Lately, WalletConnect has develop into a de facto normal within the Web3 ecosystem, permitting tens of millions of customers to securely join wallets and decentralized purposes.
From DeFi to NFTs, and even crypto funds, its infrastructure immediately underpins a lot of the consumer expertise within the blockchain world.
In an unique interview with The Cryptonomist, Jess Houlgrave, CEO of WalletConnect, shared her imaginative and prescient on the principle obstacles to the mass adoption of DeFi, the evolution of wallets as digital id instruments, and the challenges associated to the growing fragmentation of stablecoins.
Consumer Expertise: The Actual Barrier to Crypto Adoption
Based on Houlgrave, one of many foremost obstacles to the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies stays the consumer expertise. “At the moment, utilizing one’s crypto pockets remains to be too advanced for many individuals,” he explains. Among the many foremost points are perceived safety, the chance of scams, and the extreme variety of steps required to finish a transaction.
WalletConnect is aiming to deal with these points by specializing in three key facets: safety, simplicity, and interoperability. Instruments just like the Confirm API and certification packages are designed to mitigate the chance of phishing and interactions with fraudulent purposes, one of many foremost considerations for retail customers.
“On the similar time,” emphasizes the CEO, “the variety of clicks required to do something in crypto remains to be too excessive. It’s a difficulty we’re addressing by working intently with our pockets companions.”
Multi-chain and Fragmentation: Too Many Belongings, Too Many Networks
The growing fragmentation of the blockchain panorama represents one other vital problem. New chains and stablecoins emerge daily, creating complexity, particularly for the tip consumer.
“Opening a pockets and seeing the identical foreign money repeated ten occasions throughout completely different chains just isn’t a great expertise,” explains Houlgrave. The chance is making the every day use of digital belongings cumbersome, particularly in cost contexts.
It’s exactly on this situation that WalletConnect goals to play the position of a impartial and interoperable infrastructure, able to connecting completely different ecosystems with out including additional complexity for the consumer.
Integration with TON and Growth into New Chains
Among the many newest developments is the mixing with TON Community, a blockchain that boasts a consumer base of tens of millions, additionally because of the Telegram ecosystem.
WalletConnect, being blockchain-agnostic, could be built-in with any community. Nonetheless, as Houlgrave explains, the objective isn’t just to “assist” a series, however to make sure that the expertise for builders and customers is of the very best high quality.
“TON has a large consumer base and is experiencing vital progress. We imagine it might develop into one of many foremost gateways to the crypto world within the coming years,” he states.
Pockets and Digital Identification: A Pure Pairing
One of the vital intriguing subjects mentioned through the interview considerations the way forward for wallets as instruments for digital id. Based on Houlgrave, there is not going to be a single pockets for all the pieces, however reasonably quite a lot of options designed for various use instances.
“I’ll use one pockets for every day transactions and one other, with larger safety ranges, to handle my financial savings or investments,” he explains.
On this context, id performs a central position: from easy attestations (similar to proving age) to the selective and revocable sharing of private information. The technological properties of wallets and blockchain make this situation not solely attainable however pure.
Privateness and Establishments: The Subsequent Section of Web3
Privateness is one other key concern, particularly from an institutional adoption perspective. Houlgrave cites the emergence of recent privacy-first blockchains as necessary indicators, however emphasizes that a lot of the present ecosystem might want to be taught to combine these new requirements.
“If we would like true adoption of crypto funds and the huge entry of economic establishments, privateness turns into basic,” he states.
WalletConnect is engaged on this entrance primarily on the requirements degree, collaborating with foundations such because the Ethereum Basis and different ecosystem gamers.
Stablecoin: Alternative or Downside for the Finish Consumer?
The growth of stablecoins is considered with curiosity, but additionally with a sure diploma of warning. On one hand, the benefit of issuance permits extra firms to enter this market, whereas alternatively, it will increase fragmentation.
“Customers usually don’t immediately profit from the yields generated by stablecoins and discover themselves managing belongings scattered throughout a number of chains and issuers,” explains Houlgrave. With out higher interoperability options and UX, this situation dangers hindering adoption reasonably than accelerating it.”
A Take a look at 2026
Seeking to the longer term, WalletConnect identifies two macro-trends set to strengthen: the entry of establishments and the adoption of stablecoins as a method of cost. Funds might certainly function the gateway to Web3 for tens of millions of recent customers who’ve by no means used a crypto pockets earlier than.
“Many will begin utilizing stablecoins by way of their financial institution or neobank, with out even realizing they’re getting into the crypto world,” concludes Houlgrave.