Founder's Account: From Start to Abandonment, Why I'm No Longer Doing Web3 Payments
In this candid reflection, a serial entrepreneur shares their decision to step away from Web3 payment ventures after six months of deep immersion. Initially drawn by the promise of faster, more transparent, and globally efficient settlements—especially for cross-border and remote work scenarios—the founder quickly realized that the industry’s core challenges aren’t product-based but structural.
Through on-the-ground research in places like Yiwu, Mexico, and Shuibei, they observed that real-world adoption of Web3 payments remains fragmented, relationship-dependent, and far from the scalable, product-driven opportunity often portrayed. The critical barrier? Dependence on banking relationships, compliance, licensing, risk management, and regulatory navigation—areas where small, agile teams lack the resources and long-term leverage.
The author emphasizes that many seemingly profitable payment operations actually profit from risk tolerance, not operational excellence, and that sustainability hinges on resilience to regulatory and financial shocks. While still believing in Web3 payment’s long-term potential—especially as a back-end upgrade for global treasury management—they concluded that the sector demands deep industry assets, patience, and risk capital ill-suited to their team’s strengths.
Instead, they plan to focus on the next layer: helping users navigate on-chain asset management and risk-aware investing, turning payment flows into sustainable value. This isn’t a rejection of Web3 payments but a pragmatic shift based on resource alignment and structural reality.
marsbit12/26 02:13
