Wallets, Super Apps, and the Next Billion: Insights from SimpleSwap’s Token2049 Side Event
As digital wallets evolve from easy storage instruments into monetary ecosystems, business leaders are debating how these platforms will maintain income, stability person expertise with safety, and seize the subsequent billion customers worldwide.
On the night of October 1, SimpleSwap hosted a vigorous gathering throughout Token2049 in Moon Rooftop Bar & Lounge Pte. Ltd., Singapore, amid a torrential downpour and crackling thunder. Yet the storm solely amplified the vitality indoors. Over 1,200 requests to attend poured in, filling the venue with company from Ledger, KuCoin, OKX, Cointelegraph, Trust Wallet, Tangem, and many others — with BeInCrypto serving as the official media associate. In a heat, buzzing ambiance, company loved meals, drinks, and two participating panels that stretched late into the night time.
Panel 1: From Code to Cashflow – How Wallets Are Eating Finance
The first panel introduced collectively Nick DiSisto (Trust Wallet), Ana Jacobson (Tangem), Alex Rem (SimpleSwap), and Vasily S. (SwapSpace).
On income fashions, panelists agreed that transaction charges alone will not be sustainable. Vasily S. pointed to wallets integrating swaps and playing cards as new income streams. Jacobson warned that customers have change into “spoiled,” anticipating ever extra worth, whereas DiSisto argued that inefficiencies like slippage and gasoline charges are the actual ache factors, not base charges.
The dialogue turned to actual yield. DiSisto burdened its function in creating economies the place inflation erodes financial savings: “Holding {dollars} by stablecoins could be a 20% achieve by itself—add staking, and it’s life-changing.” Jacobson confirmed that Tangem customers more and more ask for yield-generating options, whereas Rem framed actual yield as a sturdy mechanism fairly than hype.
On UX versus safety, Vasily S. in contrast it to single sign-on with Google—most customers will commerce privateness for comfort. DiSisto famous Trust Wallet lowers obstacles for newcomers, serving to them earn with out researching protocols. Jacobson added that, like Gmail vs Proton Mail, “customers choose the higher product, not essentially the most secure one.”
“We’re not simply an change, we’re infrastructure for companions who wish to give their customers a easy monetary expertise.” – Alex Rem, SimpleSwap
As the session closed, Rem referred to as wallets the “invisible layer” of finance the place code turns into cashflow, giving customers each – Web3 pace and fintech reliability, whereas Jacobson countered that wallets are “feeding” finance, reshaping conventional techniques in encrypted type. DiSisto concluded with TrustWallet’s milestone of 210 million downloads: the path to a billion, he argued, has solely begun.
Panel 2: Who Wins the Battle for the Next Billion?
The second panel featured Nicky Chalabi (Pelagos Network), Janlo van den Heever (Xverse), and Bassam (Guardian).
When requested which interface will onboard the subsequent billion, all pointed to cellular apps. Bassam defined that centralized exchanges thrive as a result of they mimic acquainted email-and-password logins. Janlo predicted that zero-knowledge logins might act as a Trojan horse—providing Web2 simplicity with out knowledge sharing. Nicky agreed that customers shouldn’t have to know what chain they’re on.
The dialog moved to tremendous apps. Nicky argued they’re inevitable in a multi-chain world, whereas Bassam warned that many are constructed to monetize customers fairly than serve them. Janlo added that proprietary stablecoins typically create friction, since customers nonetheless want USDT or USDC.
Emerging markets had been one other focus. Drawing on expertise in Latin America and Africa, Janlo mentioned: “Western Union takes 30%—that received’t final lengthy as soon as stablecoins scale.” Nicky emphasised the want for accessible options, whereas Bassam flagged regulation as the largest danger. Janlo advised that trusted shops like Oxxo in Mexico might play a decisive function in onboarding.
Finally, panelists outlined what it means to win the subsequent billion customers. Nicky mentioned success means changing into a “boring enterprise”—dependable, revenue-generating, and sticky. Bassam regarded to uncooked adoption numbers. Janlo countered that in finance, quantity and liquidity all the time resolve the winners, and these staying closest to Bitcoin’s ethos will in the end prevail.
A Night of Insights
What started below storm clouds ended with hard-edged readability. The panels made one factor clear: wallets are not equipment in crypto, they’re the entrance traces of finance. Whether they “eat” or “feed” the system, they’re shaping how cash strikes in economies below strain, and how the subsequent billion customers will arrive. The battle won’t be received by the slickest slogans or the largest advertising and marketing budgets, however by whoever could make finance easy, reliable, and inconceivable to disregard.
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