Like Crypto Space Consolidates, Moonpay is quietly becoming the infrastructure layer for the next wave of web3.
With over 30 million verified users Across 160 countries and a fully licensed global stack, the company enables everything from Fiat -onramps to embedded defi experiences.
Originally launched to make the Wallet Top-Ups trouble-free via Apple Pay and Debit Cards, Moonpay now operates API-FIRST Solutions used by almost any major defi app.
“We started with a simple question, how do you fill your wallet?” Moonpay’s CEO and co-founder Ivan Soto-Wright told Coindesk in an interview. Now it’s all about giving developers the tools to bring crypto into everyday life.
Ivan Soto-Wright speaks on the main stage at Consensus 2025 in Toronto on May 15.
The company pushes against a fully API-driven, “headless” infrastructure model where developers can connect Moonpay to their products just like Stripe.
Helio, one of Moonpay’s recent acquisitions, emphasizes this course. Moonpay acquired the Solana-driven crypto payment processor in January for a reported $ 175 million.
Despite its size and range, Moonpay still operates with a boot mentality. With only 300 employees, the team “execution-first” and focused relentlessly on efficiency. The company saw 112% growth from year to year, with Q1 2025 marking its strongest quarter ever.
Moonpay serves primarily via transaction fees on crypto purchases through debit cards, Venmo and Apple Pay. But it experiments with zero-fee trading products such as “balance” which allows users to deposit cash and trade right away.
Soto-Wright is a well-known entrepreneur and investor and is a member of the Milken Institute Fintech Advisory Council.
Before Moonpay, he was the CEO and co-founder of the Smart Money app, saved. He started his career at London-based investment firm Redington.
Coindesk: What trends do you see coming up in crypto?
Soto-Wright: “DEXS will overtake CEXS where users demand control over their assets, but expect the smooth UX on a centralized platform.”
“Moonpay’s ethos is that several crypto transactions must be peer-to-peer taking advantage of decentralized exchanges. We see a general shift from CEFI to defi, with decentralized exchanges currently dominating 30% of the market. I see this trend continue to change over time – Defi is global and ultimately reduces friction and costs of cutting the middleman out. “
How do you expect the wallet market to develop?
“Cryptocurrency drawing books will eventually replace bank accounts. Users have multiple wallets like you, and I have a number of bank accounts now. Moonpay delivers the mission-critical infrastructure to run these wallet experiences, both from our Moonpay-widget product and APIs.”
Does Moonpay plan to make more acquisitions in the short term?
“M&A is a huge growth driver for our business. We consider it an accelerator to help us move fast and bring more products to the market. A large part of our M&A strategy is to identify the right businesses to help achieve our vision for the future of payments. An example of this is Helio that locked our ability to power crypto chamber.”
“We are always open to M&A,” Soto-Wright said, noticing that past acquisitions have been cash flow-offs from day one. “It’s about speed, scaling by acquiring large teams with a sharp founder mindset.”
What features do customers want better UX?
A central theme for Moonpay has been switched from custody to non-parenting authority. “We believe that Crypto should be non-parenting authority first,” the company’s CEO said.
To facilitate this shift, Moonpay develops what it calls the “CEX experience in a defi environment.” This means that abstract the complexity of defi-wallets, utxos, compliance-to easy to integrate SDKs and widgets. “Think of it like packing up to the convenience of a centralized exchange and putting it in your own wallet.”
What has the future in store for Moonpay?
Although not yet confirmed, a Moonpay StableCoin could be in pipeline.
“We take our time, but you can see the early characters in balance. In the end, there may be a stableecoin.”
Read more: Why Moonpay and PayPal collaborated to expand the crypto recording in the US
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