ExtraMile by WisdomPlexus serves as a strategic initiative dedicated to demystifying technological advancements. By engaging with industry leaders and trendsetters, we provide extensive analyses of impactful trends and their practical implications, nurturing a deeper understanding of the aspects driving change across sectors. 

In this Q&A session, we are delighted to host Joey Bertschler, Chief Executive Officer of Volante Labs. The firm is a pioneer in blockchain-led fintech that is advancing traditional payroll methods with real-time salary access. Volante is also providing leading-edge integrations with fraud detection, AI-powered attendance verification, and tokenized transactions. 

With a thorough experience in transforming AI systems, financial tools, and IT infrastructure for various firms, Joey has become an impactful and visionary leader. As the CEO of Volante, he looks after achieving the company’s goal of decentralizing payroll and transforming wage access for global workers. 

Joey’s commitment to innovation has been a key aspect of Volante’s success. Let us understand his perspective on the changing fintech environment and Volante Labs’ initiative to integrate real-time salary access in payroll methods. 

Welcome, Joey; it’s a pleasure to have you with us today! 

1. Tell us about your experiences so far…

Joey. Before founding VolanteChain, I worked closely with OpenAI-related technologies—exploring how AI could fix broken financial systems. It wasn’t about content or clout. It was about solving inefficiencies at scale. That work led directly to the algorithms behind our fraud detection and wage verification today. I didn’t just pivot into fintech—I built the track we now run on.

2. What was your inspiration behind VolanteChain?

Joey. Volante isn’t just me—it’s a team of builders, engineers, and visionaries. We saw the same broken system: hard-working people doing daily shifts and still waiting weeks for pay. That delay keeps people poor. So we built Volante to change that. We give workers instant, secure, borderless access to the money they’ve already earned.

3. What is Earned Wage Access?

Joey. Put simply: daily wage payouts. You work, you get paid—no waiting, no loans. It’s powered by what’s called Earned Wage Access (EWA), and it removes the need for payday lenders or advance requests. The system’s live, and it’s already transforming how employers handle payroll.

4. How is technology filling financial gaps?

Joey. Blockchain and stablecoins are at the center. They eliminate currency conversion fees, remove middlemen, and settle transactions instantly. Add AI to that—verifying attendance, calculating credit—and suddenly, payroll becomes real-time and borderless. It’s not just inclusion—it’s liberation.

5. Tell us about VOL Token and exchange plans.

Joey. VOL is the fuel behind our ecosystem—used for service fees, bonuses, and governance. We’re already live on BTSE and BingX, and we’re scheduled for listing on MEXC by the end of this month.

Coinbase is the long game—about a year out, and we’re building toward it with solid compliance and real traction.

6. How does blockchain support privacy and decentralization?

Joey. With blockchain, sensitive data isn’t stored in one place—it’s spread, encrypted, and controlled by the user. That’s critical in payroll. People shouldn’t have to trade their privacy for a paycheck. Decentralization means everyone gets equal access, no matter what country they’re in or what bank turned them away.

7. How is digital money changing finance? Challenges?

Joey. Digital money cuts down borders—but it also cuts down trust if built wrong. Our job is to combine blockchain efficiency with compliance-level oversight. That’s why we partner with Tier 1 card issuers and use AI to monitor fraud. The goal isn’t just speed. It’s secure freedom.

8. Future of fintech? Dominant trends?

Joey. Daily payouts. Real-time finance. Decentralized payroll. You’ll see fintech move from banks trying to look modern to tech-first companies replacing them outright. The next decade will belong to platforms that turn time worked into money received—instantly, fairly, and globally.

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