As the adoption of mobile crypto payments increases, ApplePay sets the standard.

Major e-commerce platforms and retail stores are slowly integrating cryptocurrency payment platforms, but they still fall short in terms of user experience and performance compared to Apple Pay. Stijn Paumen, the CEO of Helio, a growing crypto payments platform, discussed the current state of the sector in an interview with Cointelegraph. According to Paumen, while Bitcoin and Ethereum have pioneered decentralized blockchain protocols, their base layers cannot compete with the functionality and performance of traditional financial infrastructure. He believes that Apple Pay sets the benchmark with its ability to quickly process payments with just a tap of the phone. Paumen acknowledges that newer blockchain networks are starting to bridge the gap, but there are still some challenges to overcome. Helio, founded by Paumen and CTO Jim Walker in March 2022, facilitates cryptocurrency payments for merchants and e-commerce sites of all sizes. The platform currently processes around $30 million in monthly payments and focuses mainly on the Web3 space. It has gained traction in the Solana ecosystem and has integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce. Helio supports Bitcoin, Solana, Solana-based USD Coin, SPL tokens, and Ethereum-based payments. Paumen believes that the adoption of Web3 payments and their potential to challenge mainstream industry players is still an ecosystem challenge. He highlights the need for improved user experience and accessibility to cater to a wider demographic of users. Paumen envisions a future where Apple Pay and similar platforms settle payments on their own blockchain, but he also emphasizes the importance of decentralized and low-fee global money transfers without intermediaries. In terms of mass adoption, Paumen sees potential for crypto payments on streaming platforms like Vimeo and OnlyFans.