Crypto has a hidden cost problem and it goes beyond gas fees. Building a blockchain application often requires more than just deploying a smart contract. Developers may need external services for data feeds, indexing, scheduling, bridging and other essential functions. Each service solves a problem but every additional provider can bring its own fees, integrations and operational complexity. Over time, these costs start adding up. This is where double marginalization comes in. When multiple independent providers add their own profit margins at different stages of the same supply chain the final cost can become much higher than expected. Developers face tighter margins. Users may end up paying more. And some useful applications become difficult to build sustainably. The bigger issue is that every provider optimizes its own business, while nobody necessarily optimizes the total cost of the entire system. So how can blockchain infrastructure improve? One approach is to bring more essential functionality closer to the protocol itself, reducing unnecessary dependence on separate services. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 @RialoHQ 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Rialo is working toward programmable blockchain infrastructure that supports capabilities such as event-driven execution, timers and connectivity to external data. Instead of treating every action as an isolated transaction, developers can build applications designed to respond to events and execute logic when required. A more integrated approach could help simplify development, reduce coordination overhead and make complex applications more practical to operate. Of course, integration alone doesn't eliminate every external dependency or guarantee lower costs. The real impact depends on the capabilities provided and how efficiently they work together. But the underlying idea matters. Crypto doesn't just need cheaper transactions. It needs cheaper, simpler ways to build and run useful applications. If blockchain wants to become everyday infrastructure, developers should spend less time managing disconnected services and more time building products people actually need. That's the bigger problem Rialo is exploring, and one reason I'm paying attention to its approach.