Scott Shay, who once chaired the board of Signature Bank, is now speaking from the opposite side of the banking establishment. He says larger banks could use blockchain payment technology to take market share away from smaller competitors.

The comments come as N3XT expands globally. Shay's warning carries a sense of an insider-turned-observer—someone who once sat at the heart of big-bank governance now flagging the risks facing those at a scale disadvantage.

For now, that's all the public material offers—Shay hasn't elaborated on a specific timeline or named which banks might be involved.