Crypto Fintech
Self-Custodial Banking
Self-custody that a normal customer can use: no seed phrase, recoverable, and it feels like a banking app.
- Role
- Lead Software Architect & Web3.0 Engineer · Stealth
- Years
- 2024
- Links
- —
Context
Self-custody usually means seed phrases. This product aimed at people who will never write down twelve words but still shouldn't have their funds held by a company.
Problem
Give users real custody with the ergonomics of a banking app — no seed phrase, recoverable, and usable from a phone.
Architecture
- Account Abstraction smart accounts as the user's primary financial account.
- Turnkey and Alchemy SDK for key management and infrastructure.
- Passkey authentication tied to mobile OS accounts instead of mnemonic backup.
- Cron-driven automation for yield and scheduled operations.
What I built
- Custodial and self-custodial transfer flows in one product surface.
- Stablecoin-first balances and rewards (USDC).
- AAVE integration so deposited USDC earns yield.
- Core MVP of backend and frontend systems.
Technology
Hard parts
- Recovery without custody — the hardest constraint in the entire product.
- Explaining custody boundaries to users in interface terms rather than cryptography terms.
Outcome
A working MVP demonstrating self-custodial, stablecoin-first banking with passkey authentication. Company identity remains private under NDA.
Next case study
Axys Bank →Contact
Tell me what you're building — and what's blocking it.
If the problem sits somewhere between financial infrastructure, product and engineering, there's a good chance I can help.
Book an intro call
30 min · video
Prefer to write first? armmamyan@gmail.com