Reltime AS

Headquartered in Oslo, Reltime is building a new global financial tribe of people and businesses world-wide. Reltime offers disruptive and cutting-edge white-labelled B2B2C and Web3 embedded finance solutions to partners around the world. Individual developers and tech companies are encouraged to create fantastic applications into Reltime’s Web3 financial ecosystem, utilising OpenAPI, decentralised applications (dApps) and smart contracts. Reltime has listed its RTC token on several global digital asset exchange platforms, including BitMart and CoinTiger, and has subsidiaries in Norway (Conax Technology AS, established in January 2010), Lithuania and El Salvador. Further information: https://reltime.com/pitch For a 24-page presentation, please visit: https://reltime.com/pitch

<div>Reltime offers a decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem for its members across 150 countries. Its products include a biometric payment card with cold storage and a digital ID, which uses fingerprint identification to authenticate payments. The company planned to introduce the biometric card by the end of 2022 (was available for pre-order as of July 2022). It was to first offer the cards in Europe, Japan, India, Mexico, and Brazil before global scale expansion.</div>

Biometric Payments

Reltime is a Norweigian FinTech company that develops an ecosystem of financial products based on its proprietary proof-of-authority (PoA) blockchain. Reltime enables developers to build and launch DeFi products, services, tokens, marketplaces, and NFTs on its network. It also provides a platform that enables users to send, receive, withdraw, deposit, borrow, lend, earn, and swap digital assets. The platform also acts as a B2B2C lending marketplace where users can set their own interest rates (even zero) and lend with or without digital collateral using smart contracts.&nbsp;

Disrupting the traditional financial system using blockchain

Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

Reltime

DEX Launch PR Image - Reltime AS

<div>
 
 Reltime offers a decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem for its members across 150 countries. Its products include a biometric payment card with cold storage and a digital ID, which uses fingerprint identification to authenticate payments. The company planned to introduce the biometric card by the end of 2022 (was available for pre-order as of July 2022). It was to first offer the cards in Europe, Japan, India, Mexico, and Brazil before global scale expansion.
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 In September 2021, Reltime 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/6393">
 partnered with Zwipe,
 </a>
 a company offering biometric payment card inlays, to issue payment cards, allowing cardholders to authorize payments with fingerprint recognition. 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12290">
 Reltime also partnered
 </a>
 with 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/77395">
 IDEX Biometrics
 </a>
 in August 2022, to jointly develop a Web3 biometric payment card. The cards will also function as a digital assets wallet and cold storage device (an offline crypto storage device).  
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 In July 2022, 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11931">
 Reltime received USD 50 million
 </a>
 from GEM Digital Limited in a strategic investment partnership to scale its financial ecosystem including introducing the biometric payment card. The company also plans to go public through a pre-IPO in Q4 2022 and an IPO in Q1 2023.
 
</div>

<div>
 
 Biyo, formerly known as PulseWallet, offers a biometric POS terminal that uses palm prints (unique vein patterns and blood-flow) to verify users and authenticate payments. Biyo&rsquo;s systems to identify and authenticate customers are powered by Fujitsu&rsquo;s &ldquo;PalmSecure&rdquo; biometric technology.
 
 
 Users must initially swipe their payment card/device at the first payment at a Biyo terminal, to pair the palmprint with the card. Thereafter, the palm prints will be used for authentication at any Biyo terminal (the phone number continues to act as a second authentication method, similar to a username). Biyo claims that using a customer&rsquo;s unique palm-vein patterns for identification is more secure than using fingerprints (which it offered till 2014), as users can leave behind traces of the latter. Moreover, the company claims that scanned palm vein patterns have a 99.9% accuracy.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 Businesses can connect the Biyo terminal to existing POS cash registers, or acquire Biyo&rsquo;s bundled register, which includes a tablet. Biyo can be used by retailers in any industry, including restaurants, convenience stores, coffee shops, etc. The company charges merchants USD 89-169 per month for a single store and device, with the option of adding devices at USD 59 per device per month. The packages vary based on several features such as multi-store functionality, live chat support, inventory scanner licenses, and account managers, among others.
 
