Most people don’t need to trade cryptocurrencies every day, but they do need to pay for things. That difference could determine whether crypto succeeds as an everyday financial service, according to panelists at TOKEN2049 Singapore.
Four panel discussions hosted by ChangeNOW brought together executives from MetaMask, Trezor, WalletConnect and other industry players to debate how crypto can reach mainstream users. The discussions highlighted a common challenge: crypto companies keep adding features, yet everyday adoption remains difficult.
Why payments could be crypto’s missing piece
During the super apps panel, Rubic co-founder Aleksandra Korneva raised a basic problem: people who exchange cryptocurrencies occasionally have little reason to return to an app every day. Payments, however, could change that behavior.
Pulsar Money CEO Alex Radu identified payments and trading as possible foundations for apps combining multiple financial services. “They just want to transact in a safe and secure and cheap way,” he said.
Still, CoinRoutes’ Michelle Herman questioned whether combining everything into one platform is necessarily better. Specialized services could offer stronger execution and better protection of customer information, she suggested. The debate raised an important question: how much functionality actually makes a financial app useful?
Crypto wallets want to become smarter. But what about security?
The wallet discussion examined another obstacle: making crypto transactions simple enough for ordinary users. Moving funds between blockchain networks can involve managing gas fees and navigating several steps.
ChangeNOW’s Yana argued that much of this complexity should disappear. “The user shouldn’t have to think about gas,” she said.
MetaMask’s representative explored how AI agents could eventually execute transactions for users. Trezor software product lead Denis discussed hardware wallets approving agent-initiated actions, while warning that simplifying interfaces should not mean removing important transaction information.
Financial privacy could decide who actually uses crypto
The infrastructure panel brought the conversation closer to practical adoption. WalletConnect’s Diana Alexandrova argued that consumers should be able to make payments without understanding blockchain technology. “They don’t have to be cryptographers,” she said.
Aztec Labs highlighted a different concern: businesses cannot reasonably operate if sensitive payments, including employee salaries, are publicly visible. Meanwhile, Banxa emphasized cooperation between infrastructure providers, while RocketX discussed combining liquidity sources into a single interface.
Even better crypto apps still need users
The final discussion examined another emerging challenge: how people discover crypto products as AI changes internet search. Media participants described shifting toward interviews, podcasts and direct audience relationships as traditional search traffic becomes less dependable.
CoinEasy offered a different experience. Its established Korean community and domestic search presence had helped limit the disruption.
Across the four discussions, a broader picture emerged: payments could give consumers a reason to use crypto regularly. Making that happen will depend on whether the industry can deliver the convenience, reliability and privacy people already expect from traditional financial services.
