After making waves with its debut on Binance Launchpool and Binance Alpha, Huma Finance is positioning itself as a pioneer in the emerging PayFi (Payment Finance) space. By enabling global payment networks to tap into DeFi-powered stablecoin liquidity, Huma is unlocking real-world applications for decentralized finance. Backed by notable names like Solana Foundation, Circle, HashKey Capital, and the Stellar Development Foundation, and operating across multiple blockchains, Huma is driving the next evolution of real-world assets (RWA) in DeFi.
In this exclusive Binance News interview, the Huma Finance team shares insights into their technology, tokenomics, compliance roadmap, and how they're closing the gap between traditional finance and the decentralized future.
1: Congratulations on your Binance Launchpool listing. What did this milestone represent for your team and community?
A: Being listed on Binance Launchpool gave us immediate access to tens of millions of users. It accelerated the decentralization of the $HUMA token and validated our PayFi model at the highest industry level. The listing marked the beginning of an era of rapid growth—more partners, deeper liquidity, increased participation, and compounding network effects across our ecosystem.
2: You’re the first project to launch on both Binance Alpha and Launchpool. What strategic value did this dual exposure deliver?
A: Binance Alpha helped us connect with sophisticated funds and researchers, while Launchpool placed $HUMA directly into retail users’ wallets. Together, they collapsed the awareness-to-adoption funnel, allowing us to achieve both institutional and grassroots traction within a single launch window.
3: Let’s get into your core innovation. What exactly is PayFi, and why is it a breakthrough in DeFi?
A: PayFi—coined by Solana Foundation Chair Lily Liu—is a new financial paradigm that merges payments with DeFi. It turns the time value of money into a programmable, tokenized, and liquid market. Institutions can access stablecoin liquidity on-chain to accelerate cross-border and card settlements. The liquidity fees are then converted into real, sustainable yield, regardless of crypto market cycles. This unlocks a scalable DeFi-native yield asset with true utility.
4: How does Huma’s model help institutions settle real-world payments using DeFi liquidity?
A: Traditional financial systems are outdated and inefficient. Whether it's long delays in supplier payments, remittance costs, or card settlement bottlenecks—real-world inefficiencies harm everyone. Huma fixes this with 24/7 global settlement powered by DeFi. We've already processed over $4.5 billion in transactions using this model, helping businesses unlock working capital and dramatically improve cash flow.
5: Real-time payments are central to Huma’s mission. How do your smart contracts handle this while ensuring security and compliance?
A: Our smart contracts manage liquidity provision, reward distribution, borrower obligations, and $HUMA token integrations within the DeFi ecosystem. To ensure safety:
Admin privileges are minimized, ensuring no admin can move user funds.
Top-tier audits: Huma 2.0 was audited by Halborn, with additional audits from Spearbit (EVM), Certora (Stellar Soroban), and more.
Live bug bounty programs: Run with Cantina/Spearbit.
Operational security: Continuous monitoring and penetration testing are in place.
Legal structure: Huma 2.0 operates offshore to allow compliant yet permissionless participation. We're now working toward a U.S.-based regulatory framework to become one of the first compliant DeFi protocols in the U.S.
6: What are the utilities of the $HUMA token beyond governance?
A: $HUMA has three primary utilities:
Incentives: Used for LP and ecosystem rewards, driving liquidity and engagement.
Value Accrual: The Huma Foundation is designing mechanisms for redistributing protocol revenue to token holders, ensuring long-term ecosystem sustainability.
Ecosystem Currency: $HUMA will enable advanced features like real-time redemption, serving as a native utility token within the protocol.
7: Over 30% of $HUMA’s supply is allocated to ecosystem growth. How will this be distributed?
A: We're following a deflationary quarterly release model. The second airdrop (~2.1% of total supply) is scheduled ~3 months after TGE. Thereafter, quarterly emissions will decay by 7%, subject to governance adjustments based on protocol momentum and market conditions.
8: You’ve deployed on Solana, Ethereum, and Stellar. Why a multi-chain approach—and what challenges come with it?
A: Each chain offers unique advantages:
Solana: High throughput, low latency, and deep stablecoin liquidity—perfect for real-time payments.
Stellar: Built for payments and connected to traditional banking rails via anchors.
Ethereum: Offers broad DeFi composability and institutional familiarity.
The challenge is maintaining and securing multiple contract versions (Solana, EVM, Stellar), but the benefits of wider adoption and ecosystem integration outweigh the overhead.
9: You’ve partnered with major players like Solana, Visa, and Circle. How do these relationships shape your long-term strategy?
A: Early partnerships, especially with Circle, allowed us to build on credible, compliant infrastructure. Solana’s support helped us integrate with key DeFi apps like Jupiter and Kamino, placing us at the heart of the PayFi narrative. These relationships boost both our legitimacy and our access to Tier-1 traditional finance partners.
10: What specific benefits do Solana and Stellar bring to your ecosystem?
A: Solana: Enables internet-scale capital markets, real-time payments via Solana Pay, and near-instant finality—critical for PayFi.
Stellar: Offers seamless integration with fiat rails and global remittance networks through anchors, perfect for borderless payment infrastructure.
11: Post-listing, how has $HUMA performed in the market—and what excites users the most?
A: Adoption surged after listing on top exchanges. Many users are now staking $HUMA to signal long-term conviction. There’s strong enthusiasm around PayFi's future, especially after the Circle IPO, which validated the sector’s real-world relevance. Our community is excited about being early participants in what could be DeFi’s next big category.
12: How are you growing and engaging the Huma community? Are DAO or ambassador programs in the works?
A: We’re scaling both the breadth and depth of our community:
Breadth: Integrations with top Wallet and Earn platforms aim to 100x the user base.
Depth: Product updates will provide stakers with unique benefits, while community members will be invited to participate in protocol governance and strategic decisions.
13: Regulation is heating up. How is Huma staying compliant while remaining decentralized?
A: Compliance is non-negotiable, especially given our institutional partnerships.
Huma Institutional uses tokenized PayFi assets under Switzerland’s DLT Act.
Huma 2.0 enables AML compliance through a Chainalysis integration.
We’ve also engaged top-tier legal advisors to guide regulatory navigation in the U.S., Asia, and beyond.
14: What’s next for Huma? Can you share highlights from your roadmap and expansion plans?
A: TGE was just the start. Here’s a snapshot of our upcoming roadmap:
2025 Q2
Launch $HUMA staking
Global Dollar Network integration
2025 Q3
Unified experience for PST and staking on Huma DApp
Launch priority redemption and HUMA governance
Deeper integration into Solana DeFi
Surpass $5B in cumulative transaction volume
2025 Q4
Real-time card settlement launch
Make PST omnichain
Announce major TradFi partnership
Cross $10B in transaction volume
2026 H1
Secure licenses in US, SG, HK, UAE, CH
Launch Treasury Companion for payment providers
Reach $20B+ cumulative volume
2026 H2
Enable real-time FX settlements into stablecoins or fiat
Surpass $40B in total transaction volume