 
 End customers can utilize the Biyo app as a digital wallet for storing multiple credit cards, reward cards, coupons, transferring funds, and improving their financial management.&nbsp;
 
</div>

Biyo

<div>
 
 PopID, co-founded by foodtech holding company Cali Group, provides facial and palm recognition technology for enterprises to offer loyalty, payment (PopPay), and access control (PopEntry). The company uses core algorithms developed by NEC, a Japanese electronics vendor, and combines it with PopID&rsquo;s internally developed technologies.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 PopPay users can create accounts on PopID&rsquo;s app by submitting&nbsp; a selfie, can connect multiple payment methods to their account (functions as an eWallet), and use facial recognition to pay at checkout at physical retail stores that have installed PopID&rsquo;s software to their kiosks and POS terminals (or use PopID&rsquo;s own kiosks and terminals). In April 2023 the company broadened its offering by 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17878">
 including palm-based user authentication
 </a>
 in partnership with PalmID. This enabled end customers to use either facial or palm recognition to make payments and sign into loyalty programs.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 In November 2021, the PopPay system was expanded to authenticate payments made via mobile apps and websites. Through this, PopPay offers a unified payment solution for both brick-and-mortar transactions and online orders, created on a website or in a mobile app. PopID claims its eWallet offers lower processing fees for merchants, compared to credit and debit cards.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 PopID is also capable of analyzing order histories and providing recommendations to merchants, potentially increasing sales. The company leverages its diverse product and customer base to capture merchants for its payment solution by initially installing PopEntry (entry systems for campuses and workplaces), and thereafter introducing payment solutions to local merchants (in or near the premises), once the user communities are more comfortable with the tech.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 PopID caters mainly to restaurants and retail brands, and as of April 2023, its solutions were reportedly used by over 150 different brands for payment and loyalty. Its customers included Cali burgers, Bojangles, Lemonade, and Parkway Grill. The company also partnered with automated pizza-maker Piestro in March 2021, to enable biometric payments at Piestro&rsquo;s stores.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 PopID has entered into several partnerships to expand the use of its terminals across the globe. These partners include 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/6516">
 Japan Computing Vision
 </a>
 (November 2021) 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9063">
 ASM Global
 </a>
 (March 2022), 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9569">
 Visa and Dubai Holdings
 </a>
 (April 2022), 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10571?industryIds=61">
 SunCash
 </a>
 (May 2022), 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14837">
 FIFA
 </a>
 (November 2022), 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15707?industryIds=61">
 Toshiba
 </a>
 , 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15887">
 QNB Group
 </a>
 , and 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16522?industryIds=61">
 Tyme
 </a>
 (January/February 2023), among others. Moreover, in May 2022, 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10515?industryIds=61">
 Mastercard named PopID as a partne
 </a>
 r to launch Mastercard&rsquo;s biometric checkout solution across the globe.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 In addition to the Cali Group, PopID is backed financially by various franchise operators of global restaurant brands and owners of Stoner&rsquo;s Pizza Joint, Park Burger, and Bird Call.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company raised USD 10 million in Series B funding in September 2021, to expand its PopEntry and PopPay deployment within and beyond the country over the following year and a half. 
 
