Article Author: 0x9999in1

Source: Me

The Web3 strategies and layouts of publicly listed companies have become a hot topic of increasing public interest. Against this backdrop, ME officially launches the “Executive Interviews with Crypto Concept Stocks” series. We will engage with those business leaders who dare to lead in the wave of digital transformation, exploring their strategic layouts, business innovations, and financial innovations through the first-person perspectives of decision-makers, providing forward-looking insights for industry participants.

This interview focuses on Benjamin Zhai, CEO of Robo.ai (Nasdaq: AIIO), and Wang Hao, CFA, Senior Executive Officer of Changer.ae. As the only smart manufacturing and new energy technology company listed on the Nasdaq in the UAE, Robo.ai collaborates with digital asset custody service provider Changer.ae, “a virtual asset service provider (VASP) licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM),” to become the first smart manufacturing enterprise in the Middle East to support stablecoin transactions. This article will delve into the strategic logic, transformation vision, and future potential behind the collaboration through the insights of the two guests, showcasing the transformative power of the integration of smart manufacturing and crypto finance.

Career Trajectory: Seeking Infinite Progress in Their Fields

Benjamin Zhai's career spans multiple countries, always closely following the pulse of China's economic and technological transformation. He shared, “My career has always revolved around major industry changes in China, and I have been very fortunate to hit several key milestones.” From working in domestic state-owned enterprises to immigrating to Australia in the 1990s to attend business school, and then to multinational management consulting firms, Benjamin Zhai has accumulated extensive experience in the automotive, new energy, and high-tech sectors. He worked for 13 years at a top global headhunting firm, focusing on high-end talent acquisition, participating in the early entrepreneurial growth of technology companies such as NIO, Mobike, New Stone Age Autonomous Vehicles, Canoo, and Fiture, earning the title of “Father of Talent Investment” in China. After joining Robo.ai in 2025, he has driven the company's transformation towards globalization and intelligence, serving as CEO and leading the company towards becoming a smart technology platform.

Wang Hao outlined his career path in finance, from studying in Tianjin to working in investment banking and brokerage in Tokyo, and then focusing on buy-side investments in Singapore, covering secondary markets and private equity. He shared, “I entered the blockchain industry in 2020 and found that the industry was a mixed bag at that time, with no compliant and reliable platform for simple transactions.” This became his motivation to delve deeply into blockchain. After joining Changer.ae in 2024, he is committed to building a secure and efficient financial service ecosystem to address the access challenges of traditional finance. He stated, “Third-world countries need simple and secure financial services; while developed financial centers require more complex and comprehensive products.”

Strategic Alignment: Complementary Needs Under UAE Advantages

The collaboration between the two parties began by chance, stemming from their complementary needs and the unique advantages of the UAE. Benjamin Zhai stated, “We have a large number of automotive and smart hardware clients, and the UAE is one of the most prosperous regions for blockchain, Web3, and digital currencies. Our collaboration with Changer.ae is not just a combination of stablecoins, but also a synergy between ecosystems.” Robo.ai has transformed from a new energy vehicle company into a smart manufacturing enterprise. Benjamin Zhai expressed, “In the face of fierce global market competition, Robo.ai chooses to leverage the UAE's geographical advantages (friendly global cooperation and strong cultural inclusiveness) along with the capital and supply chain resources of a US-listed company to form core competitiveness.” This collaboration combines Robo.ai's customer resources with the innovative soil of the UAE, exploring the integration of smart manufacturing and Web3.

Wang Hao added from a financial perspective, “The foundation of the collaboration is deep trust between both parties, and Robo.ai's clear vision for the future complements our group's financial service ecosystem.” He emphasized that stablecoins have entered the stage of industrial application, “From the first issuance of stablecoins in 2016 to Circle becoming the second-largest stablecoin in 2019, the technology has matured significantly. We are now entering the commercial model stage, and the combination of Robo.ai's smart manufacturing with our financial services can create benchmark cases and instill confidence in other enterprises.”

A New Chapter of Transformation: Robo.ai's Brand Renewal

This collaboration marks Robo.ai's transformation from new energy vehicles to a smart technology platform. Benjamin Zhai elaborated on three strategic directions: Smart Mobility, Smart Device, and Smart Contract. He stated, “These three directions are distilled by our management team based on a new company strategy, and the board expects me, as CEO, to drive the company's transformation and upgrade. New energy vehicles are no longer novel globally; Robo.ai needs to shift from new energy vehicles to smart cars, autonomous vehicles, and even explore integrated smart mobility across air and land.” He mentioned the smart unmanned mobility equipment project Astra and future plans for air taxis, emphasizing, “We will integrate unmanned vehicles, drones, and even aerial mobility into smart devices to create smart mobility scenarios.”

