Currency Trends and How They’ll Change the Way You Get Paid
Large businesses are currently investing millions of dollars to transition to cryptocurrency and stablecoin payments processing. Over the next five years, we should expect universal acceptance of unconventional currencies across many industries. According to a survey conducted by Deloitte1, three-quarters of all retailers anticipate accepting alternative currencies by 2024.
Although there are thousands of cryptocurrencies in existence, Bitcoin is recognized even by those with no hands-on experience. Stablecoins, on the other hand, are less commonly known. They are tied to a reserve asset such as a currency or commodity such as silver or gold. Asset backed coins are regarded as less volatile because they are asset back and, as such, are more inviting to the conversative investor.
But change may be on the horizon for cryptocurrency. According to Time2,
“… more regulation could mean more stability in a notoriously volatile crypto market.” While naysayers complain regulation will hinder innovation and deter decentralization, the other side of the coin is that stability would make it a safer playground for investors. The added benefit is that it would deter fraudulent activity.
There currently are no measures in place to prevent fraud in the cryptocurrency market. It is fraught with scams across social media, by email and using clever misspellings.
To drive more users to the crypto market, you need to improve user confidence. That confidence increase will increase the probability a customer will feel comfortable in making purchases using crytpo.”
Regulation could also spell the downfall of cryptocurrencies that lack asset backing, such as Bitcoin and Solana, to name a few.
In a world where big tech dominates and discount chains like Walmart consume the largest pieces of the pie, what will be the path of least resistance for small business owners? Some small retailers are investing up to $1 million to adapt their systems, according to Cryptograph.com. But that kind of expense may not suit the smaller outfits.
One possible solution is a stellar token created to bridge payments for retailers available through Digital Ledger Technology, FinX. The FinX Network claims to be a decentralized network based on Sovereignty and Commerce. The token was created to assist the retail market in transactions with the new generation of blockchain.
Although digital assets are available to investors right now, there are currently no bridge payment utilities available to make direct consumer to retailer payments.
Stellar
The Stellar Network is a system of asset backed digital assets, all in their infancy. Some are backed by stocks and others by commodities such as oil, silver, gold, platinum, plutonium, uranium, etc.
Many are utilities created to serve a specific purpose such as bridging currencies and payment portals.
An updated blockchain system exists in the quantum financial system, predicted to eventually replace the existing SWIFT system.
In general, most digital assets can be transferred within seconds and incur very little, if any fees. In the current SWIFT system, long distance transactions can take days to complete. It costs thousands of dollars to send Bitcoin and takes many hours. Newer technology will facilitate quicker transactions.
There are likely to be other utility tokens designed to facilitate payments from customer to merchants.
The goal is for payments from a customer’s digital wallet to transmit directly to the retailer using a stellar address for payments. In the Stellar Network, all transactions are trackable, resolving the current problem of criminal activity associated with today’s blockchain technology.
Before you take the leap to invest in cryptocurrency payment methods, why not wait to see what new technologies emerge to resolve current retailer issues as the cryptocurrency regulations change the direction of consumer confidence.
2 Time
