[Recap] The Race to Onboard the Next 100 Millions Users

The latest Tie Innovator Webinar gathered Johnny Garcia (VeChain Foundation), Tim Chen (Mirana Ventures / Mantle), and Rob Viglione (zkVerify) to discuss what it will take to bring the next wave of users on-chain. Moderated by Heidi Pickett, Chief Business Officer at The Tie, the discussion explored the state of adoption, UX and trust barriers, compliant privacy, and the distribution rails most likely to scale real-world usage.

Adoption: Two Tracks, Different Needs

Panelists framed adoption along retail vs. institutional lines and dollar vs. non-dollar markets. Tim noted that dollar-backed stablecoins already have strong product–market fit in non-dollar economies, while western users increasingly demand rewards, yield, and seamless fiat–crypto experiences (e.g., unified accounts). Rob highlighted rising U.S. regulatory clarity as a turning point for builders, while Johnny cautioned that lingering trust perceptions still hinder mainstream users, who often associate crypto with speculation.

UX & Trust: Abstract the Crypto, Keep the Value

Johnny emphasized VeChain’s push to abstract complexity—social logins, simplified wallets, and consumer apps that tie on-chain rewards to real-world behaviors. Rob argued adoption follows superior financial products: tokenized assets and composable DeFi that outperform legacy rails. Ultimately, Tim underscored that, beyond technology, distribution and compliance-ready packaging determine whether users actually show up.

Infrastructure Choices: Scale, Cost, and Compliance

Rob explained how zkVerify is building modular proof verification so developers can offload ZK verification to a dedicated network—cutting costs from tens or hundreds of dollars to fractions and enabling new use cases in privacy, scalability, and verifiable compute. Tim noted that Mantle, fully integrated with Bybit’s 70M-user ecosystem, is prioritizing RWA distribution over pure technical competition. Johnny emphasized that VeChain continues to pair its L1 with enterprise partnerships and consumer incentives, leaning on MiCA compliance and a long operating history to build credibility.

Privacy That Works With KYC

All three panelists stressed the importance of privacy and compliance converging. Rob described zkVerify’s move toward credential-gated, KYC/KYB-aware privacy, enabling institutions to transact privately while meeting regulatory requirements. Tim expects AML/KYC to be standard across major platforms. Johnny noted VeChain’s long-standing compliance posture (e.g., MiCA registrations) as essential to trust.

Distribution & Partnerships: Meeting Users Where They Are

Tim framed onboarding as a distribution problem: issuers need users, and users need compliant access—hence Mantle’s focus on Bybit-native routes and aligned incentives. Johnny highlighted brand partnerships (e.g., consumer apps co-branded with household names) as the most effective way to reach non-crypto users at scale. Rob added that battle-testing, open bug bounties, and professional operations are as important as audits for sustaining trust.

Looking Ahead

Panelists expect growth to arrive “mechanically” through institutional and public-sector integrations—digital identity, tokenized assets, and regulated DeFi rails quietly bringing millions on-chain. For builders, their advice was pragmatic: focus on the core value proposition, avoid over-engineering the stack, and invest in the application layer where real-world utility meets scalable distribution.

The path to the next 100 million users won’t be driven by hype, but by compliant, composable products that feel familiar while delivering capabilities legacy systems cannot. VeChain, Mantle, and zkVerify showcased three complementary approaches—consumer UX and partnerships, RWA distribution at exchange scale, and low-cost, compliant privacy infrastructure—all pointing to the same outcome: a user journey where crypto is abstracted, trust is earned, and value is undeniable.