Wang Hao added from a financial perspective, “The foundation of the collaboration is deep trust, and ROBOAI's clear vision for the future complements our group's financial service ecosystem.” He emphasized that stablecoins have entered the stage of industrial application, “From the first issuance of stablecoins in 2018 to Circle becoming the second-largest stablecoin today, the overall technological system of the stablecoin industry has matured significantly. We are now entering the commercial model stage, and ROBOAI's smart manufacturing combined with our financial services can create benchmark cases and instill confidence in other enterprises.”

Stablecoin Driven: Reshaping Transaction and Industrial Models

In response to the hot topic of “How do stablecoins reshape financial services?”, Wang Hao distilled three major advantages of stablecoins: low fees, high timeliness, and cost savings. He stated, “Stablecoin transaction fees can be reduced by over 90%, and transactions can be completed within ten minutes, significantly saving capital costs.” This addresses the long clearing cycles and high financing risks of traditional finance, especially effective in cross-border trade.

Benjamin Zhai analyzed the scenario potential of stablecoins from an industrial perspective: “Stablecoins must be integrated with the real economy, covering scenarios such as travel, delivery, manufacturing, and sales. Our collaboration with Changer.ae starts from the payment aspect and can expand into areas like robot taxis and digital employees in the future. Can we have robot taxis help us mine or provide services? These are all possibilities.” He believes that the acceptance of stablecoins is about to reach a turning point, and Robo.ai will explore more innovative scenarios through this.

Security and Compliance: Strengthening the Foundation of Financial Services

Regarding digital asset security and compliance, Wang Hao introduced Changer.ae's three layers of protection: self-developed custody and wallet technology, compliance with the FSRA regulatory requirements of the UAE ADGM, and the introduction of financial insurance to address risks. This provides funding security and transaction stability for clients like ROBOAI. He emphasized that technological innovation and regulation need to be advanced in coordination, ensuring compliance through communication with regulatory bodies.

In response to this topic, Benjamin Zhai readily expressed his agreement and added his observations on the regulatory environment in the UAE: “The UAE has clear bottom lines but no upper limits; the regulatory bottom lines are clear while providing significant space for innovation. This provides solid support for our collaboration.” He believes that this environment provides a unique soil for the integration of Robo.ai and Changer.ae.

Far-reaching Significance: A Milestone Towards the Virtual World

For ordinary users, the collaboration between the two companies seems more like “an additional payment method,” but what is the deeper value? Benjamin Zhai stated, “This collaboration is a beginning, but also a milestone, marking the transformation and upgrade of Robo.ai. It is not only significant for us but will also create long-term value for clients, investors, and ecosystem partners.” He emphasized that this is an important step for Robo.ai to move from the physical world to the financial and virtual worlds.

Wang Hao viewed this collaboration from the perspective of users and the market, sharing, “Stablecoins are not just payment tools; they are levers to unlock market space. Just like Alipay did 20 years ago, changing shopping channels, stablecoins provide low-cost and efficient financial services for 80% of the expatriate population in the UAE, expanding the global customer base.” He further pointed out, “This could give rise to a new global payment system, attracting more enterprises to join the digital economy ecosystem of the UAE.”

Envisioning the Future: Deep Integration of Smart Technology and Finance

Looking ahead to Robo.ai's long-term goals in the integration of smart technology and financial technology, Benjamin Zhai is full of confidence: “We are at a juncture of favorable timing, geographical advantages, and human resources. Leveraging the innovative environment of the UAE and global supply chain advantages, Robo.ai will have immense imaginative space. In addition to new energy vehicles, we will also explore robot taxis, other smart products, and multi-scenario smart mobility.” He emphasized that by integrating Web3 technology, Robo.ai will create a comprehensive technology platform, promoting deep integration between smart manufacturing and finance.

Wang Hao focused on the goals for the coming year: “We will first streamline the channels, ensuring funding security and smooth processes, and then promote standardization and replicability to create industry benchmarks.” He added, “This is not only about business implementation but can also serve as a regulatory case and a reference for academic courses, attracting more enterprises to establish themselves in the UAE and co-create a new ecosystem for global payments and financial services.”

Conclusion

The collaboration between Robo.ai and Changer.ae is a clever encounter between smart manufacturing and crypto finance, and it is also a bridge between the physical and digital worlds as described by Benjamin Zhai. Leveraging the UAE's open regulatory environment and geographical advantages, both parties are exploring collaborative innovations in smart mobility, devices, and contracts through stablecoins. This is not only a milestone in Robo.ai's transformation towards a smart technology platform but also a pioneering example of the integration of industry and finance in the digital economy era. In the future, as scenarios expand and ecosystems flourish, this collaboration will inject significant momentum into the global Web3 and smart technology landscape.

Robo.ai Official Website: www.roboai.io