Trust remains the biggest barrier to broader crypto adoption, according to representatives from the National Cryptocurrency Association, Circle, US Bank and ChangeNOW at Consensus 2026 in Miami.
Ali Tager of the National Cryptocurrency Association said research shows that “the number one barrier for non-cryptocurrency holders is that they just don’t understand,” citing complexity, jargon and misinformation as persistent challenges.
Panelists from Circle, US Bank and ChangeNOW said trust is built incrementally through user experience rather than technical claims. Circle’s Britt Cambas said that “you’re not going to get technical confidence in 30 seconds,” emphasizing clarity and reducing complexity as prerequisites for adoption.
US Bank’s Rachel Castro said trust is essential to financial services and is “very easily broken,” adding that it takes much longer to rebuild once lost.
Speakers highlighted customer support and human interaction as key differentiators of crypto platforms. Pauline Shangett of ChangeNOW said that “the biggest trust factor for me when it comes to a Web3 project is the feeling that you’re working with real people”, highlighting gaps in user support in the industry.
Cambas said it is critical to reduce ambiguity in products and partnerships, noting that simplifying complex systems can drive adoption more effectively than new features.
Panelists also highlighted education as a necessary step to onboarding new users. Tager said the industry needs to “make it extremely simple, make it accessible, make it trustworthy” to reach the general public.
The discussion, moderated by Ashley Wright, focused on designing systems that prioritize transparency, usability and communication, with speakers agreeing that trust needs to be integrated into product design, customer engagement and regulatory frameworks rather than treated as a standalone feature.
