Building the Future of Payments: What Startups Can Learn from Crypto UX

For Indie Hackers and SaaS founders, the world of crypto often feels complex — all volatility and no clarity. But beneath that chaos lies a masterclass in user experience design, especially when it comes to payments.

Platforms like MoonPay are leading the charge by bridging the gap between traditional payment flows and decentralized finance and there’s a lot early-stage founders can learn from that evolution.

1. Simplicity Wins

Crypto UX has gone from intimidating to intuitive. Early exchanges required users to memorize private keys, sign raw transactions, and manually calculate gas fees. Today, the most successful crypto products hide that complexity — just like Stripe did for online payments.

For example:

• MetaMask’s one-click wallet connections
• MoonPay’s simple card-to-crypto checkout
• Coinbase’s Pay integration for instant wallet funding

Each focuses on one thing: reduce friction.

2. Lessons for Founders

Here’s what SaaS and fintech builders can learn from the crypto space:

• Onboard users fast — remove barriers to entry.
• Be transparent about fees — trust builds loyalty.
• Design for mobile first — over 65% of crypto users transact via mobile apps.
• Integrate global payment options — your market is bigger than you think.

3. Crypto UX by the Numbers

• 3.5 million new wallets created per week in 2025 (Glassnode).
• 74% of users prefer platforms that allow local currency payments.
• $25 billion in crypto processed via fiat gateways in 2024.

This data highlights a key point: as accessibility increases, so does retention.

4. Startups That Nailed It

• Solana Pay focuses on real-time settlement for merchants.
• Phantom Wallet provides seamless onboarding for NFT users.
• MoonPay integrates directly into apps, letting users buy digital assets with a credit card in seconds.

These companies show that crypto innovation isn’t just about decentralization it’s about customer experience.

5. Bridging the Future

The next generation of startups won’t need to choose between fiat and crypto. They’ll build hybrid systems that use blockchain rails behind the scenes, invisible to end users.

For founders on Indie Hackers, the lesson is clear: build like crypto companies simple, secure, and global.

Final Thoughts

Crypto has evolved from niche technology to financial infrastructure. The startups that understand how to merge UX simplicity with blockchain power will define the next decade of digital products.

And with tools like MoonPay lowering the barrier to crypto integration, that future isn’t far off it’s being built right now by indie founders like you.