Why Onboarding to Web3 Is Broken — And How ONCHAIN® Ramp Plans to Fix It
In Brief
Jason Dominique discusses crypto’s journey, challenges, and solutions, including ONCHAIN® Ramp, regulation, DeFi future, and Web3 adoption needs.
In this interview, Jason Dominique, Co-Founder and CEO of ONCHAIN® Labs, talks about his unexpected path into crypto, starting with early microtransaction experiments and eventually building one of the first projects on Stellar. He explains the problems with current crypto onboarding, the limitations of custodial models, and how ONCHAIN® Ramp is designed to simplify access to on-chain assets. Jason also shares his thoughts on regulation, the future of DeFi, and what truly needs to change for Web3 to reach mainstream adoption.
Can you share your journey to Web3?
I’m a serial founder and entrepreneur. I’ve started many different businesses over the years. I stumbled into crypto by chance—or maybe out of necessity. Around 2016, we were trying to process microtransactions in traditional finance. As you might know, that’s pretty hard due to fixed transaction fees. For example, Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction. That $0.30 is a flat fee, which becomes unmanageable when you’re dealing with payments under $1.
We needed a solution that could reduce these fees to almost zero. That’s when I discovered the Stellar Development Foundation. They were just starting out and building the Stellar blockchain. XLM didn’t even exist back then. There were no stablecoins. We were among the first to build on Stellar. That was my entry point into blockchain.
At the time, I didn’t see it as revolutionary. I treated it like any other technology—just a tool to solve a problem. I didn’t revisit blockchain seriously again until around 2020 or 2021. That’s when I experienced DeFi as an end user, and it really clicked. Unlike centralized crypto, which isn’t very different from TradFi, DeFi felt new. Permissionless smart contracts and decentralization captured my attention. That’s when I truly became engaged.
What challenges in the current crypto world and process does ONCHAIN® Ramp address directly?
The biggest problem is how outdated and fragmented the current buying process is. In the early days, people bought Bitcoin. Then came the layer-one tokens. The custodial model—where resellers pool assets and sell them—worked fine for that. But now, we have layer twos, smart contracts, and IDOs launching tokens directly on-chain. Tens of thousands of assets are appearing each month across chains. The custodial model can’t scale with that.
What’s worse, most centralized exchanges and ramps today only function as gas stations. Users buy ETH or some gas token and then use a DEX or DApp. The journey is extremely painful. You need to create an account, pass KYC, buy gas, transfer it to a wallet, and then learn how to use a DEX. It’s too much.
ONCHAIN® Ramp solves this by letting people buy what they actually want, in one step. No need for intermediate gas purchases, wallets, transfers, or complex DEX operations. And for projects, we remove the gatekeepers. They can sell their tokens globally from day one without depending on centralized listings. It’s a dramatic shift for both consumers and builders.
What’s the most misunderstood part of on-chain onboarding that you wish users understood better?
I’d say the entire concept of “on-chain onboarding” is flawed. Users shouldn’t need to understand it at all. That’s the biggest misconception—we assume people need to know how the tech works. But they don’t.
When was the last time you had to explain to someone how to shop on Amazon? You don’t teach anyone how to use Zara’s website. It’s intuitive. That’s what crypto needs to become. If we do our job well, people won’t even realize they’re using blockchain. The infrastructure will shift, but the experience will stay seamless.
Can you share insights into ONCHAIN® Ramp’s reach in terms of supported countries and currencies?
We’re targeting global coverage. At full rollout, ONCHAIN® Ramp will support 180 countries, 80 fiat currencies, and over 70 payment methods. Initially, we’re starting with card payments. Then, we’ll gradually expand to include all the other methods over the following weeks. Stability and smooth integration in each market are our priorities.
How is ONCHAIN® Ramp preparing for MiCA and the US regulatory shift?
We currently hold a VASP license and are in the process of transitioning to a CASP, as required. Like everyone else, we’re adapting to evolving regulations and plan to complete the shift in due time.
What’s the most surprising use case you’ve seen emerge from your platform?
We’re not officially in-market yet—launch is in about two weeks. But fundamentally, our platform enables projects to sell tokens directly. So while there are no live user-generated use cases yet, the core utility is already transformative.
What do you see as the greatest disruption in crypto onboarding in the next three years?
I think the biggest shift will be invisible to most users. We’ve been quietly building a proprietary on-chain payment network, sort of like a VisaNet for crypto. It allows real-time value exchange between blockchains, abstracting away complexity. Think of how you use a Canadian credit card in Dubai without converting currency yourself. That’s what we’re aiming to bring to crypto.
This payment network underpins ONCHAIN® Ramp. That’s why our product is so innovative—others can’t replicate it without this infrastructure. We’ve been granted a U.S. patent for it recently.
The broader vision is to de-bank people. In the next 12–24 months, you’ll see the rise of on-chain banks—no legacy backend, just smart infrastructure. People will sign up for what looks like a neobank account, and suddenly they’ll be using DeFi without realizing it. Better yields, faster settlements, stablecoins, collateralized loans—it’ll all be native. And launching a neobank will be far cheaper than today, so you’ll see hundreds, maybe thousands of new players enter the field.
That’s how we level the playing field. Access won’t depend on money anymore, but on creativity.
Can you share the roadmap and upcoming features?
ONCHAIN® Ramp starts as a B2B SaaS tool. Token-based projects and businesses can subscribe, pay a flat monthly fee, and launch their ramp overnight. It’s fast, predictable, and affordable.
For B2C users, the ramp has our ONCHAIN® Wallet. If you’ve never bought crypto before, you’ll get a wallet automatically. Soon, we’re launching an Onchain Discovery Hub where users can explore thousands of vetted assets across different chains. It’s not a DEX or CEX—it’s a curated, accessible digital asset hub.
We also built an ONCHAIN® Clearing Protocol that screens assets for security and quality, checking things like liquidity, honeypots, weird functions, etc. This helps filter out scams, unlike DEXs, which feel like the Wild West.
And for projects, we’re adding affiliate tracking tools. If a project works with an influencer, they can now generate a unique referral link and share revenue in stablecoins. It’s like Shopify Collabs, but for crypto tokens.
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About The Author
Victoria is a writer on a variety of technology topics including Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her extensive experience allows her to write insightful articles for the wider audience.
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Victoria is a writer on a variety of technology topics including Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her extensive experience allows her to write insightful articles for the wider audience.
