Request Network is an ERC20 token which focuses on payment requests. The idea is to have everything situated on the blockchain such as a log of the transaction, tax, trade rules, etc. If successfully implemented this would save massively on audits, and administration.

The team is relatively small at only 5 people. They appear to have some experience with money transfers from a previous startup called Moneytis which aggregated cross-border money transfer services and let you see which one was best for your purposes.

Technology Application Mismatch

Several issues immediately jumped out at me when I looked into this cryptocurrency.

Ethereum’s blockchain is not private, for this use case to function transactions would need to be private as a company does not want its competitors knowing who its main suppliers or customers are. At this stage Ethereum has a plan for private transactions in the roadmap but it is far from implemented.

Large scope = Larger execution risk

The team is also way too small to undertake this large of a project. The scale of what they are attempting to do is impressive but also very daunting. They need to coordinate between governments, companies, and varying accounting standards. The real missing piece for me on the team is a legal expert. Most of the cryptocurrency realm is unregulated but they are targeting sectors that are heavily regulated.

Big Competition

Cross border transactions are heavily dominated by Ripple. They have a massive amount of funding and a jump on competitors in addition to quick transaction times. Additionally Ripple has private transactions already and counts large bank and payment networks as customers.

Overall I would stay away from Request Network at least until Ethereum supports private transactions as prior to that companies will not adopt it.

To do your own research have a look at How to evaluate Altcoins like a Venture Capitalist

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