Top 5 Fintech Blockchain Projects of 2018

Hidden Gems To Keep Your Eyes On

In the world of cryptocurrency, there is never a passing moment where I am not constantly bombarded with tens, if not hundreds of projects to invest in. More often than not, it’s hard to do sufficient research on all these projects to fully understand and assess them. As such, I find it relevant to narrow my search by industry; today I’m going to focus on the top fintech companies that have caught my eye to help you stay on top of the current Blockchain space. Financial technology companies who utilize blockchain’s capabilities are particularly interesting because both industries compliment each other so well. As this space continues to grow, there is an incredible amount of opportunity for companies that can solve the problems of current financial restrictions with novel ideas enabled by the Blockchain.

This research aligns with my belief that investing in projects with solid fundamentals is the wisest way to preserve and grow your capital through the volatility of cryptocurrency markets. Because of this, today I will be covering my top 5 fintech companies that you should be keeping your eye on throughout 2018. These are listed in no particular order.

OmiseGO (OMG)

OmiseGo provides a next-generation value transfer service by enabling transactions over the OMG Network in a trustless and secure fashion. OmiseGo’s vision of “Banking the unbanked” describes a world in which anybody can conduct financial transactions such as payments, payroll deposits, asset management and trading services, and much more all in a completely decentralized and inexpensive way. By offering a solution to execute transactions across different tokens and asset classes, OmiseGo has the ability to allow users to send money locally and across borders. This project is particularly attractive in southeast asian countries where there are limited options to transfer money safely between two different parties.

2018 is going to be a massive year for OmiseGo for a variety of reasons such as Plama — the off chain scaling solution that will be integrated in the OMG network. This is already a fundamentally solid project, and if you can compound that with pressing catalysts then it’s better to get in as early as possible. According to their roadmap, OmiseGO is set to have some major releases this year like their PoS public blockchain release.

FIC Network (FIC)

FIC Network is a decentralized fixed income securities network that enables the listing, exchange, and securitization of fixed income financial instruments including corporate bonds, syndicated loans, asset-backed securities, and more. As the cryptocurrency market continues to grow in total market capitalization, we are still left without an infrastructure for crypto credit and fixed income products. FIC Network intends to solve this by allowing financial institutions to issue secondary loan services that will provide a direct link between the credit/debt market and the issuer. This allows financial institutions to make money off accrued interest passively by lending and borrowing crypto and fiat assets while securitizing crypto and fiat debt.

In any growing market, one huge factor that can accelerate economic growth is the ability to use credit as a financial instrument. In the case of the cryptocurrency market, all new investors must go through traditional means in order to take advantage of the growing space. FIC Network is proposing a simple, yet effective method to accelerate market growth and bridge the maturity gap between traditional and cryptocurrency markets. This idea has yet to be executed correctly in this space, but FIC Network appears to have all their pieces lined up for victory.

When searching for ICOs in particular, it’s important to consider whether a specific token will solve a problem in a unique way. FIC Network is using blockchain technology to provide a trustless and fast way to execute the issuing of secondary loans and securitizing debt. A project as ambitious as this usually won’t stay under the radar for long, especially since fintech is a rapidly growing space in the cryptocurrency market. FIC Network intends to have their mainnet launch this year, meaning there is potential massive upside if you can get in during their token presale.

Ripple (XRP)

Ripple is a simple solution to send money globally using blockchain technology. Financial institutions can join the Ripple network and process their customers payments anywhere in the world instantly at mere fractions of the cost compared to other services. Since they are integrating blockchain technology as the backbone of their payment processing system, all transactions are done in a completely secure and reliable way. By using the XRP token, financial institutions integrating this technology can further lower transaction costs while taking advantage of the growing cryptocurrency market. Ripple is based in locations all across the world and have an ever-growing customer base.

Strictly looking at price growth, Ripple has performed extremely well over the past year. Ripple is making major moves and acquiring more partnerships with intentions to grow their outreach much more in 2018. In addition, they are focusing on enhancing the functionality and user experience of their platform. As institutional money enters the market, Ripple has the advantage as being looked at as a feasible long term investment for big players, which is why there is still a lot of opportunity for growth from this project.

Request Network (REQ)

Think of Venmo on the blockchain, and you have Request Network. With Request Network, any user has the ability to request and receive payments in a secure way, from anywhere around the globe. Furthermore, Request Network is capable of a host of features such as continuous payments and instant auditability. Platforms like Venmo are often limited to specific locations as certain countries like Australia don’t have this technology integrated. Request Network allows for cross border payments that works across every legislation, making the platform incredibly flexible with the ability to expand in the coming years. By using their app, you can make online purchases by clicking “Pay with Request” instead of the traditional “Pay with Paypal” or “Pay with credit card” in a secure and easy way.

This year there are a lot of releases on the platform such as their mainnet launch, fiat currency management, and their IoT framework project. From graduating from the prestigious YCombinator program to securing a close partnership with Kyber Network, Request has laid the foundation for an excellent year. Because they have so many catalysts this year, REQ is going to be a good long term hold. They already had a really strong run up in 2017 as they started to gain traction, but there is still a lot of room for them to grow as more and more people adopt their platform as the de facto for online payments. Keep REQ on your radar throughout the year.

Metal (MTL)

Similar to Request Network, Metal is a platform to transfer money instantly to anywhere around the globe. The difference with Metal is that they offer a rewards program that compensates you for spending or making purchases on the platform. Metal has made it a point to implement an easy-to-use platform that only requires a phone number to sign up, so anyone can jump right in and begin using. Backed by blockchain technology, Metal executes transactions and stores personal information in an encrypted format to ensure user safety. Metal also stands out because of the focus they have put on user satisfaction by not only providing a simple and sleek UI, but also a full staffed technical support team that caters to any problems users might have. This focus on consumer experience offers promising adoption potential, and is quite timely as we move into an age where secure payments on a trustless network is a must.

Metal is slated to launch their MetalPay app in March of this year, and has a tentative roadmap for wallet releases and further bank integration later in 2018. As the company grows, so will mass adoption as they provide payment solutions that are simple, secure, and incentivized. Metal is certainly a long term hold, and a strong hedge against other platforms who have similar business models.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UmO5UsKHdk&t=253s

https://twitter.com/omise_go/status/924684261613023233?lang=en

https://bitnewsbot.com/fic-network-ico-review-fixed-income-for-blockchain-assets/

https://ficnetwork.com/en

https://request.network/#/

https://www.metalpay.com/

https://ripple.com/

DISCLAIMER: This is not financial advice and I encourage you to do your own research before investing.