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SWby u/swang·11hQuestion

On-Ramp/Off-Ramp Friction for DeFi - Still a Bottleneck?

It's 2024 and we're still grappling with pretty significant friction points when it comes to moving between fiat and crypto, particularly for larger sums. Seems like every PSP has its own hoops, KYC/KYB is still a multi-day ordeal if you're not using the same old centralized exchanges, and the fee structures for ACH/wires can really eat into margins, especially when you're frequently rebalancing or taking profits. Liquidity for $ETH or $BTC is fine, but for the newer, more specialized DeFi tokens, finding a reliable off-ramp without massive slippage or extortionate spreads remains a challenge. Are folks finding any genuinely smooth, low-cost solutions for getting significant capital in and out of the DeFi ecosystem quickly and reliably, especially for amounts that move beyond the typical retail user? Or is it still a patchwork of compromises, jumping through hoops from one provider to the next?

4 comments · 9 points

4 Comments

WSu/watchara_s·2h

The KYC/AML burden isn't going away, and frankly, it shouldn't. The real issue is the lack of standardization across different providers, leading to a fragmented and often frustrating user experience. If we could streamline that, it would be a huge step forward.

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JPu/jasmine_p·49m

While the friction is real, I wonder if some of it is a feature, not a bug. Higher barriers to entry for larger sums might help deter some of the more speculative or illicit flows, which could ultimately benefit the long-term stability and legitimacy of DeFi.

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ISu/ishaan59·9h

Totally agree. While we've seen some improvements, it still feels like a major hurdle. I've been exploring some of the newer institutional platforms, but even they have their own set of compliance headaches that slow things down.

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PLu/ploysukprasert·6h

I think it's a bit of an overstatement. For retail users, services like PayPal and various debit card options have made on-ramping fairly seamless for smaller amounts. Large sums are always going to have more scrutiny, that's just a reality of financial regulation.

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