Ship or Die at Accelerate 2025: Fireside Chat: Flexa and Solflare

Solana users will soon be able to pay with crypto at major retailers like Chipotle and GameStop, thanks to an exciting new partnership between Solflare and Flexa. This groundbreaking development promises to bring crypto payments into the mainstream, offering a glimpse into a future where blockchain technology revolutionizes everyday transactions.

Summary

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In a fireside chat at Accelerate 2025, Filip Dragoslavic from Solflare and Trevor Filter from Flexa discussed the future of crypto payments and their collaborative efforts to bring this technology to the masses. The conversation revealed Flexa's unique approach to crypto payments, which differs significantly from traditional crypto cards by leveraging blockchain technology for faster, more private, and seamless transactions.

Flexa's integration with Solflare will allow users to pay with various cryptocurrencies, including USDC and SOL, at major retailers such as Chipotle, GameStop, Regal, Barnes & Noble, and Dunkin' Donuts. This partnership marks a significant step towards mainstream adoption of crypto payments, offering users the ability to spend their digital assets on everyday purchases across a wide variety of verticals.

The discussion also touched on the challenges of onboarding large corporations to accept crypto payments, with Filter sharing insights into Flexa's sales process and the company's long-term vision for revolutionizing the payment industry. The conversation highlighted the potential for crypto payments to offer enhanced privacy and security compared to traditional credit and debit card systems.

Key Points:

Flexa's Unique Approach to Crypto Payments

Flexa distinguishes itself from traditional crypto payment cards by offering a fully blockchain-based solution. Unlike crypto cards that convert digital assets to fiat currency for transactions, Flexa enables direct crypto payments that are settled on-chain. This approach provides several advantages, including increased privacy, faster settlement times, and reduced fees for merchants.

The system works by allowing users to scan a QR code or at the point of sale using their Solflare wallet. The transaction is then processed as a regular blockchain transaction over Solana Pay, with the merchant's point of sale system receiving instant confirmation. This method ensures that no personal data is shared during the transaction, making it more secure and privacy-preserving than traditional payment methods.

Partnership with Major Retailers

One of the most exciting revelations from the fireside chat was the announcement of Flexa's partnerships with major retailers. When the integration launches with Solflare, users will be able to make instant, on-chain payments at popular establishments such as Chipotle, GameStop, Regal, Barnes & Noble, Ulta Beauty, and Dunkin' Donuts. This wide range of merchants demonstrates Flexa's focus on enabling crypto payments for everyday purchases across various retail sectors.

The partnership with these well-known brands represents a significant step towards mainstream adoption of crypto payments. It provides users with practical use cases for their digital assets, allowing them to seamlessly integrate cryptocurrency into their daily lives. This development could potentially accelerate the adoption of digital currencies and blockchain technology in the retail sector.

Challenges in Onboarding Large Corporations

Trevor Filter provided insights into the challenges Flexa faces when onboarding large corporations to accept crypto payments. He likened the process to "trying to unwrap a tree from an iron fence," highlighting the complexity of integrating new payment systems into established corporate structures.

The sales process for onboarding major retailers can be lengthy and complex, sometimes taking up to eight years. It often involves convincing multiple teams within an organization about the safety, security, and legality of crypto payments. Filter emphasized the need for patience and persistence in this process, noting that Flexa screens for "extreme patience" when hiring due to the nature of these long-term sales cycles.

Despite these challenges, Flexa remains committed to its vision of revolutionizing the payment industry. The company's approach focuses on solving merchant problems with blockchain technology, rather than simply adapting existing crypto solutions to traditional payment rails.

Global Expansion and Regulatory Considerations

Flexa is not limiting its vision to the United States market. The company is actively working on expanding its services globally, with a particular focus on Central and Latin America, Europe, and parts of Asia. However, this expansion is subject to regulatory approvals in each jurisdiction, which can vary significantly from country to country.

