Crypto companies are struggling to make a trusted brand for the masses. The $3.7 trillion market capitalization may show considerable penetration, but the issue of trust stems from a lack of accessibility and branding. This is why the digital currency revolution is still inaccessible to billions around the world, with only 8% of the world population owning crypto. What Are the Biggest Barriers to Crypto Adoption? What Are the Biggest Barriers to Crypto Adoption? Most executives at the top digital currency companies assume that the technical complexity and lack of crypto education are to blame for the low adoption rate of digital assets. However, a deeper analysis of current crypto adoption programs shows us that in reality, there are other obstacles that lie in the way of mass adoption: Barriers to Entry: Barriers to Entry: Markets reward speculative behaviour over utility-trading, and staking rewards are heavily incentivized, while useful behaviour, including community engagement, takes a backseat.
There are hardly any integrated benefits as crypto apps continue to operate in isolation
Trusted brands like Nike, Apple, etc, remain non-existent, and the move to impose smart contracts to induce confidence hasn’t worked well
Crypto education is outdated and in dire need of an upgrade - users need to be apprised of the benefits before engaging in endless exercises to understand core blockchain topics. Markets reward speculative behaviour over utility-trading, and staking rewards are heavily incentivized, while useful behaviour, including community engagement, takes a backseat. There are hardly any integrated benefits as crypto apps continue to operate in isolation Trusted brands like Nike, Apple, etc, remain non-existent, and the move to impose smart contracts to induce confidence hasn’t worked well Crypto education is outdated and in dire need of an upgrade - users need to be apprised of the benefits before engaging in endless exercises to understand core blockchain topics. Most founders assume the barriers are technical complexity or user education. However, analysis of existing crypto adoption programs reveals different obstacles that actually stop mainstream users. For example, in the case of Uber and Apple, they didn’t start with educating users regarding payment processing or GPS concepts. They just made the experience as simple as tapping a button, getting car access/ playing music, and the process was complete. 3 Effective Strategies to Accelerate Crypto Adoption The Physical-to-Digital Bridge:WhiteBIT + ATB Grocery Stores WhiteBIT is a major European crypto exchange with over 3 million users. It has recently partnered with major Ukrainian grocery chain ATB and the country’s national football team in a campaign titled “Team 2024. Collect the Full Squad” How it worked: The best way to achieve strong brand loyalty is to appeal to deep passions and a sense of collective nostalgia. Shoppers at ATB stores were presented with complimentary footballer cards showcasing the top players of the Ukrainian national team. The cards triggered national pride and love for the world sport, reminiscent of the 90s celebrity card craze. The customers just had to scan QR codes to activate digital bonuses in a mobile-based app and complete simple tasks to be eligible to get rewards directly through the WhiteBIT exchange platform. There was no upfront investment required for the users, and brand goodwill was established directly via physical contact. How it worked: The results: The cards with images of renowned Ukrainian football players were immediately sold out, raising previous industry benchmarks by 340%. This was a successful attempt to create organic social outreach. The results: The broader lesson: Nothing makes connections like physical touchpoints, so there is a reason why even in today’s heavily digitized world, companies need to engage in direct outreach programs to connect with users. Gyms need to offer workout challenge cards and help track fitness achievements, car dealerships can provide free car washes and maintenance cards for regular visits. The broader lesson: Rewarding Everyday Behavior: Chase + Coinbase Crypto Rewards Recently, American banking giant JP Morgan Chase recently partnered with top cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase to allow credit card users to convert reward points into crypto and pay with it. How it worked: Credit card holders were able to redeem their reward points in a scenario where 100 points equal to $1 worth of crypto.JP  JP Morgan Chase credit card holders were allowed to redeem their reward points in the form of crypto. Users didn’t need to sign up for a new platform or complex wallet setups and the entire process was handled by JP Morgan Chase’s existing rewards infrastructure. For users looking to make quick use of their rewards, this proved to be a useful option and crypto could be readily used to pay for flights, hotels, or plain cashback. How it worked: The measurable results: The crypto rewards program opened up crypto access for millions of JP Morgan credit card holders in a single stroke. They were able to get good rewards through the USA’s largest reward ecosystem and gain familiarity with the crypto economy at the same time. This improved the bank’s trust factor and built its brand further. The measurable results: The broader lesson: Linking blockchain-based rewards to existing loyalty programs reduced friction among different sectors and built upon existing habits within