Many similarities can be drawn from the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi), a peer-to-peer finance system that leverages decentralized technologies on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain, and what e-commerce was like in the late 90s/early 2000s era. Both time periods shift the way consumers do things by bringing about greater efficiencies and tackling major pain points. Even more surprising than the parallels are the proposed combination of e-commerce and DeFi in a use case. Since DeFi has continued to shake up the financial space, many believed the same thing happening to e-commerce was only a matter of time. With decentralized finance, …

Since bursting into mainstream consciousness in 2021 — and even being the subject of a parody on Saturday Night Live — nonfungible tokens have become best known for serving as a vehicle for digital art. Although this application is revolutionary in itself, many crypto enthusiasts believe the industry is only scratching the surface when it comes to developing compelling use cases for NFTs. One of the biggest challenges when buying and selling goods in an online era concerns authenticity — and in recent years, several luxury brands have been exploring whether blockchain technology could help clamp down on counterfeiting. As …

Decentralized finance and shopping seem like an unusual combination at first. How can liquidity pools help you save money at the till? But scratch a little deeper and some compelling use cases for DeFi emerge. With the retail sector suffering through one of the most challenging times seen in a generation, here are the main issues facing e-commerce right now… and how DeFi could fix them. A match made in heaven? The likes of Amazon, eBay and Shopify have transformed the way we buy everyday items. Now, anyone can become a merchant — and once exotic products can be delivered …

A platform that claims to offer the world’s biggest digital shop for crypto users has announced that it now supports Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. Uquid notes this additional blockchain layer helps to speed up transactions while making them cheaper, eliminating two of the main drawbacks of using BTC directly. The shop boasts 35,000+ digital products, with new items added on a daily basis. According to the team, discounts of up to 60% are available on its range. “At the Uquid digital shop, we’re very excited about the Lightning Network. We believe this technology is the next step for future payment systems,” …