The Rise of Crypto Super Apps | ChangeNOW

Quick take

In this episode of The White Papers, The Block explores the rise of crypto super apps, improving user experience and the importance of strategic partnerships with ChangeNOW's Martin Masser.

Key topics

• Simplifying crypto transactions by removing cross-chain complexity.
• The rise of crypto super apps 
• How wallet integrations and strategic partnerships drive adoption
• The future of 24/7 financial markets and faster blockchain-based settlement

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introductions
• 02:09 - Simplifying the crypto UX 
• 8:17 - Wallet competition and the super app thesis 
• 11:43 - How to build substantial partnerships in crypto
• 17:17 - Blockchain becoming ubiquitous 
• 19:40 - Filtering the signal through the noise 
• 22:46 - The future of crypto

Summary

Blockchains have become significantly faster and cheaper over the past decade, but the end-user experience has lagged behind the technology. Greater market efficiency and accessibility mean little if the average user needs to navigate complex multichain processes and hostile UIs to participate, so smoothing out this user experience is now one of the core missions of platform developers. 

In this episode of The White Papers, recorded at Token2049 in Singapore, we discussed this challenge with Martin Masser, Director of Strategic Partnerships at crypto super app ChangeNOW. In conversation with The Block’s Kelvin Sparks, Masser went into detail on the rise of crypto super apps and the importance of establishing substantial industry partnerships.

For Masser, one of the biggest barriers to adoption is the complexity of simple transactions. Stablecoins may offer a more convenient alternative to dollars, but that convenience is undermined when user funds are fragmented across dozens of different blockchains, many with their own gas fees and address formats. "I think the more complexity you give a user [...] the less time they want to be spending on it," he said. 

Instead, he argued, the technical complexities of blockchain should be hidden from users, making operations as straightforward and intuitive as regular transactions. 

The same emphasis on convenience is driving the emergence of crypto super apps. ChangeNOW itself is one such platform, aiming to consolidate activities that previously required multiple applications, such as cross-chain swaps, Earn products and payments. Masser cited Uber as an example of how an expanding product lineup can improve the customer experience, provided that these extra offerings address genuine customer needs. 

“One thing I don't think is useful, is when you get super apps adding products that just don't fit. Because you start to get a lot of clutter,” he added.

As the director of strategic partnerships at ChangeNOW — responsible for securing integrations with third-party wallet providers and other blockchain businesses — Masser also commented on the continuing importance of relationships in crypto. In the past, he said, blockchain partnerships were often superficial publicity exercises: “It was a press release, there was no real substance behind it."

Today, he argued, meaningful collaborations require ongoing technical support, reliable infrastructure and clearly defined commercial objectives. "You just need to know what their vision is and whether we match the vision,” he said. “That's what a clear partnership is." ChangeNOW has boosted its own distribution by serving as the back-end provider for wallet apps and other platforms, whose own reputations depend on its services working reliably. 

Asked what excites him most for the future of crypto, Masser pointed to the emergence of round-the-clock financial markets as a major opportunity for blockchain technology. Drawing on his experience in traditional banking, he explained that much of the legacy financial infrastructure is still based on computer systems from as long as 50 years ago — long overdue for an overhaul.

"The fact that people feel that our lives now in 2026 should be fitting into that same style of processing from the 70s and 80s — it doesn't make sense," he said.

Ultimately, he envisions a future in which blockchain-based financial services become faster, more convenient and increasingly invisible to users. Super app initiatives will iron out the wrinkles in the end-user experience, meaning discussions about network speeds, gas fees and other technicalities will seem like relics from the past for the next generation of users.

About the guest

Martin Masser is Director of Strategic Partnerships at ChangeNOW, a crypto super app built for every crypto move, giving newcomers, professionals, and businesses the tools they need to access Web3 finance in a simple and secure way. With a background in traditional finance, Masser focuses on developing ChangeNOW's distribution network, securing integrations with wallets and other platforms to improve the accessibility of cryptocurrency services.