DeFi Needs a Jony Ive Moment: Why We Invested in Rebind

Introduction

In the fast-paced world of Web3, where innovation is constant, some challenges remain stubborn. At Blockwall, we are always on the lookout for founders that not only push the boundaries of technology but also address real user problems in elegant ways. Our recent investment in Rebind.co is a testament to this philosophy, driven by a strong conviction that decentralized finance (DeFi) needs a 'Jony Ive Moment': A period where design, user experience, and accessibility become paramount, transforming complex technology into intuitive tools for everyone.

Just like Jony Ive’s design philosophy at Apple revolutionized personal computing by making powerful technology approachable and beautiful, supporting Rebind is how we contribute to bringing the same shift to decentralized finance. We've observed firsthand that despite the immense potential of DeFi, many protocols, dapps and apps remain clunky, overcomplicated, and far from user-friendly. This lack of intuitive usability, driven by poor design, has been a core blocker to mainstream adoption in self-sovereign finance.

State of Current Crypto Tools

Our recent deep dive into over 50 well known DeFi solutions, and my personal passion for DeFi, has shown that, in terms of usability, not much has changed since 2018/19 and the DeFi Summer. Many are still overly complicated, tough to understand and hard to access. The jargon is dense, the steps are confusing, and the overall experience is often intimidating for anyone outside of a niche group of crypto-native experts.  In other words, the level of user-friendliness one could expect after six years of development is still missing. Or put simply: our parents wouldn’t understand it.

This complexity isn't just an aesthetic issue; it’s a significant impediment to mass adoption. The promise often pitched by Web3 evangelists that self-sovereign finance, true ownership, and full control over your wealth remains unfulfilled for the average user. Legacy barriers such as complex wallet setups, the daunting responsibility of managing seed phrases, and convoluted transaction processes continue to alienate potential users. While the underlying technology of DeFi has matured, the user-facing applications have largely failed to evolve at the same pace.

That said, there are exceptions. Apps I personally enjoy using: Family Wallet (AVARA), MEW Wallet (despite limited features), Uniswap Wallet, dYdX, and Coinbase. They prove that great user experience in crypto is possible.

In essence, DeFi needs to shed its intimidating complexity and embrace simplicity, intuitiveness, and user-first design.

Rebind on a Mission to Radically Simplify DeFi

Rebind’s mission is clear: to simplify decentralized finance to the point that millions of new users can access it. The result is a beautifully simple, mobile-first application designed for real financial growth. With Rebind, you can effortlessly earn passive yield, trade any digital asset, and grow wealth in real-time, all without friction or fear of loss of funds. Designed to support a range of use cases, from everyday savings to future-oriented asset management.

Rebind offers:

• Passive Yield: Generate passive yield on idle digital assets such as stablecoins with no lock-ups and always-liquid access.
• Self-Custody & Control: Rebind is self-custodial, meaning you retain full control over your digital assets. Funds cannot be touched or locked out by any third party, embodying the true benefit of decentralized finance.
• Reduced Fees: Rebind significantly reduces costs, offering up to 70% lower fees than centralized platforms.
• Personal IBAN: Want to spend a bit of your savings? Rebind provides a personal IBAN allowing deposits and withdrawals at 0% fees.
• Access to Any Asset: Instant access to over 2,500+ digital assets.
• Native Mobile User Experience: A product you recognize, and know how to use.

In sum, this is what DeFi should look like in 2025: no jargon, just private wealth building.

Why Now

The cryptocurrency landscape is undergoing significant shifts: regulatory clarity, rising demand for crypto products and stablecoins, maturing infrastructure, and new user expectations in personal wealth management.

Why not have a savings account in USDC that earns 5% interest and lets you withdraw at any time?

While the capital locked in DeFi (Total Value Locked) experienced a dip in Q1 2025, mainly due to price depreciation, DeFi remains a dominant vertical within crypto. More importantly, the market is maturing beyond its experimental phase, with key metrics showing steady growth despite cyclical swings. The core innovation of DeFi, combined with on-chain transparency, continues to make it an attractive alternative to traditional finance.

The market is ripe for a product that bridges the gap between DeFi’s power and the growing demand to manage wealth independently.

Our Conviction

Seeing this potential, we’re thrilled to announce our investment in Rebind’s €1.6 million pre-seed round, alongside Greenfield.

Blockwall’s decision to invest in Rebind stems from a strong conviction aligned with our Web3 investment thesis: Rebind is not just building a product; they are building the future of self-sovereign, mobile-first wealth management.

Private Wealth Management’s Future is Self-Sovereign and Mobile-First

With easier access to technology and capital markets, financial products once reserved for a select few are now opening up to broader audiences. The success of platforms like eToro, Trade Republic, and Robinhood shows a clear appetite for managing one’s own capital, ideally via smartphone. Rebind meets this need, offering full ownership and 24/7 access to financial growth.

DeFi Is Here to Stay and Poised to Grow

Despite volatility and cyclical downturns, DeFi has matured. While challenges like chain interoperability and liquidity fragmentation remain, its core advantages, such as openness, transparency, and efficiency, make it a sustainable alternative to traditional finance. Rebind closes the accessibility gap with a simplified, MiCA-compliant, non-custodial access point.

Simplified User Experience as Catalyst for Adoption

The biggest hurdle for crypto adoption is still user experience. Rebind removes those legacy obstacles, replacing them with familiar technologies like social logins and passkeys, making DeFi investments as smooth as Robinhood made stock investing.

The Magicians Behind Rebind

Ultimately, it’s about the team. David and Steven combine deep Web3 experience with strong entrepreneurial backgrounds. They’ve led the development of complex DeFi strategies and tech teams, and they design with the end-user in mind. A philosophy we believe creates real long-term advantage.

We backed Rebind because they know how to orchestrate the world of decentralized finance into a single, smooth experience.

What the Future Might Bring

Our vision for Rebind goes far beyond its current feature set. We believe Rebind can become the default interface for tokenized finance, a true crypto neobroker. Just like Robinhood made stock investing accessible, Rebind aims to remove all friction from DeFi.

We see a clear path for Rebind to evolve into the platform of choice for tokenized assets: from money markets and equities to real-world assets (RWAs). It starts with one thing done well: a clean, intuitive implementation of where crypto user experience needs to go.

If your crypto is still sitting on a centralized platform, now is the time to move.
Early access is open – join the waitlist

P.S. As with any early-stage product, feedback is invaluable. If you have suggestions, feature requests, or ideas for improvement, feel free to share them with us or to hello@rebind.co.

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