Aptos (CRYPTO: APT) is expanding its scope beyond traditional crypto verticals like DeFi and NFTs, with a growing focus on real-world consumer applications, particularly in payments, HR systems and micro-credit.

That's according to Ash Pampati, Head of Ecosystem at the Aptos Foundation, who spoke in an interview with Benzinga about where the Layer 1 network is aiming to differentiate itself.

"We feel there are two evergreen areas that will last forever: trading and payments," Pampati said.

While trading spans both crypto-native and traditional assets, Pampati emphasized the potential of blockchain to fundamentally reshape how money moves and how services are built for consumers around the world.

"You can open up micro-streaming payments, remittance, cross-border transfers," he said. "We're already seeing founders build native HR payroll software fully on-chain or extend credit networks to emerging markets."

He added that such applications are not just rebrands of legacy models, but entirely new structures only feasible because of on-chain architecture.

In addition to payments and credit, Aptos is increasingly focused on decentralized infrastructure, particularly where it can solve longstanding Web2 data bottlenecks.

Pampati said one of the biggest barriers to blockchain adoption in areas like social media and content streaming is the lack of usable, composable data. "We're working on how to unlock that data so big networks or dApps can actually be fully powered on-chain."

This product-oriented vision comes as Aptos pushes to carve out competitive territory in a landscape increasingly dominated by Ethereum L2s, modular blockchains and fast-rising alternatives like Solana.

According to Pampati, Aptos's architecture allows it to handle enterprise-grade performance requirements and consumer-grade user experience expectations simultaneously.

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"When you have the fastest, most performant, high throughput L1 integrating a stablecoin, you automatically have the cheapest and most efficient dollar on the internet," he said, referencing Aptos's integration with the Hong Kong dollar (e-HKD) and support for other stablecoins like USDC.

The foundation's efforts are also gaining traction in the real-world asset (RWA) sector.

Pampati noted that Aptos currently ranks among the top four chains by RWA total value locked (TVL), even ahead of Solana in that category.

"What we're really focused on is the utilization of those assets in native Web3 use cases," he said, adding that Aptos plans to onboard Aave, one of the largest DeFi money markets, in the coming months, its first expansion beyond EVM chains.

While many blockchains position themselves as general-purpose networks, Aptos is explicitly focused on long-term adoption scenarios where billions of users could eventually be onboarded.

"We've had 99% uptime since launch. Our CEO and founding team are obsessed with performance. They built blockchain systems at Meta to support billion-user apps," Pampati said.

He added that the network's focus on reliability is critical to standing out. "We're here for the future. Institutions have signaled they trust us, the network and the team. That kind of equity takes time to build."

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