users. The rewards were straightforward and easy to use on all mainstream outlets and service providers. The broader lesson: Invisible Crypto Integration: Emarat & Crypto.com Fuel Stations May 2025 saw Emarat, the top fuel retailers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) partner with major cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com to launch the first crypto-enabled gas stations in the country. How it worked: Motorists were able to pay with crypto directly at the fueling stations. The process was as easy as paying with regular credit/debit cards. Crypto.com was handling the backend operations of the exercise and used Emarat’s familiar payment environment. The interface was simple and straightforward, where customers simply select the crypto payment options, and transactions occurred instantaneously. How it worked: The measurable results: The crypto payment option attracted a large number of users, ranging from seasoned crypto users to generally curious individuals who wanted to learn more about it. Buying fuel is a rudimentary transaction, and crypto adoption here was achieved as smoothly as possible without compromising the existing experience that users have come to trust over the years. The measurable results: The broader lesson: The idea to embed crypto payments in fuel purchases proved to be a useful exercise as it allowed mass exposure without the technical pitfalls associated with overzealous initiatives. The same model can be duplicated in major supermarkets, restaurants, transport options, and sports arenas. The broader lesson: The Key To Seamless Adoption Account Abstraction: The Invisible Wallet Solution Account abstraction is a way for smart contracts to function by eliminating the need to include seed phrases entirely. Users simply have to log in to their Google or Apple accounts, get access via email or phone numbers, and enjoy fast/cost-effective transaction times because the companies take care of these tedious processes on their own. Layer 2 Networks: Making Crypto Practical The Ethereum network has unnecessary friction when it comes to creating user-friendly applications. This is why layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum and Optimism come into play as they reduce 90% of the effort required. On-chain confirmation through this process offers sub-second runtimes, provides the security associated with the ETH mainnet, and improves user experience overall. AI-Powered Personalization The advent of AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) has levelled the playing field considerably. Systems are able to offer a highly individualized user experience, assess risk tolerance and implement a range of interface choices. The smooth, tailored experience offers experienced crypto users a way to access advanced features immediately. On the other hand, newbies get comprehensive guidance, and developers are able to get real-time feedback from their interactions and act accordingly. It is a win-win situation for all stakeholders. Implementation Framework If you're a founder: Stop trying to build the perfect “crypto app”. Build useful iterations of products that are already popular so that existing users can transition easily into the new world of crypto. Don’t compete with “legacy brands”, as they are called mockingly sometimes, but work with them. Try to go mainstream and disrupt inwards, not outwards. If you're a founder: If you're a developer: Build Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that are simple enough for non-crypto users and companies alike. Crypto tools and crypto experiments need to be distinguished so that you don’t go down that rabbit hole again. If you're a developer: If you're at a traditional company: The biggest achievement of a crypto company isn’t to be able to launch and market a token effectively-it is the journey to make itself heard and build products for mainstream users. Rewards programs need to be more flexible, and payment systems need to become faster, cheaper, and easier to integrate. The underlying blockchain technology is not as important as the utility it proposes. That is key here. If you're at a traditional company: The Realistic Timeline for Mass Adoption Mainstream crypto adoption won’t come with more crypto education, but more crypto usage. Existing problems need to be solved, rather than always looking to disrupt needlessly. Conventional companies have an established market presence and user bases that can be exploited much more effectively than starting all over again. User trust is the backbone of these legacy companies, and cryptopreneurs need to utilize that. Companies that are able to blend in conventional wisdom and crypto integration won’t just get market share- they will get to define what Web3 will become. This is a much larger opportunity than current market projections may begin to indicate. The challenge here IF you are able to make this transition, but WHO will be able to do it. If your vision doesn’t match up here, someone else will come along the way who will achieve this goal. The formula: Brand identity + Immediate Value + Invisible Technology= Mass Adoption The formula: Brand identity + Immediate Value + Invisible Technology= Mass Adoption Become the first one to master this transition.

The is an opinion piece based on the author’s POV and does not necessarily reflect the views of HackerNoon.

Could These 3 Strategies Help Crypto Go 'Mainstream'?

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