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Building a Fan Token Platform for a US Sports League

Marketplace Cryptowallet Services

Company Overview

In March 2026, US regulators provided greater clarity around the treatment of crypto assets, including fan tokens. The SEC specifically referenced fan tokens as an example of digital collectibles, while noting that some may also have characteristics of digital tools.
For sports organizations, this opened new opportunities to introduce digital ownership into the fan experience.
A US sports league approached ND Labs with an idea: its fans were interested in team tokens, but the league needed a technical foundation to turn that idea into a product that could work for a mainstream audience.
The challenge was not simply issuing tokens. It was making digital ownership easy enough for fans who had never used a crypto wallet before.

Business Challenge

Business Challenge
Traditional self-custodial wallets introduce concepts such as private keys, seed phrases, wallet addresses, and crypto-specific onboarding.

That experience would create unnecessary friction for a sports audience.
The league needed a product where fans could access and own digital assets without first learning how crypto infrastructure works.

At the same time, the solution had to preserve self-custody and support a broader fan engagement experience around token ownership.
The product therefore needed to bring together several layers:

– self-custodial wallet infrastructure;
– simple account and wallet creation;
– fan token ownership;
– card payments for purchasing tokens;
– digital fan identity;
– engagement and referral mechanics;
– mobile and web applications;
– operational tools for the league.

The wallet had to work as infrastructure behind the experience rather than become the experience itself.

Our Solution

Passkey-Based Wallet Onboarding
We replaced traditional seed-phrase onboarding with passkey authentication. Fans can create and access a self-custodial wallet using familiar device authentication such as biometrics, while cryptographic keys remain under the user’s control. Recovery is supported through passkeys, encrypted backup, and an offline recovery option.
Wallet Infrastructure Behind the Fan Experience
We built the wallet as an infrastructure layer behind the product rather than a standalone crypto interface. It powers fan token ownership, a digital fan card, XP, referrals, and other engagement features while keeping blockchain interactions largely invisible to the end user.
Fiat-to-Token Purchase Flow
We integrated a fiat on-ramp so fans can purchase team tokens directly by card without first buying cryptocurrency or transferring funds between wallets. The result is a familiar consumer flow from payment to digital ownership, with the blockchain transaction handled in the background.

Removing the Seed Phrase from Onboarding

Removing the Seed Phrase from Onboarding
One of the most important product decisions was replacing traditional seed-phrase onboarding with passkey-based authentication.

A fan can create and access a wallet using familiar device authentication such as biometrics instead of being asked to write down and protect a recovery phrase during onboarding.
The wallet remains self-custodial, while the authentication experience feels much closer to a modern consumer application.

This significantly reduces one of the biggest barriers between mainstream users and self-custodial digital asset products.

Making the Wallet Part of the Fan Experience

Making the Wallet Part of the Fan Experience
The wallet infrastructure was not designed as a standalone payment product.

Its role is to provide the ownership layer behind the fan experience.
A fan’s account can hold the team’s digital token and connect that ownership with other functionality inside the product:

Wallet infrastructure – Fan token – Digital fan identity – XP – Referrals – Engagement
This makes the wallet useful without requiring users to think about wallets.

For the league, digital asset ownership becomes another component of the relationship with its fans rather than a separate crypto product.

Buying Tokens Without Owning Crypto

Another important part of the experience was fiat onboarding.

Fans should not have to purchase cryptocurrency elsewhere, transfer it to a wallet, and then use it to acquire a team token.

The product therefore integrates a fiat on-ramp, allowing users to purchase tokens using a payment card.
This creates a much shorter path:

Card – Fan token – Digital fan experience

The underlying blockchain transaction remains part of the infrastructure, while the user interacts with a payment flow that is already familiar.

One Product Across Mobile and Web

Over 8 development sprints
Over eight development sprints, approximately 16 weeks, ND Labs delivered the core product ecosystem.
iOS and Android applications
iOS and Android applications for the fan experience and digital asset ownership.
Web application
Web application providing access to the platform outside mobile.
Self-custodial wallet infrastructure
Self-custodial wallet infrastructure handling wallets, signing, and digital assets.
Passkey-based onboardin
Passkey-based onboarding designed to remove seed phrases from the initial user experience.
Fiat on-ramp integration
Fiat on-ramp integration allowing users to purchase tokens by card.
Digital fan card, XP, and referral functionality
Digital fan card, XP, and referral functionality connecting asset ownership with fan engagement.
Administrative and operational tools
Administrative and operational tools enabling the league to manage the product.

From Custom Product to Reusable Infrastructure

Reusable Wallet Core
The project expanded ND Labs’ reusable wallet infrastructure. Passkey onboarding and fiat purchase flows developed for the platform are now part of the common core and can be adapted for future products without rebuilding the same functionality from scratch.
Adaptable Product Layer
The infrastructure can support different customer experiences and business models. The product layer can be adapted for fan identity and team tokens, in-game assets, digital asset accounts, marketplace payments and payouts, or digital rewards and memberships.
Faster Development for Future Products
With the core wallet functionality already in place, future projects can focus on the product-specific experience, business logic, integrations, and asset model. This reduces the amount of infrastructure that needs to be developed for each new implementation.

The Result

8 development sprints
16 weeks from development to a complete product ecosystem
iOS + Android + Web
Self-custodial wallet infrastructure
Passkey-based wallet onboarding
Fiat on-ramp
Fan engagement and operational tools
Reusable Infrastructure

Bringing Digital Assets Into Your Product?

Digital asset functionality does not have to start with a traditional crypto wallet.
ND Labs helps businesses integrate wallets, payments, digital ownership, and other digital asset functionality into products their customers already understand.

Discuss your product

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