</div>

PopID

<div>
 
 PayByFace provides facial recognition technology for enterprises to offer loyalty and payment services. Users create accounts on the PayByFace app by submitting a selfie and connect payment methods to their account. Thereafter, they can use their face to pay at checkout at physical retail stores that have installed PayByFace&rsquo;s software to their smart checkout devices (such as tablets).&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company noted that its platform encrypts user data and is in compliance with GDPR and PSD/2, and has been fully validated by the National Bank of Romania and the European Central Bank. PayByFace also claims that its apps recognize faces with a 99% accuracy in under a second, without requiring an internet connection.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company also provides merchant payment terminals (digital signage) as platforms for digital out-of-home advertisements (static, repeat visibility, targeted marketing, etc) and shares the ad revenue with the merchants. In addition to its in-store biometric payment solution, PayByFace also provides facial recognition authentication for online checkouts as well.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 PayByFace 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13257?industryIds=61">
 deployed its payment solutions in several locations 
 </a>
 across the globe, namely, the US, the UAE, and South Africa, in September 2022. Subsequently, in&nbsp; April 2024, 
 <a href="https://www.biometricupdate.com/202404/paybyface-expands-across-european-markets">
 PayByFace announced plans to further expand into the European market
 </a>
 , including the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria,, and Bulgaria.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 PayByFace claims to be the only facial recognition-based payment system in Southeast Europe and primarily targets essential businesses, such as pharmacies, grocery stores, and gas stations. As of May 2022, the platform was used in over 50 locations in Romania. The platform collaborates with Romanian online card payment processing company Euplatesc to facilitate payments and intends to integrate its service with card processing providers in France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 PayByFace partnered with ride-hailing app, GoCab in May 2021, to enable customers to settle their cab fare using facial recognition, via tablets installed in the backseat (10 taxis initially with plans to expand to 300 in the future). The tablets also broadcasted a series of advertisements, where the revenue was split evenly between GoCab and PayByFace.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company is also a part of the VISA Innovation Program in Bulgaria, and through the program, Bulgaria&rsquo;s Raiffeisenbank began testing facial recognition payments using PayByFace. Moreover, it was also named as one of 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10515">
 Mastercard&rsquo;s partners
 </a>
 to launch the latter&rsquo;s biometric payment terminals.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10890">
 PayByFace received a strategic investment
 </a>
 from Indian FinTech infrastructure provider SafexPay (Safex) in May 2022. Safex also introduced PayByFace technology in India, starting with pilot projects with India-based multinationals. PayByFace planned to utilize the investment to accelerate the growth of its biometric payment solution, in addition to broadening its geographic presence.
 
</div>

PayByFace

<div>
 
 TouchToPay offers a biometric point-of-sale (POS) payment system for in-store and remote checkouts, using fingerprints to authenticate payments. Users must create an account with the TouchToPay system and register their credit card information. 
 
 
 Unlike many biometric POS terminals, TouchToPay uses fingerprints to complement PINs, rather than replace them, as its terminals require two-factor authentication.   
 
 
 The company also claims its system is enhanced against security threats such as hacking, since it uses mathematical algorithms corresponding to users’ fingerprints, in place of storing the full image of user fingerprints. In addition to payments, users also receive weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly reports on their expenses.  
 
</div>

TouchToPay

<div>
 
 SmartMetric develops biometric payment cards which use fingerprint identification to authenticate payments. The company claims its cards can scan and match fingerprints in under a second, and while it primarily caters to payments, the technology can also be used for access controls and identity verification.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Unlike typical alternatives, SmartMetric&rsquo;s cards are powered through an internal rechargeable battery, as opposed to through the card reading machine. Therefore, users may not need to place their finger on the card while it is in the card reader, making it appropriate for use in restaurants and certain ATMs. The company announced in June 2023, that it is also 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19099">
 adding embedded AI
 </a>
 into the biometric payment cards to enhance card security and user applications, and in February 2024, the company introduced a biometric 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26384">
 credit card
 </a>
 (which began manufacturing 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/28614">
 in April 2024
 </a>
 ).
 
 
 
 
 Notably,&nbsp; the company had developed an anti-spoofing technology (by June 2021) &mdash; a prerequisite for global credit card network approval&mdash; which it claimed could differentiate between a live fingerprint and a fake one. SmartMetric introduced a secure element for crypto keys, covered by firewalled encryption, to enable cryptocurrency key storage for its biometric cards, in December 2020. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Although the company is based in the US, it has sales and marketing partnerships in Latin America and Europe as well.
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 The biometric cards incorporate ServiRed&rsquo;s (Spanish payment card scheme with over 44 million cards in circulation) Advantis card chip operating system, as a result of a partnership entered into in February 2019.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 Accordingly, the company is yet to generate revenue and as of FY2023 (ending June), and reported an operating loss of nearly USD 810,000. However, it claims to have a manufacturing capacity of over a million cards a month.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 
</div>

SmartMetric

Companies that offer biometric POS terminals, including the complementing software that uses palm print, fingerprint, or finger veins for payment authentication.

