Embedded payments will kill crypto on-ramps, bridges: Fun CEO

Standalone on-ramps and blockchain bridges are headed for extinction as crypto applications embed payments directly into the user experience, Fun CEO Alex Fine said in a CoinDesk interview.

Rather than forcing users through separate funding, bridging and conversion steps, Fine argued the next generation of crypto apps will make moving money onchain invisible. The shift mirrors Web2 payments, where consumers rarely think about the infrastructure behind a transaction.

"The age of on-ramps will be completely dead and the age of external bridging sites will be dead," Fine told CoinDesk. "Nobody wants to use a bridge for the purpose of using a bridge. They want to use an application."

Fun builds backend technology that connects traditional payment systems with blockchain networks. It provides APIs that let fintechs and crypto apps embed deposits, withdrawals, settlement and checkout directly into their products. The company said it powers 100% of deposits and withdrawals on Polymarket and deposit flows into Aave's largest vaults, processing more than $3 billion in monthly transaction volume. Fun has raised more than $75 million to date.

Today's crypto payments ecosystem remains unnecessarily fragmented, Fine said. Developers stitch together card processors, banking partners, crypto assets, blockchains and bridges to create funding experiences. Instead, platforms should optimize around getting users funded as quickly as possible.