Crypto has spent years making blockchains faster, wallets simpler, and trading more accessible.
Yet one of the industry's most persistent problems remains largely unsolved: getting people into crypto in the first place.
For millions of users, the journey still begins with a familiar set of frustrations—failed payments, fragmented providers, repeated identity checks, and onboarding flows that feel anything but seamless.
Few companies sit closer to that challenge than Onramper.
The Amsterdam-based infrastructure provider powers fiat-to-crypto access for more than 200 Web3 companies through a network spanning over 75 onramps, 130+ payment methods, and coverage across more than 190 countries. Founded in 2020, the company raised a $6 million seed round led by EQT Ventures, establishing itself as one of the most important pieces of onboarding infrastructure in the industry.
Now, Onramper is entering a new chapter.
This month, the company announced that co-founder Maurits Dewina and longtime executive Rick Thomas will become Co-CEOs, while co-founder and outgoing CEO Thijs Maas transitions to Vice Chairman. While leadership transitions often signal change, this one reflects a strategy that has already been taking shape behind the scenes.
More importantly, it marks the beginning of Onramper's evolution from an onramp aggregator into something much larger.
A Transition Years in the Making
For those inside the company, the transition reflects a structure that had intentionally been taking shape
According to Thomas and Dewina, the transition has been underway for more than a year, with both executives gradually assuming greater responsibility across the organization.
"Thijs has worked relentlessly to build Onramper into what it is today—the most concrete and reliable infrastructure for any application building in Web3," they told Blockster.
"For over a year, Rick and Maurits have been taking on increasingly greater responsibilities, expanding our ownership across the business. This deliberate transition has prepared the company for the next phase of growth."
The co-CEO structure formalizes the company’s evolution..
Thomas will lead external functions including commercial strategy, partnerships, product direction, marketing, and communications. Dewina will oversee finance, operations, HR, business performance, and internal execution.
The pair believes this structure provides a competitive advantage as the company expands into multiple product lines simultaneously.
"With two CEOs, Onramper can cover more ground strategically, take on more complex initiatives in parallel, and maintain continuity even when one CEO is focused intensely on a specific priority."
Building Beyond Its Weight
One reason the leadership team is confident in the company's next chapter is its track record of execution.
Despite operating with a lean team, Onramper has become one of the most widely used onboarding infrastructure providers in crypto.
For Dewina, that's a source of pride—and motivation.
"One of the biggest compliments for our team is the consistent feedback that we punch above our weight if you look at our team size," he said.
The next challenge is scaling that execution across a broader product portfolio.
"We have generated some amazing momentum and pushing the AI-adoption effort will enable us to operate even more efficiently while increasing impact across the space. Imagine what we can do if we grow the number of products, our team and our effectiveness even more."
Why Aggregation Is No Longer Enough
Onramper built its reputation by solving a problem that every crypto company faced.
Instead of integrating dozens of payment providers individually, businesses could integrate Onramper once and gain access to a global network of fiat onramps. Behind the scenes, the company's routing engine evaluates providers based on geography, payment methods, pricing, and historical performance to maximize conversion rates.
That model helped establish Onramper as one of the industry's leading aggregation platforms.
But the company believes the market is changing.
"Two years ago, onramp aggregation was essentially like a Skyscanner for onramps, driven primarily by price," Thomas said.
"Today, clients care much more about the smoothness of the onboarding experience and higher success rates. Seamless onboarding, reduced friction, and better conversion are now the top priorities."
The shift has forced Onramper to ask a larger question:
What happens after aggregation becomes commoditized?
The Next Chapter Starts With Identity
At the center of Onramper's future roadmap is Onramper ID, a portable identity layer that would allow users to complete KYC once and share that verification across multiple providers.
The goal is straightforward: eliminate one of the biggest sources of friction in crypto onboarding.
"The main question we hear today is how we can help Web3 companies make fiat-to-crypto onboarding seamless, regardless of where their users are located," Thomas explained.
"When a user wants to switch to a different onramp, they typically have to re-complete KYC. This is a friction point we're eliminating with shareable KYC through our new identity layer."
For Thomas, this isn't simply another product launch. It's the foundation for the company's next growth cycle.
"Onramper is the undisputed leader in on- and offramp aggregation, and while there's definitely room for growth in that space, the next chapter will be built around our own identity layer."
The opportunity extends beyond convenience.
"By enabling KYC sharing and allowing users to complete KYC once, we can unlock new business opportunities across entirely new verticals while maintaining the seamless experience that Onramper is known for."
Onramper ID would move Onramper beyond connecting users to payment providers, allowing the company to become part of the identity infrastructure underpinning digital finance itself.
Building a Multi-Product Infrastructure Company
Identity is only one piece of the puzzle.
Over the next twelve months, Onramper plans to expand into several adjacent categories, including virtual account aggregation, card program aggregation, and stablecoin APIs.
Collectively, these products push the company into broader financial infrastructure territory.
"We're moving beyond onramp aggregation alone," Dewina said.
"After launching our own identity layer, we aim to add virtual account aggregation, card program aggregation, and stablecoin APIs. This will significantly broaden the scope of services we can offer."
The company sees opportunities extending far beyond traditional crypto companies.
"By aggregating all of these capabilities, Onramper can expand into new business verticals, including building the best possible Neobank-as-a-Service software model for neobanks, remittance apps, and more."
In practical terms, Onramper is attempting to evolve from a single-product business into a broader onboarding and financial infrastructure platform.
The Hidden Moat
One of the most common misconceptions about the aggregation market, according to Thomas, is that it appears easy to replicate.
The reality is considerably more complex.
"Most people underestimate the sheer volume of data required to make onramp aggregation truly successful," he said.
"Anyone can wrap a selection of third-party onramp APIs into a single widget, but that doesn't guarantee it will serve the end user effectively."
Years of transaction data now power Onramper's routing engine, helping optimize conversion rates across dozens of providers and millions of user journeys.
"Our routing algorithm is built on years of accumulated data and is now in a self-learning state, continuously improving its performance."
That data advantage may prove to be one of the company's most valuable assets as competition intensifies.
Setting the Tone for the Next Cycle
Unlike many venture-backed crypto startups, Onramper is already profitable.
Leadership says maintaining profitability remains a core principle even as the company expands into new categories. A successful 2026 would involve launching multiple new products while establishing Onramper ID as the company's flagship offering.
The longer-term ambition is even bigger.
"If we execute perfectly over the next three years, Onramper will become the de-facto operating system for user onboarding in Web3," Thomas and Dewina said.
"We will support all payment rails for both on-ramping and off-ramping, while enabling users to complete KYC once and use that verification across the entire ecosystem."
It's a vision that extends beyond crypto.
The internet is increasingly becoming a financial network. Stablecoins are emerging as global settlement rails, digital assets are moving into the mainstream, and AI agents are beginning to interact with financial products and services on behalf of users.
In that world, the ability to move money may become a commodity. The real challenge will be establishing trust, identity, and access.
For Onramper, the opportunity is not simply helping people buy crypto. It's helping build the infrastructure that allows people, businesses, and eventually autonomous agents to participate in a digital economy without friction.
As the boundaries between fintech, crypto, payments, and artificial intelligence continue to blur, the companies building those invisible layers may end up becoming some of the most important infrastructure providers of the next decade.
And that's the future Rick Thomas and Maurits Dewina are building toward.
