Stablecoins account for 30% of all on-chain crypto transaction volume. The low-fee, instant nature of most stablecoin transactions makes them excellent for international payments and remittances in theory. However, this is stunted by steep learning curves and a relative lack of adoption among non-crypto users.
One of the companies looking to fix this is Ramp Network, a global stablecoin remittances provider rethinking regulatory design and abstracting away blockchain complexity. These bold ambitions beg the question: is making convenient stablecoin remittances possible today, or is it still a faraway dream?
To find out, we talked to Max Sandy, an ex-Amazon product manager and current head of product at Ramp Network, the company trying to make stablecoin remittances as convenient as Venmo.
1. Ramp Network is a global payments and remittances solution with a focus on stablecoins. What would you say are the biggest draws of Ramp compared to today’s Web2 remittance infrastructure?
Traditional remittances are built on slow settlement, layered intermediaries, and opaque fees. Stablecoins flip that: near-instant settlement, predictable rails, and global reach that does not stop on weekends.
Where Ramp Network adds value is making stablecoins usable in a familiar way. We focus on reliable on- and off-ramp, plus swaps and a wallet experience that feels like an everyday account, not a trading terminal. The draw is not “crypto”, it’s speed, transparency, and control for people moving money across borders.
2. What architectural trade-offs does Ramp make between speed, cost, and regulatory compliance? Which of these is the hardest to overcome when scaling up?
The hardest challenge at scale is delivering speed and simplicity while staying compliant across very different regulatory regimes. Every jurisdiction has its own requirements, and applying all of them to every user would create a confusing and overwhelming experience.
That’s why we design our systems to be modular and jurisdiction-aware. The app behaves differently depending on where the user is, so people only see the checks, disclosures, and controls that are actually required for them. This lets us stay compliant without burdening users with unnecessary steps.
There are trade-offs. In some markets, users need to complete additional questionnaires or wait before transacting, and that inevitably adds friction. Our job as a product team is to make those moments as clear and intuitive as possible, so users understand that these steps exist to protect them, not to slow them down. When compliance is explained well and integrated thoughtfully, it becomes part of a trustworthy experience rather than an obstacle.
3. Ramp is licensed in the US, UK, and Ireland with SOC2-certified security. How do you promote trust in first-time crypto users unfamiliar with the importance of these?
Trust doesn’t come from a single signal, it comes from consistency. If a service is regulated but the pricing is unclear or the interface feels confusing, users hesitate. And even the best-designed app won’t feel trustworthy if people can’t tell who operates it or where it’s regulated.
That’s why we treat UX and regulatory credibility as complementary.
Behind the scenes, frameworks like SOC 2 Type II and licensing matter because they enforce discipline: audited controls, incident processes, and data protection standards. But for users, trust is communicated through outcomes: reliability, transparency, and consistent behaviour. When people can both understand the product and verify that it’s backed by authorities they recognise, confidence follows naturally.
4. Launching in 150+ countries, you often bring up Ramp’s impact on emerging markets. How do crypto-to-crypto transfers impact users in these countries, and can they also use Ramp for day-to-day payments?
In many emerging markets, users want optionality. They might hold value on-chain to avoid FX friction or inflation exposure, then swap into stablecoins when they want stability, and cash out locally when they need to spend. Crypto-to-crypto swaps are the connective tissue that makes that practical.
Can it work day to day? Yes, as long as the experience is simple. That is why we are building toward an everyday crypto account, where you can hold stablecoins, swap assets, send value globally, and withdraw when needed, without having to think about networks and tooling.
5. Tiered complexity is at the core of Ramp’s infrastructure. How do you ensure both a new, “crypto-aware” user and a seasoned veteran can both get what they need without bogging down the user experience?
We design for “progressive disclosure”. New users should see the simplest path to a successful outcome, like buying a stablecoin or swapping one asset, with guardrails and clarity. Advanced users can go deeper when they want to, like choosing networks, assets, or more detailed execution.
The key is not to create two products. It’s one product with layers, where complexity is available but not forced.
6. In October, you brought up working on being able to send/receive payments via a direct link. How is Ramp approaching building this payment link within a smart contract while abstracting away its complexity?
We’ve already taken the first step by shipping payment links inside the Ramp app. Today, a user can send a link and the recipient simply claims it in their app balance. Under the hood it’s USDC on Base, but for the recipient it looks like a familiar dollar balance, not a crypto transfer.
That’s deliberate. Most people don’t want to think about chains or assets, they just want to receive money. From there, our goal is to keep simplifying. The next iteration is about removing even the app requirement, so someone receiving a link can choose how they want to get paid, whether that’s keeping it in a wallet or entering card or bank details to receive fiat. Behind the scenes, we handle the off-ramping and settlement.
The smart contracts and crypto rails are there for speed and reliability, but the experience should feel closer to modern payments than to blockchain tooling.
7. You’ve described crypto-to-crypto swaps as an “invisible engine” for payments. What does an ideal swap execution layer look like for remittances in terms of routing, slippage tolerance, and failure handling?
An ideal swap layer optimizes for reliability first, then price. That means smart routing across liquidity sources, conservative slippage defaults for non-expert users, and strong failure handling that is predictable.
In practice, that looks like: pre-trade checks to reduce failures, deterministic user outcomes where possible, and clear fallbacks when liquidity shifts. For remittances especially, a “best effort” fill is less important than “your money arrives when we said it would”.
8. Finally, which of Ramp’s current partnerships do you think will impact its future the most, and are there any areas where you’re looking to bring more partners on board?
The partnerships that matter most are the ones that turn stablecoins into a real payment rail, not just an on-chain asset. We are seeing major networks and infrastructure providers invest in stablecoin payouts and settlement, which is a strong signal that stablecoins are becoming mainstream plumbing.
For Ramp Network, we want more partners in two areas: distribution and utility. Distribution is wallets, exchanges, and platforms that can bring users into stablecoins easily. Utility is merchants, PSPs, and apps that let users actually spend, send, and settle with stablecoins. Long-term, the winner will be whoever makes stablecoins feel normal in everyday money flows.
Disclaimer:
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With over half a decade of experience commentating on the cryptocurrency market and even more as a trader and investor, Jay has developed a robust knowledge base that enables him to dive deep into the inner workings of crypto platforms and the broader market to deliver unique, user-focused insight.
Jay's work has spanned public relations firms, crypto projects, affiliate sites, and news outlets.