The company has already made inroads in El Salvador, where it powers payments for small businesses. This expansion into markets with high inflation rates highlights the potential for stable cryptocurrencies to serve as a hedge against economic instability. Flexa's services could provide valuable financial tools for individuals in these regions, allowing them to store wealth and make payments using more stable digital assets.

Facts + Figures

• Solflare is launching a debit card in approximately 1.5 months from the date of the fireside chat
• Flexa enables payments at major retailers including Chipotle, GameStop, Regal, Barnes & Noble, Ulta Beauty, and Dunkin' Donuts
• Visa and Mastercard have higher profit margins than tech giants like Apple, Meta, and Google
• Some of Flexa's sales processes with large corporations have taken up to 8 years
• Flexa is expanding services in Central and Latin America, Europe, and parts of Asia
• Solflare has 25,000 people on their waitlist for the upcoming debit card, from 112 different countries
• Solflare users currently hold more than $20 billion in SOL and USDC combined
• Specifically, Solflare users hold around $16 billion in SOL and $4 billion in USDC

Top quotes

1. "Flexa is a private asset agnostic and, ultimately, faster and more seamless way to pay."
2. "We are squarely in the problem of merchants solving space, but we also don't touch credit or debit cards."
3. "When we integrate payments at a merchant, it's like trying to unwrap a tree from an iron fence."
4. "Our motto internally is 10 steps forward, 9 steps back."
5. "Payments don't need any of your personal data when you plug them into the blockchain and that's what we're trying to proliferate."

Questions Answered

What is Flexa and how does it differ from traditional crypto payment cards?

Flexa is a payment system that enables direct crypto payments settled on-chain. Unlike traditional crypto cards that convert digital assets to fiat, Flexa allows users to pay merchants directly with cryptocurrencies like USDC or SOL. This approach offers increased privacy, faster settlement times, and reduced fees for merchants, making it a more efficient and secure payment method compared to conventional crypto cards.

Which major retailers will accept Flexa payments through Solflare?

When the Flexa integration launches with Solflare, users will be able to make instant, on-chain payments at several popular retailers. These include Chipotle, GameStop, Regal, Barnes & Noble, Ulta Beauty, and Dunkin' Donuts. This wide range of merchants demonstrates Flexa's commitment to enabling crypto payments for everyday purchases across various retail sectors, bringing cryptocurrency use into mainstream daily life.

How does Flexa ensure user privacy during transactions?

Flexa prioritizes user privacy by design. When making a payment, users scan a QR code or the point of sale using their Solflare wallet, initiating a regular blockchain transaction over Solana Pay. The system uses a completely random number to authorize the payment, ensuring that no personal data is shared during the transaction. This approach makes Flexa payments non-trackable and non-traceable, offering significantly enhanced privacy compared to traditional payment methods.

What challenges does Flexa face in onboarding large corporations?

Onboarding large corporations to accept crypto payments is a complex and time-consuming process for Flexa. It often involves convincing multiple teams within an organization about the safety, security, and legality of crypto payments. Some sales processes have taken up to eight years to complete. The company likens this process to "trying to unwrap a tree from an iron fence," highlighting the difficulty of integrating new payment systems into established corporate structures.

How is Flexa expanding globally?

Flexa is actively working on expanding its services beyond the United States. The company is focusing on growth in Central and Latin America, Europe, and parts of Asia. Flexa already powers payments for small businesses in El Salvador and is looking to expand throughout the region. However, this expansion is subject to obtaining necessary regulatory approvals in each jurisdiction, which can vary significantly from country to country.

What are Solflare's plans for the near future?

Solflare is planning to launch a debit card in approximately 1.5 months from the date of the fireside chat. They have 25,000 people on their waitlist from 112 different countries, indicating strong demand for the product. Additionally, Solflare plans to introduce USDC yield options, allowing users to earn returns on their stablecoin holdings. This feature, combined with Flexa's payment capabilities, will enable users to earn on their crypto assets and spend them seamlessly, all within the Solflare app.