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Cryptocurrencies are no longer limited to being just an investment or speculative tool. With the evolution of blockchain technology, digital currencies are increasingly being adopted by individuals and businesses alike for everyday transactions. In this edition, we outline some practical use cases of cryptocurrencies and highlight some crypto firms that facilitate these utilities.International Remittance: The World Bank projected remittances to low and middle-income countries to reach $630 billion in 2022. Crypto is becoming a popular alternative to traditional money transfer services, offering faster and cheaper cross-border transactions.<ul><li>Ripple is a San Francisco-based company that offers blockchain-based solutions for cross-border payments. Their flagship product, RippleNet, is used by over <a href="https://ripple.com/insights/ripplenet-growth-announcing-more-than-300-customers/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">300 financial institutions</a> worldwide to facilitate instant and low-cost cross-border payments.</li><li>BitPesa: BitPesa is a Kenyan-based company that offers cross-border payment services using cryptocurrencies. They have operations in several African countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania.</li></ul>Micropayments: With crypto, it is possible to send small amounts of money without high transaction fees, making micropayments for digital content or services more accessible.<ul><li>Brave Software, the company behind the Brave Browser, has integrated the Basic Attention Token (BAT) into its platform, allowing users to earn and spend BAT for viewing online ads or supporting content creators. As of January 2023, the company <a href="https://bravebat.info/brave_browser_active_users" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reported</a> having over 54 million monthly active users.</li><li>The Lightning Network, a <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2022/02/scaling-the-bitcoin-blockchain/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Layer 2 scaling solution for Bitcoin</a>, allows for instant and low-cost micropayments.</li></ul>Charity and Donations: Cryptocurrencies have enabled secure and transparent donations to charities and non-profit organizations, providing accountability and reducing the risk of fraud.<ul><li>The Giving Block is a crypto-focused non-profit that helps other charities accept <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/how-to-gift-crypto-the-ultimate-guide-to-giving-and-receiving-cryptocurrencies/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">cryptocurrency donations</a>. According to the company, it has processed over $350 million in crypto donations for various non-profits, including Save the Children and the American Cancer Society.</li></ul>Gaming: Crypto-powered gaming allows for the creation of in-game economies, where players can earn and spend digital assets without the need for centralized platforms.<ul><li>Axie Infinity is a <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2022/09/blockchain-play-to-earn-games-how-to-get-started-with-axie-infinity/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">blockchain-based game</a> that allows players to earn and trade digital assets called Axies. The P2E game recorded 2.7M daily active users at its peak, with some players earning up to $40,000 per month.</li></ul>Online Marketplaces: Cryptocurrencies are being used as a payment option on various online marketplaces, providing a more convenient and secure transaction experience for buyers and sellers.<ul><li>Shopify, an e-commerce platform, that allows merchants to accept Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) as payment options.</li><li>Gyft is a digital gift card platform with more than 200 hundred retailers to choose from. You can use BTC to purchase gift cards for a particular store and spend them on that merchant’s site even if they don’t accept BTC.</li></ul>Travel: Crypto payments are being accepted by travel agencies, hotels, and airlines, providing a more accessible and borderless travel experience.<ul><li><a href="https://www.cheapair.com/blog/is-it-possible-to-pay-for-a-vacation-completely-in-bitcoin/#:~:text&#61;As%20we%20stated%2C%20CheapAir.com,and%20safe%2C%20and%20completely%20confidential." rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CheapAir</a>, a US-based travel booking website, allows users to pay for flights and hotels using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.</li><li>Travala, a blockchain-based travel booking platform with over 3 million travel-related packages, supports cryptocurrency payments and even offers <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2022/11/shiba-inu-and-travala-partner-to-offer-an-exclusive-special-to-shib-users/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">limited discounts for certain token holders</a>.</li></ul>Peer-to-Peer Lending: Decentralized lending platforms are leveraging crypto to provide borrowers and lenders with greater flexibility and transparency. DeFi essentially removes the red tape blocking access to financial services, driving broader financial inclusion and economic growth.<ul><li>Aave is a decentralized lending platform that allows users to borrow and lend digital assets without intermediaries. Aave currently has over <a href="https://defillama.com/protocol/aave" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$5 billion</a> in total value locked (TVL).</li></ul>As blockchain technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative use cases emerge in the coming years.Catch up on our published articles for the week!