Back in the day, paying for an Uber, splitting the bill, or insuring a vehicle required switching between apps, filling out repetitive forms, and hoping they all sync right. Those minor, but always present, disruptions, defined the way most users interact with financial services until now.
Today, financial capabilities are increasingly built into the apps and digital experiences people use every day. Like electricity powering a city, embedded finance is becoming essential, invisible, and everywhere.
But as we move forward into this embedded future, the main infrastructure matters more than ever. What happens when embedded finance intersects with blockchain? The answer could reshape the foundation of digital payments.
What Is Embedded Finance and Why Now?
At its core, embedded finance is about meeting users where they already are, such as on their favourite apps or websites and enabling them to complete financial actions without leaving the platform. Rather than redirecting someone to a banking portal to make a payment, embedded finance enables them to do it in context, with minimal friction.
The drivers behind this shift are clear: customer expectations for seamless digital experiences have never been higher, APIs and open banking have made financial services more modular, and a wave of fintech innovation has reduced the barriers to integration. According to Bain & Company, embedded finance will account for $7 trillion in global financial transactions by 2030.
We see the impact everywhere: retailers offering “buy now, pay later” at checkout, transportation services that include insurance with each booking, or governments exploring embedded tax collection solutions. The movement isn’t limited to consumer apps, it is also taking root across public infrastructure, business services, and B2B marketplaces.
Embedded Finance in an Era of Open Banking
When paired with open banking, embedded finance becomes a tool not just for convenience but for financial freedom. Users can initiate payments directly from their bank accounts through embedded “pay-by-bank” features. This means no cards, no middlemen, just fast, low-cost transactions.
The result is a step toward decentralisation, not in the extreme sense of full autonomy, but enough to reduce reliance on large centralized global players. It’s a more balanced model. This evolution aligns with what users increasingly want: more control, fewer intermediaries, and services that simply work, where and when they’re needed.
Blockchain: The Infrastructure Behind Embedded Finance 2.0
While embedded finance enhances user experience, centralized infrastructure behind it doesn’t always guarantee reliability, transparency, or financial accessibility. That’s where blockchain enters the game.
Blockchain decentralises the trust model as it reduces reliance on a single payment processor or intermediary and enables real-time settlement, cross-border compatibility, and immutable audit trails. It introduces a new kind of financial infrastructure, one designed for a fast-moving, globally connected world.
Recent outages at major retailers and payment processors have exposed the fragility of centralised systems. A decentralised blockchain-based infrastructure offers a fallback and has potential to become a better default. This shift is already underway: with 81% of the world’s leading public companies now leveraging blockchain, and the market projected to reach $152 billion by 2029, it’s clear that blockchain is moving from niche technology to a core financial backbone.
At Keepz, we are already working around this. In Georgia, we partnered with the National Revenue Service to enable citizens to pay taxes using digital assets like Bitcoin and USDT. Users scan a QR code, convert crypto to fiat in seconds, and settle their tax obligations, all without downloading an app or creating an account. It’s a live example of embedded finance powered by blockchain, functioning at a national scale.
Why This Matters: Systemic Change, Not Just Innovation
The convergence of embedded finance and blockchain isn’t just a trend, it’s part of a deeper shift in how the global financial system is being reimagined.
This shift will have deep implications: fewer intermediaries, more programmable money, and payment flows that can operate at internet speed. We’re moving towards a world where value moves as easily as information: seamlessly, securely and in real-time.
What Comes Next
Blockchain’s role will continue expanding beyond payments. Expect it to power embedded credit, smart insurance, and decentralised compliance tools. The financial backend is becoming programmable, and those who understand how to design with that in mind will lead the next wave of innovation.
Regulators, too, are beginning to take note. As crypto regulation evolves and stablecoin adoption accelerates, blockchain’s role as a foundational layer of digital finance is becoming increasingly clear. The most forward-thinking ecosystems, be it the EU, Singapore, or Georgia, are not fighting this shift. They’re building policy frameworks to support it.
Papuna Lezhava, CEO and Co-founder of Keepz