Companies providing biometric POS terminals, including the complementing software that uses facial or iris recognition for payment authentication.

Companies that offer biometric authentication software which can be embedded into smart devices or existing POS terminals, for payment authentication.

Companies that provide software platforms to authenticate remote transactions using biometrics, typically leveraging the biometric authentication provided in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Companies that provide technology to enable fingerprint authentication on payment cards, such as fingerprint sensors, biometric algorithms, and card inlays.

Companies manufacturing biometric payment cards for issuers.

Leverages several biometrics as facial, iris, fingerprint, and palm vein recognition to authenticate payments

Biometrics are unique and therefore, authenticating payments using biometric features delivers personalization

AI/ML can be used to improve authentication accuracy and reduce false acceptances and rejections

Reltime is a Norweigian FinTech company that develops an ecosystem of financial products based on its proprietary proof-of-authority (PoA) blockchain. Reltime enables developers to build and launch DeFi products, services, tokens, marketplaces, and NFTs on its network. It also provides a platform that enables users to send, receive, withdraw, deposit, borrow, lend, earn, and swap digital assets. The platform also acts as a B2B2C lending marketplace where users can set their own interest rates (even zero) and lend with or without digital collateral using smart contracts.&nbsp;The company’s blockchain protocol operates on the native token RTO, which acts as the protocol’s gas fee required to conduct an internal transaction within the network. The company also offers a separate “RTC” token on several exchange platforms such as BitMart and CoinTiger. Reltime also offers a decentralized exchange and NFT marketplace for users to trade several digital assets as well as a non-custodial digital wallet solution.Key customers and partnershipsIn August 2022, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12290">Reltime partnered </a>with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/77395">IDEX Biometrics</a> to jointly develop a Web3 biometric payment card. The card will also function as a digital assets wallet and cold storage device (an offline crypto storage device). In August 2023, it partnered with Nagra Solutions, the digital TV division of the Kudelski Group, to develop a full suite of decentralized services. These included mobile wallets, QR code and peer-to-peer payment technologies, loyalty and rewards management, financial services, and advertising revenue optimization.Reltime was selected by Microsoft’s Global Startups Program in April 2023. The partnership allowed the companies to jointly offer DeFi services to telecom operators, retail chains, and neo-banks across the globe.&nbsp;Funding and financialsIn July 2022, Reltime<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11979"> raised USD 50 million</a> from GEM Digital Ltd. in a strategic investment partnership. The company earmarked the funds to scale its ecosystem of financial products and expand its reach across 150 countries.

