of turnover on our platform, and many of them prefer crypto. Give them the payment method they want, and you’ll win more of them and keep them. 

Crypto Turnkey puts control back in your hands. You’re not waiting on local PSP approvals or subject to sudden stops. You launch faster, keep deposits “always on” and expand where banking coverage is weak. 

What would you say to potential partners who still are cautious about going down the crypto route – are there instances where it’s not the right option for a client?  

We see crypto as an acceleration lever, but not a replacement. If your players prefer cards and bank transfers, nothing changes: Hyper Turnkey covers that. When you’re ready, you can switch on Crypto Turnkey alongside fiat, with the same KYC and responsible gaming controls. 

If volatility seems like a problem, we run stablecoins. That gives you the speed and global reach of crypto without price swings, while your compliance and risk stack stays intact. Stablecoins are now part of mainstream payments, backed and integrated by major fintechs and global brands. Waiting for local PSPs to catch up often means missing your window; going crypto-first lets you move now and layer in local fiat payments as the market proves out. 

Are there cases where crypto isn’t right on day one? Yes, if regulation blocks it, your audience is firmly fiat-only, or your team isn’t set up for wallet operations yet. In those situations, we start fiat, prove growth, and add crypto the moment it clearly improves speed, economics, or reach. The principle is to keep optionality, start where you are and enable crypto when it earns its place. 

So, there are new products and new concepts for 2026, but are there specific new markets you’re targeting for the early part of the new year? 

Yes, we’re leaning into Tier-2/3, with an early-2026 focus on MENA and LatAm. In parallel, we’ll push deeper localisation and platform speed, expand our data/AI tooling and focus Crypto Turnkey as a step towards payment independence. We’ll open the year at ICE Barcelona with Champions Club – the next evolution of our performance positioning.