These secure, fast, and easy-to-use payment rails bypass many of the restrictions and complications presented by the legacy financial system
One of the challenges in creating these payment gateways is the classic cybersecurity dichotomy of usability versus security

It sounds counterintuitive, but a secure and easy exit is essential to increasing first-time adoption of a new monetary system. A Web3 ecosystem with poor fiat off-ramps is like a theme park with only one entrance and exit. Sure, fans of the park will learn to adapt to long lines, but outsiders will be less likely to make the effort.

Until recently, the crypto industry has been constrained by clunky and inefficient exits. They often require multiple steps that expose users to different security vulnerabilities — like losing a seed phrase to one of many Web3 wallets and relying on insecure payment gateways.

But payment industry leaders such as Checkout.com, Visa and MasterCard are teaming up with crypto businesses such as CEX.IO to offer solutions that import trust and convenience from existing financial structures.

We spoke with some of the experts at Checkout.com and CEX.IO for more about their work and where they see the industry headed.

The new economy

Arina Dudko, head of corporate payment solutions at CEX.IO, said that one of the challenges in creating these payment gateways is the classic cybersecurity dichotomy of usability versus security: Sometimes increasing security can decrease ease of use. Creating gateways that are both secure and user friendly is no easy feat.

“We’re ranked in the top 10 safest cryptocurrency exchanges by Crypto Compare,” Dudko added.

While striking this balance is a necessary step toward adoption, in many ways, legacy financial systems can’t compare to the speed and convenience of crypto.

Esteban Sadurni, director of crypto and digital assets at Checkout.com, notes that traditional payment methods can involve significant delays: “Sometimes traditional payment rails like Swift or others can take several days for the money to get to your account. We can easily send the money to their Visa or MasterCard using Checkout.com, and just last month, we announced our very strong partnership between Checkout.com, CEX.IO and Visa to allow CEX.IO users to withdraw their funds to their card in more than 130 countries.”

Just a few years ago, the idea of having the ability to withdraw crypto to a Visa card might have sounded like a pipe dream. Today it’s becoming reality.

Dudko went on to explain why there has been an increased demand for this kind of service:

“Users prefer easy cash out to fiat options that don’t take days to settle — because we’re talking about a new economy here. For example, we see more and more individuals, like artists, influencers, gamers, etc., preferring to receive their payments and salaries in crypto.”

Receiving a salary in the form of crypto can have significant challenges. People need to pay their bills. And for the time being, that requires fiat currency. So, the ability to cross over from crypto to fiat and back is becoming more important than ever. Dudko continued:

“But still, they are living in a world that has not reached complete adoption, so they need a way to exchange crypto to fiat as soon as possible, and that’s why customers just love fast and seamless payment methods such as payment cards, for example.”

Checkout.com and CEX.IO are on the forefront of making this possible, bridging the gap between crypto and traditional finance.

Ease of use meets security for Web3

As mentioned, an easy-to-use platform that has security standards and is trusted by users will be crucial for crypto adoption. Web3 apps, in particular, can benefit enormously from this type of innovation.

Sadurni explained it this way: “I think that it will become a key component for Web3 adoption that isn’t limited to use cases on exchanges. Other Web3 businesses, like NFT marketplaces, offer creators off-ramps that use channels like Visa direct or Mastercard Send via Checkout.com. This enables creators to accept crypto payments from the marketplace and at the same time, send money to their traditional fiat rails. This crypto-to-fiat solution is a growing trend. On the flip side, our stablecoin settlement solution offers merchants the flexibility of 24/7/365 settlements, including weekends and holidays — making around-the-clock liquidity now a reality.”

At the same time, these secure, fast, and easy-to-use payment rails bypass many of the restrictions and complications presented by the legacy financial system. This represents yet another key driver of demand for the kind of services offered by Checkout.com and CEX.IO. Sadurni continued:

“We’re seeing a lot of crypto exchanges migrating to Checkout.com to avoid restrictions that they faced with their current legacy providers. So, they can offer users a seamless method where they use their Visa, MasterCard and/or other payment methods like GooglePay or ApplePay for buying crypto and making withdrawals while maintaining strong security.”

He went on to mention that unlike many banks, Checkout.com fees are very transparent:

“With Checkout.com, we are providing transparent fees to our merchants and disrupting the entire industry. As a leading fintech with 2000 plus employees globally, we deliver fast, agile and seamless payments.”

Finally, Dudko summarized how quick and easy payments make crypto more appealing: “Good on-ramp and off-ramp solutions in general are a must have for a maturing crypto ecosystem. We can show you that [using] crypto is as easy as buying a cup of coffee.”

The Dawn of a New Crypto Age

With Checkout.com and CEX.IO partnering with major financial players like Visa, the long-awaited mass adoption of crypto appears to be drawing ever-nearer. Many of the obstacles that have stood in the way of this adoption — fears about security, difficulty interacting with a new ecosystem, general uncertainty, to name a few — can be set aside thanks to payment gateway innovations. We may soon live in a world where people can choose to be paid in crypto and use those funds for the majority of their financial transactions.

This content is sponsored by Checkout.com.

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

The Breakdown: Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily.
0xResearch: Alpha in your inbox. Think like an analyst.