<h4>News</h4><ul><li>KuCoin Vows to Compensate Users for Asset Losses After 45-Minute Twitter Hack &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/kucoin-vows-to-compensate-users-for-asset-losses-after-45-minute-twitter-hack/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>China Expands Use of Digital Yuan for Cross-Border Trade Under Belt and Road Initiative &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/china-expands-use-of-digital-yuan-for-cross-border-trade-under-belt-and-road-initiative/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Terraform Labs Ex-CEO Cleared of Security Violation Charges As Korean Court Rules LUNA Token Not Security &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/terraform-labs-ex-ceo-cleared-of-security-violation-charges-as-korean-court-rules-luna-token-not-security/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Bitget Releases Revised Whitepaper for BGB Token, Reveals Plan for New Utilities and Burn Mechanism &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/bitget-releases-revised-whitepaper-for-bgb-token-reveals-plan-for-new-utilities-and-burn-mechanism/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Visa Continues to Expand Its Crypto Offerings, Announces New Venture Focusing on Stablecoin Transactions &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/visa-continues-to-expand-its-crypto-offerings-announces-new-venture-focusing-on-stablecoin-transactions/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Book.io and Algorand Foundation Collaborate to Bring 10,000 Copies of “Brave New World” to Algorand Blockchain &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/book-io-and-algorand-foundation-collaborate-to-bring-10000-copies-of-brave-new-world-to-algorand-blockchain/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Terraform Labs’ Co-founder and Nine Others Indicted for Multiple Charges in South Korea &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/terraform-labs-co-founde-and-nine-others-indicted-for-multiple-charges-in-south-korea/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Gary Gensler Accused of Hypocrisy After Video of 2018 Lecture Surfaces Online &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/gary-gensler-accused-of-hypocrisy-after-video-of-2018-lecture-surfaces-online/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Circle CEO Blames US Regulators’ Crypto Crackdown for Almost 50% Drop in USDC Market Value &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/circle-ceo-blames-us-regulators-crypto-crackdown-for-almost-50-drop-in-usdc-market-value/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>New York Fed’s Revised Guidelines for Reverse Repurchase Agreements Raise Concerns About Circle’s Participation &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/new-york-feds-revised-guidelines-for-reverse-repurchase-agreements-raise-concerns-about-circles-participation/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Bitpanda and RLB NÖ-Wien Collaborate to Bring Cryptocurrency Investment Options to Customers &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/bitpanda-and-rlb-no-wien-collaborate-to-bring-cryptocurrency-investment-options-to-customers/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>UK Government Announces £100 Million Investment in Joint Task Force for AI Development &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/uk-government-announces-100-million-investment-in-joint-task-force-for-ai-development/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>World Economic Forum White Paper Reveals Blockchain’s Potential Benefits in the Fight Against Climate Change &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/world-economic-forum-white-paper-reveals-blockchains-potential-benefits-in-the-fight-against-climate-change/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>XRP Healthcare Africa and the Burnratty Investment Group Join Forces to Transform Healthcare in Africa &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/xrp-healthcare-africa-and-the-burnratty-investment-group-join-forces-to-transform-healthcare-in-africa/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>OKX Becomes First Multi-Chain Platform to Support Bitcoin Ordinals With Its Wallet and NFT Marketplace Upgrade &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/okx-becomes-first-multi-chain-platform-to-support-bitcoin-ordinals-with-its-wallet-and-nft-marketplace-upgrade/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Celsius Creditors Suspect FTX Users of Manipulating CEL Token Price; Seek Judge’s Help to Identify Them &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/celsius-creditors-suspect-ftx-users-of-manipulating-cel-token-price-seek-judges-help-to-identify-them/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Amber Group and Thoughtworks Join Forces to Pioneer State-of-the-Art Security Solutions in the Web3 Sector &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/amber-group-and-thoughtworks-join-forces-to-pioneer-state-of-the-art-security-solutions-in-the-web3-sector/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>NFT Market Sees More Sellers Than Buyers Throughout April 2023, NFTGo Reports &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/nft-market-sees-more-sellers-than-buyers-throughout-april-2023-nftgo-reports/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>ScamSniffer: Google Ad Phishing Scammers Steal Over $4 Million From Cryptocurrency Users &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/scamsniffer-google-ad-phishing-scammers-steal-over-4-million-from-cryptocurrency-users/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Binance CEO, Changpeng Zhao, Disputes Estimated Wealth Claims by Bloomberg &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/binance-ceo-changpeng-zhao-disputes-estimated-wealth-claims-by-bloomberg/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Santa Cruz County Adopts Blockchain-Based Digital Wallet for Government Services &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/santa-cruz-county-adopts-blockchain-based-digital-wallet-for-government-services/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Texas