To start using the blockchain, most people will first register an account on a cryptocurrency exchange. A cryptocurrency exchange (e.g., Coinbase, Binance, Crypto.com, etc.) is a platform where you can buy or sell tokens (e.g., USDC) with fiat currency (e.g., USD). A cryptocurrency exchange account comes with an EVM blockchain address, so you can use your cryptocurrency exchange account to send tokens to or receive tokens from other EVM blockchain accounts. Cryptocurrency exchanges are essentially gateways to the blockchain world.
After getting a cryptocurrency exchange account, most people will then download a Web3 wallet app (e.g., MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Phantom, SafePal, etc.) and then send tokens from their cryptocurrency exchange account to it. MetaMask is by far the most popular Web3 wallet, so we’ll use MetaMask as an example. When you download the MetaMask app, you will be asked to create an EVM blockchain account. You can then send/receive tokens from the app, just like a cryptocurrency exchange account.
There are 2 main reasons why people want their tokens in a Web3 wallet rather than on a cryptocurrency exchange: 1) Sending/receiving tokens on a Web3 wallet takes ~3s, compared to ~3 minutes on a cryptocurrency exchange. 2) A Web3 wallet can connect with thousands of blockchain-based web applications. For example, you can earn U.S. treasury rates on the blockchain. To do this, first buy USDC tokens on a cryptocurrency exchange. Then, send the USDC to MetaMask. With MetaMask, you can connect to the Flux Finance website and deposit your USDC on there to earn U.S. treasury rates (~5% APR).
With 50+ million people transacting on the blockchain, a large majority of these people will likely have the MetaMask app on their phones and USDC tokens in it. That is why Flash was designed for customers to pay with the MetaMask app and USDC tokens.