Founders in the Web3 space have raised millions of dollars with the promise of “banking the unbanked.” Have they lived up to the promise? The reality paints a different picture. The unbanked are still unbanked, and even now they’re being ignored by the very people claiming to liberate them. Nigeria has over 22 million people holding crypto worth nearly $200 million. Ghana has 65,000 users with more than $7 million in assets. These are real numbers. Real users. Yet they still can’t use crypto to pay for basic subscriptions like X Premium. What is the issue? The issue is that crypto payment solutions are being built for VC panels and conference applause, not for people facing real-world financial friction. The issue isn’t a lack of interest. It's not that crypto is “too early” or that users need more education. The places where crypto adoption is most urgent, where traditional financial systems fail, are being overlooked in favor of markets that already have Stripe, Apple Pay, and Klarna. Try making a crypto payment in West Africa. Subscribing to a digital service from Nigeria is often a nightmare. If your local debit card even works, expect inflated prices. Want to send $100 in stablecoins to a friend? It’s a hurdle navigating high gas fees and then negotiating with a P2P off-ramp just to convert to local currency. That’s not inclusion. More like a maze, and despite this, we keep hearing about how crypto is “on the verge” of mass adoption. How? Real adoption comes from usability. And right now, crypto payments aren’t usable for the very people who need them most. Crypto doesn’t have a tech problem. The problems are: design, priority, and care. Most solutions in the space are designed for already-banked users, just with tokens slapped on top. Meanwhile, billions of dollars in demand from emerging markets go untapped because the tools are too complicated, too expensive, or simply not available. People don’t need another keynote about the future of finance. They need working, intuitive, affordable rails that let them pay for things. They need wallets that don’t feel like algebra and fees that don’t eat into their rent money. And most of all, they need founders who care. This week, I came across a post from the founder of Use Azza, a platform that lets you pay for services with crypto through a WhatsApp bot. Super innovative. These are exactly the kinds of products we need. Millions of Africans already use WhatsApp daily. Nigeria alone leads with over 100 million users. Putting crypto utility directly into that familiar interface unlocks massive potential for real-world adoption. This type of thinking bridges the gap between blockchain and everyday life. So, if you’re building in Web3, ask yourself, who are you building for? Are you chasing clout on stage, or are you solving real problems for Africans? The unbanked don’t need your pitch decks. They need your product. It’s time to stop talking about crypto payments like a promise and start delivering like it matters.

We Need Crypto Payments That Work

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