Judge Fines MTI CEO $3.4 Billion in Record CFTC Penalty &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/texas-judge-fines-mti-ceo-3-4-billion-in-record-cftc-penalty/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Hong Kong’s Primary Financial Regulator Encourages Banks to Serve Cryptocurrency Firms &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/hong-kongs-primary-financial-regulator-encourages-banks-to-serve-cryptocurrency-firms/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>KuCoin Confirms Identity of Wallet Owner Involved in Meme Coin Frauds &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/kucoin-confirms-identity-of-wallet-owner-involved-in-meme-coin-frauds/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>OKX Releases Its Sixth Monthly Report, Unveils Significant Upgrade to Its Proof of Reserves System &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/okx-releases-its-sixth-monthly-report-unveils-significant-upgrade-to-its-proof-of-reserves-system/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Binance Set to Return to Japanese Market After Five Years &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/binance-set-to-return-to-japanese-market-after-five-years/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>New Survey Shows 46% of Millennials in Twenty-Six Countries Own Cryptocurrencies &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/new-survey-shows-46-of-millennials-in-twenty-six-countries-own-cryptocurrencies/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li></ul>Articles<ul><li>What Are Blockchain Nodes and How Do They Work? A Beginner’s Guide &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/what-are-blockchain-nodes-and-how-do-they-work-a-beginners-guide/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>Smart Contracts in DeFi Simplified For Beginners &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/smart-contracts-in-defi-simplified-for-beginners/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li><li>The Metaverse: A New Frontier of Legal Challenges and Opportunities &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/the-metaverse-a-new-frontier-of-legal-challenges-and-opportunities/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li></ul>Markets<ul><li>XRP Fluctuates As Ripple-SEC Case Nears Conclusion and Regulatory Pressures Mount &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://defi-planet.com/2023/04/xrp-fluctuates-as-ripple-sec-case-nears-conclusion-and-regulatory-pressures-mount/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read more.</a></li></ul><h4></h4><h4>In Other News…</h4>Mastercard Continues Crypto Push with New Partnerships and Blockchain InitiativesOn April 28, Mastercard&#39;s head of crypto and blockchain, Raj Dhamodharan, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/mastercard-seeks-expand-crypto-card-tie-ups-2023-04-28/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">revealed</a> that the company is seeking more partnerships with crypto entities to expand its cryptocurrency payment card offering. Dhamodharan noted that they have dozens of partners globally who offer crypto card programs and are continuously expanding to provide safe access to cryptocurrencies.Currently, Mastercard provides cryptocurrency debit cards for several entities, such as Gemini, Nexo, Bitso, Lulu Exchange, Bybit, and Binance. Additionally, Mastercard has relationships with other crypto entities like Coinbase and Bakkt.While Mastercard is keen on expanding its presence in the crypto space, its competitors, Visa and American Express, have scaled back on their involvement with cryptocurrencies this year. American Express abandoned its plan to use crypto as a reward redemption option, and Visa terminated its partnership with FTX, which provided credit cards for the now-defunct exchange. Nevertheless, Visa&#39;s head of crypto, Cuy Sheffield, has reassured that the company will continue to partner with crypto firms to build innovative products.Mastercard, however, remains bullish on blockchain technology and has launched several initiatives this year to advance its adoption. In January, it unveiled the &#34;Mastercard Artist Accelerator&#34; on Polygon (MATIC), and in February, it partnered with Immersive.Spotlight on interesting projectsBetDEXThe <a href="https://www.betdex.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">BetDEX Exchange</a> is a sports betting exchange built on the Monaco Protocol, allowing for peer-to-peer wagering.The Exchange is licensed and regulated under the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man via the Gambling Supervision Commission. BetDEX is a key contributor to the Monaco Protocol, a permissionless decentralized and open-sourced protocol built on the Solana blockchain, supporting prediction and betting markets.For more information, visit <a href="https://www.betdex.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.betdex.com/</a>.<img src="https://academy-public.coinmarketcap.com/srd-optimized-uploads/b98c6fd97677470e8cadb9a793627009.png" />If you want more content like this, visit <a href="https://defi-planet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">DeFi Planet</a> and follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/PlanetDefi" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/defi-planet/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DeFi-Planet-129907662611402" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/defi.planet/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://medium.com/&#64;defi-planet" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Medium</a>. and <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/community/profile/DeFiPlanet/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CoinMarketCap Community</a>.

Weekly Round-Up #48 | Everyday Use Cases for Cryptocurrencies

DeFi Planet

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