It could be said that 2017 was the year of the fintech revolution. Crytocurrencies became a mainstream phenomenon, ICOs surpassed traditional venture capital funding and familiarity with blockchain was spread around the world. A recent study by PwC found that 77% of the Financial Services incumbents surveyed expect to adopt blockchain as part of an in-production system or process by 2020. Blockchain is here to stay.
The past year has also introduced many promising blockchain startups that are attacking pain points ranging from access to financial services to easy and safe ways to trade cryptocurrencies. The core benefits of building on the blockchain include enhanced security, public records that can’t be tampered with, and the elimination of unnecessary intermediaries.
Below are the top three blockchain startups to watch based on our industry research and marketplace trends. Not only are they solving key problems in the industry, they are innovatively reshaping the user experience behind blockchain applications.
1. UBIQUICOIN
Cryptocurrency investing is notoriously volatile. A 30% daily swing is commonplace and even occurred recently as Bitcoin plummeted 42% in less than 24 hours. Given this volatility, it should be of no surprise that UBIQUICOIN has developed a unique two-coin system that eliminates the risk of volatility in commercial use. The way it works is that one coin “Transaction Coin” remains stable in value and is allocated towards commerce. A second coin “Progressive Coin” shares 20% of the ecosystem’s revenue and trades freely on the open market.
Additionally, UBIQUICOIN’s hybrid model drastically improves processing times under their consensus mechanism coined “Proof of Majority”. Each coin holder will receive a card that acts like a debit card and links to UBIQUICOIN wallets. These cards will have much lower fees than traditional credit or debit cards, making it a win-win for both the consumer and merchant.
We love this concept as it solves three major pain points currently felt in the fintech blockchain space. By removing volatility, fees, and lag times, the overall user experience will be heightened and help positively reinforce cryptocurrencies across a mainstream audience.
2. CoinLion
CoinLion is developing a trading platform that will mix a traditional cryptocurrency exchange with portfolio management tools and social sharing. Rather than sifting through individual coins and placing single orders, users will be able to execute multiple trades with the click of a button – something not offered by any current exchange on the market.
After trades are made, public profiles will give users the chance to interact and learn from other traders. Built into this is a rewards system that incentivizes users to share information. As a result, a community centered around education and knowledge will be built. This is arguably the first exchange of its kind in the crypto market.
CoinLion CEO, Joshua Dewitt, explains, “CoinLion is the first digital asset exchange to integrate all of these components together and deliver powerful trading and management tools that assist users in making smart and controlled investment processes.”
We believe CoinLion can have a major impact on the market as more casual investors seek a one stop shop to learn, invest, and manage a portfolio.
3. Auditchain
Auditchain is developing a decentralized continuous audit and reporting protocol ecosystem to revolutionize the audit and accounting industries. Blockchain technology is used to present balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and other reports in real-time. Not only will this significantly improve current audit and accounting inefficiencies, it will help drive compliancy, transparency and safety across the industry.
With the right mass adoption, Auditchain could potentially help prevent the next financial crisis. In theory, real-time reporting will allow for systematic inefficiencies to be detected quicker, especially as records are stored on an immutable ledger. Not only is this something that is drastically needed, it is scalable across any industry and sector, both public and private.
With a strong team and solid foundation, Auditchain is poised to be the first incumbent in the race to continuous real-time reporting. We give them the leg-up as larger banks and institutions take time researching blockchain applications.
