Fun CEO Alex Fine believes the next phase of crypto payments will eliminate the need for separate on-ramps and blockchain bridges as applications move toward seamless, built-in payment experiences that hide technical complexity from users.

Fine said future crypto platforms will no longer require users to manage multiple steps involving deposits, asset conversions, and cross-chain transfers. Instead, payment functions will be integrated directly into applications, similar to Web2 services where users interact with products without worrying about the infrastructure processing their transactions.

“The era of standalone on-ramps will disappear, and external bridge platforms will become obsolete,” Fine told CoinDesk. “Users are not interested in using a bridge—they want to access an application.”

Fun provides backend payment infrastructure that links traditional financial systems with blockchain networks. Rather than operating as a consumer exchange or wallet, the company offers APIs that allow fintech firms and crypto applications to add payment features such as deposits, withdrawals, settlement, and checkout directly into their products. Its technology simplifies the movement of funds between fiat currencies, stablecoins, and different blockchain networks.

Building the Payment Layer for Crypto Applications

Fine’s comments come as prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi, along with tokenized stock platforms, continue to expand their user bases and trading volumes.

Although these applications are becoming increasingly visible, the systems responsible for handling funding, withdrawals, and settlements typically operate in the background.

Fun is among the companies developing this hidden infrastructure. The firm says it powers all deposit and withdrawal activity for Polymarket, supports deposits into Aave’s largest vaults, and processes more than $3 billion in monthly transaction volume.

The company has secured more than $75 million in funding.

Replacing Fragmented Payment Systems

Fine said the current crypto payment landscape remains overly fragmented, forcing developers to combine different card networks, banking providers, cryptocurrencies, blockchains, and bridge solutions to create functional payment flows.

He argued that the industry should shift its focus from individual payment rails toward unified funding systems designed around the user’s end goal: accessing an application quickly and easily.

“In Web2, payment methods are mostly interchangeable,” Fine said. “In Web3, every payment method behaves differently. Teams continue rebuilding the same infrastructure instead of creating optimized, unified funding experiences.”

According to Fine, many existing crypto payment companies could eventually lose relevance because they focus on intermediate processes rather than what users actually want. Businesses centered around fiat-to-crypto conversion or blockchain transfers are solving backend challenges instead of improving the overall user experience.

“People do not care about converting fiat into crypto,” Fine said. “They care about completing an action within an app. The conversion is simply part of the background process.”

Fine said the growing adoption of embedded payment systems shows that standalone on-ramp providers and bridge platforms are already becoming less central. Instead of directing users to outside services, more applications are integrating payment capabilities directly, allowing users to complete transactions with fewer steps.

He also highlighted the importance of smarter fraud detection and risk management. Future payment systems, he said, should evaluate users based on their history and behavior rather than applying identical restrictions to everyone. Established users with proven activity could receive smoother experiences while platforms continue protecting against fraud.

Prediction Markets and Tokenized Equities Remain Early Opportunities

Looking beyond payment infrastructure, Fine identified prediction markets and tokenized equities as two of crypto’s most promising growth areas.

He said both sectors are still in the early stages of development, with significant potential as adoption increases. Prediction markets, in particular, could expand through deeper liquidity, more specialized event contracts, and wider use as risk-management tools.

Fine believes greater liquidity could eventually create millions of event-based markets, making prediction platforms more valuable and increasing their role within the broader financial ecosystem.