Redesigning Streamer Payouts for a Global Creator Economy
Helping creators earn steady income and build stronger communities
Research
UX design
Userflow
UI Design
Loco’s Stablecoin Wallet is a new earnings system that replaces the confusing “Beans” currency with USDT (a stable cryptocurrency).
It allows creators to see, manage, and withdraw their earnings instantly in real value, not game tokens.
Streamers were losing trust.
They didn’t understand their earnings, payouts were delayed, and cross-border transactions were expensive.
The old “Beans” system made income feel like points, not money.
We needed to rebuild confidence in the platform and give creators something simple, global, and fair.
Because when money feels unclear, creators don’t feel valued.
We integrated Fern’s custodial wallet API to create a secure Stablecoin Wallet inside Loco.
Then, we designed a clean UI for:
Real-time balances and conversions (USDT → USD).
Simple onboarding and KYC.
Easy withdrawals to banks or crypto wallets.
Transparent transaction history and statuses.
Design became the bridge between finance, trust, and speed.
Creators were being paid in “Beans” a virtual in-app currency that caused massive confusion and inefficiency.
“Creators didn’t need more features they needed clarity.”
Streamer Pain Points
Unclear value: “How much are my Beans actually worth?”
Delayed settlements: 5–7 day payouts for global streamers.
Hidden fees: Up to 30% lost to app store or PSP commissions.
Lack of visibility: No real-time ledger or status tracking.
Business Pain Points
Operational overhead: Multiple PSPs across 10+ markets.
Poor retention: Low trust → low streamer loyalty.
Legal & compliance friction with virtual currency handling.
Lost revenue from double conversion and fee leakage.
Opportunities
Replace “Beans” with a stablecoin-based payout system one currency, one value, one transparent experience.
Before: The ‘Beans’ Wallet
No one really knew how much their Beans were worth until payout time.
Streamers were paid in Beans, a made-up currency that didn’t have a clear value.
Payouts took 5–7 days, especially for streamers outside India.
The old wallet had no proper history users couldn’t track where money came from.
Support tickets were the only way to find out payout status.
The system was confusing and created trust issues.
After: The Stablecoin Wallet
Streamers now earn in USDT, a real, stable currency tied to the US dollar.
Earnings are shown clearly in USDT + USD no guessing, no conversion math.
Cross-border payouts now happen instantly or within minutes.
Direct payouts on the web avoid those fees more money goes to the streamer.
The new wallet has a clean ledger showing every transaction in real-time.
Streamers can see status updates instantly success, pending, or failed.
After understanding the frustrations around “Beans” and payout confusion, our goal was simple make earning on Loco feel real, fast, and trustworthy.
We wanted to build a system that worked not just for the finance team or the backend, but for the creator who checks their earnings at 2 AM after a live stream.
This meant tackling it from both sides
the business, which needed a scalable, compliant payout system,
and the user, who just wanted to know, “How much did I earn?”
Business Goals
Reduce payout leakage.
Simplify cross-border payouts and unify PSP systems.
Build a compliant global payment framework (via Fern).
Increase streamer retention & trust in the platform.
User Goals
Make earnings clear show real value in USDT & USD.
Withdraw easily to bank or crypto wallet.
Feel secure and confident with transparent history.
Reduce waiting time instant or same-day payouts.
Success Metrics
Metric
Revenue Leakage
Settlement Time
Adoption Rate
User Trust
Goal
Reduced by up to 90%
From 5–7 days → under 10 minutes cross-border with Stablecoins
68% streamers opted in within the first 30 days.
Positive sentiment in support chats fewer payout-related tickets.
Before designing the wallet, we dove deep into what creators and platforms were already doing to build something that truly works.
What Streamers Told Us
I don’t know what my Beans are worth in real money.
Shroud OP
It takes a full week before I can transfer my payout.
Booaster
It takes a full week before I can transfer my payout.
S8ulMortal
I have no idea which of my streams made me money.
Dr Disrespect
The conversion rate from beans to local currency isn’t clear.
Ninja
I’m not sure whether the earnings are coming from subscriptions or stickers.
Sora
What we learned by studying Twitch, YouTube & Kick.
Monetization Model
Payout Schedule
Payout Gateways
Minimum Payout
Sub-Only Features
User Frictions
Payouts in USD equivalent, localized pricing for viewers.
Monthly (Net-15/Net-30). Minimum threshold $50 – $100.
PayPal / ACH / Wire / Regional bank transfers.
$50 (min ACH) / $100 (wire).
Sub-only chat, streams, videos
Delayed global payouts, tier complexity, fee leakage.
Paid in USD or local currency via AdSense.
Monthly, between 21st–26th after threshold ($100).
AdSense direct bank transfers / wire.
$100 (AdSense standard).
Members-only videos, live chats, streams
High threshold, slow cross-border settlements, opaque tax deduction display.
USD primary currency (some localized conversions).
Weekly payouts (some immediate access for top creators).
Bank transfer / PayPal (region-dependent).
Small balances roll over weekly.
No sub-only streams yet
Limited reporting/analytics, smaller geographic coverage.
What We Borrowed
No one really knew how much their Beans were worth until payout time.
Streamers were paid in Beans, a made-up currency that didn’t have a clear value.
Payouts took 5–7 days, especially for streamers outside India.
The old wallet had no proper history users couldn’t track where money came from.
Support tickets were the only way to find out payout status.
The system was confusing and created trust issues.
We didn’t compete with them
we completed what they left out.
What We Did Differently
Streamers now earn in USDT, a real, stable currency tied to the US dollar.
Earnings are shown clearly in USDT + USD no guessing, no conversion math.
Cross-border payouts now happen instantly or within minutes.
Direct payouts on the web avoid those fees more money goes to the streamer.
The new wallet has a clean ledger showing every transaction in real-time.
Streamers can see status updates instantly success, pending, or failed.
The core idea
Problem
I earn Beans… but I don’t know what they’re worth in real money.
My payout takes almost a week to show up.
I want to withdraw directly to my local bank not just crypto.
I never know how much I’ve earned or when I’ll get paid.
Solution
We replaced Beans with USDT (1:1 USD) creators instantly see their wallet’s real-world value.
Fern’s custodial infrastructure enables instant settlement funds reflect within minutes.
We added localized bank transfers alongside crypto payouts, giving creators flexible and region-friendly withdrawal options.
We designed a live wallet dashboard that shows payout status (Pending / Completed) and real-time earning analytics — helping creators track their performance and income patterns.
