For the past 15 years, cryptocurrency has struggled to gain traction. Why? It's complicated to use. Sure, decentralized money has its perks, but the user experience often feels like a maze.
Think about it. Navigating seed phrases and hardware wallets can be daunting. And waiting for a large sum of crypto to transfer to a long address? That can be nerve-wracking, especially if you might have mistyped it. Once you get the hang of Bitcoin or Ethereum, you realize there are countless other blockchains, each with its own quirks. Transferring assets between them can be a hassle.
But guess what? 2025 is set to be a game-changer for crypto usability.
Nemil Dalal, the product lead at Coinbase Developers Platform, believes we’re on the brink of a major transformation. He predicts that in just two to three years, you won’t even recognize crypto. He compares this moment to the rise of the iPhone, where dreams of a better user experience are finally becoming reality.
These days, you can kick off a complex cross-chain transaction with just one click. Imagine logging into a crypto wallet or signing up for a service using only your fingerprint linked to your Gmail account. This new tech makes decentralized apps feel as user-friendly as Coinbase. You can trade any coin or use any protocol across different chains. With the introduction of intents, passkeys, and chain abstraction, new users will have a much smoother experience.
So, what’s this abstraction all about? It’s a way to simplify things. It means hiding the complicated stuff so users can just click a button and get things done without jumping through hoops. Think of it like a coffee machine. Instead of grinding beans and heating water, you pop in a pod and press a button. The machine does the rest. That’s what’s finally happening in crypto.
Dean Tribble, CEO of Agoric Systems, emphasizes that what users really want are simple, seamless interfaces for complex tasks.
Recently, the concept of "intents" has gained traction among blockchain developers. This design philosophy simplifies the user experience by allowing people to express their goals without needing to dive into the technical details. It’s similar to online shopping. Research shows that up to 70% of shopping carts are abandoned because the checkout process is too complicated. After Amazon introduced one-click ordering, customers bought 28.5% more often, and revenue skyrocketed by 838% in a year.
Tribble explains that users can say something like, “I want to swap my BTC for ETH and stake it.” Multiple parties, known as solvers, figure out the best way to make that happen.
Kain Warwick, who created the complex DeFi project Synthetix, realized that most users just want things to work. His new project, Infinex, leverages the latest user experience developments to be a one-stop shop for crypto across all chains. With intents, users don’t even need to know if their transaction involves a centralized exchange or an on-chain order book. The system will handle it.
Chain abstraction is another way to make cross-chain transactions easier. Tribble notes that several approaches to chain abstraction have emerged, including intents, interoperability standards, and wallet-centric solutions. These all aim to enhance the user experience.
Chain abstraction means you don’t have to worry about which network you’re using. You can trade across chains with ease. Multi-chain smart wallets let you manage different tokens from various chains all in one place. For example, Infinex recently launched the Swidge app. It allows users to swap between 1,000 tokens in the Solana and Ethereum ecosystems in about a minute, without any gas fees.
This functionality is powered by the Solana DEX aggregator, Jupiter Exchange, and cross-chain protocols like Mayan Swap and Li.Fi, which use intent-like designs. Infinex is also teaming up with the Near blockchain to implement chain abstraction and chain signatures technology. This will enable trading, custody, and other services for legacy chains like Bitcoin and XRP.
Near has introduced a beta version of Near Intents, allowing users to connect their MetaMask wallets and easily swap among 30 tokens across 10 blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Solana, Near, XRP, and Doge. Intents have the potential to bridge any chain and fiat, currently powering 15 projects.
Near’s founder, Illia Polosukhin, who co-authored Google’s Transformer research, is focusing on integrating AI. Near Intents is designed to help agents negotiate and pay for tasks across different currencies and chains. This could even allow users to reorder groceries or book flights using fiat.
After the recent launch of TRUMP, both Near Intents and Swidge offered cross-chain swaps for users looking to buy the coin. Across Protocol, which provides bridging for Uniswap, launched its intents-powered bridging with v3 in February 2024. Other projects working on chain abstraction include Socket Protocol, Agoric, and Everclear.
Another big boost in usability comes from using passkeys to access crypto accounts. New users can sign up for a cross-chain platform like UniversalX or Infinex in about 20 seconds using existing Web2 accounts from Gmail, Apple, or Facebook. Passkeys use your phone’s biometrics to access cryptographic keys stored securely on your device. This is much easier for newcomers than managing a hardware wallet.
Warwick explains that you can log in from your MacBook, Windows machine, or Android phone, and it will feel the same. You don’t have to deal with seed phrases or anything complicated. Just log in to a web application, and all your crypto is there.
Of course, there’s a risk. You could lose access to your crypto if you lose your device. But there are ways to protect yourself. For instance, on Infinex, you can add a backup wallet address. If something happens to your phone, your funds will go there.
Warwick points out that the industry spent years trying to educate users on the importance of seed phrases, but that didn’t work. Now, it’s about using the right technology and approach. It’s all about letting users do what they want with minimal friction.
This year, we can expect big improvements in interoperability on Ethereum Layer 2s. New ERC and RIP standards will enable intents and trustless execution across chains. Jesse Pollak from Base believes that many issues with isolated Layer 2s will be resolved within six months.
Various interoperability solutions are emerging, each tackling the problem from different angles. For example, Polygon’s Agglayer aims to create a neutral cross-chain settlement layer that aggregates all smart contracts, improving liquidity and user experience while finalizing transactions on Ethereum. This will start integrating chains and launching fast cross-chain transfers around March or April.
Polygon co-founder Brendan Farmer believes this will enhance the effectiveness of intents and chain abstraction, eliminating the need for wrapped tokens and creating a seamless experience.
Safe Wallet is also set to launch SafeNet this year. This aims to replicate Visa’s transaction speed and guarantees in the blockchain world using a processor network for cross-chain transactions. Initially available through Safe Wallet, SafeNet will allow users to merge their different balances from various chains into one and complete cross-chain transactions in about 500 milliseconds.
This year also brings the anticipated launch of Ethereum Layer 2 MegaETH, aiming for 100,000 transactions per second, along with Solana’s Firedancer client, which promises even more speed. Fast transactions combined with passkeys, chain abstraction, intents, and interoperability will greatly enhance usability for end users.
The evolution of decentralized exchanges has seen the rise of aggregators like 1inch and Cowswap. These platforms help users find the best trading routes across different DEXs. The next step is user-friendly web interfaces that allow access to the best apps, protocols, and services for spot trading, perpetual contracts, lending, and borrowing—all from one interface, regardless of the underlying chain.
Warwick emphasizes that the decentralized finance sector excels at innovation. “We’re not here to build protocols,” he says. He highlights projects like Monad and MegaETH, which aim to provide low-latency solutions and facilitate on-chain order books.
Dalal from Coinbase envisions a future where you can give voice commands in natural language to AI agents. Imagine asking them to automatically rebalance your crypto portfolio or execute trades based on market sentiment. However, Farmer cautions that the technology isn’t mature enough to trust consumer-grade AI agents with significant crypto holdings just yet. Safety and consistency are key.