MakerDAO is a DAO (governed through the MKR token) that manages the Sky protocol (formerly known as Maker).&nbsp;Developed on the Ethereum blockchain, the protocol allows users to place their funds (through cryptocurrency) as collateral in exchange for its stablecoin DAI, which is pegged to the USD. DAI can be used like any other cryptocurrency and even as savings since holders of DAI are entitled to a return based on the DAI Savings Rate (DSR). The DSR is determined by members of the DAO using a mix of public and proprietary market data.Sky offers access to investing and borrowing DAI through the Oasis app which was developed by some of the creators of protocol. In addition, the protocol is available for developers of DeFi apps who can build apps to facilitate earning, investing, and borrowing DAI. As of May 2024, Sky had integrated with over 400 applications ranging from payment systems to gaming platforms. It generates revenue through stability fees (akin to interest payment on borrowed DAI) and liquidation fees which is an additional charge that occurs when the value of the submitted collateral falls below a set liquidation amount.&nbsp;In April 2022, the protocol announced that it was bridging to StarkNet, a reportedly cheaper and faster zero-knowledge (ZK) overlay chain built by StarkWare. Along with its expansion on Ethereum, the DAO had planned to move toward a multi-chain offering with this rebuild. It planned to roll out this offering in four phases, beginning with a simple bridge between the main blockchain and StarkNet’s Layer 2.&nbsp;In February 2023, the company <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16269?industryIds=64">launched a new lending platform</a> named Spark Protocol, to enable users to borrow, lend, and stake DAI, the protocol’s stablecoin. The platform, which is a fork of Aave's version 3 (v3), will be built by Phoenix Labs, a research and development company formed by the DAO. Additionally, the company also announced the deployment of etherDAI, a liquid staking derivative for Ethereum that will be pegged to the value of ETH. Furthermore, in March, the protocol went on to<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17322"> approve several new proposals </a>that make changes to both its governance structure and the investment of its treasury. These changes divide the DAO’s current structure into smaller self-governed and self-sustained units named SubDAOs, which will also have their own tokens in the MakerDAO ecosystem. Moreover, the proposal also planned to increase the protocol’s revenues by investing a part of its reserves (worth USD 7 billion) into real-world assets and money-market funds.&nbsp;The platform outlined its plans for a major update (named Endgame) in May 2023. The launch was proposed to take place in five phases and will ultimately lead to the creation of a new blockchain. The road map is as follows: 1) launching new branding and website as well as upgraded versions of Dai and MKR tokens; 2) launching six Maker SubDAOs, specializing in user acquisition, decentralized frontends, and collateral allocation; 3) introducing new AI tools to assist governance, including tools for summarizing, interpreting, and generating governance proposals; 4) enabling rewards for governance participation; and 5) deploying a new blockchain to house backend logic for SubDAO tokenomics and governance security. The first phase of the update is expected to be rolled out in the summer of 2024.&nbsp;In August 2024, the protocol followed through with the first phase of its plans by <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/32993">rebranding itself under the new name "Sky"</a>, and launching new versions of DAI and MKR tokens named the USDS and SKY.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsIn September 2024, Sky<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/33252"> partnered with Aave Labs</a>, to launch the “Sky Aave Force” initiative. The initiative featured key proposals such as integrating the newly launched USDS and sUSDS stablecoins on Aave’s V3 protocol, introducing an incentive program for sUSDS suppliers and deploying a direct deposit module for USDS into the Aave Lido Market. Additionally, the partnership will enable the companies to distribute SPK tokens, the native token of Sky’s lending protocol Spark, to create a market for sUSDS on Aave. Collectively, these initiatives enable users to earn yields on their sUSDS deposits from the revenues generated by Sky’s protocol and mint USDS directly on Aave without meeting the usual collateral requirements.

MakerDAO

Founded by former executives of Qualcomm, Solana Labs is the developer of the Solana blockchain, which uses the native cryptocurrency SOL. The company enables developers to create decentralized applications in its blockchain and is capable of carrying out 50,000 transactions per second (TPS) with a theoretical upper limit of 710,000 TPS for the architecture. As of May 2024, the blockchain averaged around 2,400 TPS. This is in contrast to Ethereum’s average of between 13 to 15 TPS. In addition to transaction speed, Solana also has other advantages such as lower transaction fees and improved scalability, given its proof-of-stake consensus mechanism and underlying architecture. The mechanism also enables users to stake their SOL and earn yields for validating the network. Solana provides the ability to create specialized tooling and programming functionality to tokens through <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25910">Token Extensions</a>. This allows developers and businesses to establish rules for tokens, such as dictating their functionality and determining their holders, as well as embed features like whitelisting, automatic transfer fees, and confidentiality provisions for transfers.Solana also provides guides and a content aggregator website for developers to discover tools to create dApps on its blockchain. As of May 2024, more than 440 dApps were created on Solana, ranging across use cases such as DeFi, NFTs, and gaming. It also <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18094">launched a ChatGPT </a>(a chatbot built on OpenAI's GPT model) plugin to allow developers and users to query the blockchain for on-chain data. The plugin works through the ChatGPT interface and allows users to perform various tasks such as checking wallet balances, transferring tokens, and purchasing NFTs.Key customers and partnershipsWeb browser developer Opera partnered with Solana in December 2021 to integrate the blockchain and create a built-in crypto wallet onto the Opera browser to improve accessibility to dApps hosted on the blockchain.As of May 2024, the company served several enterprise clients such as Shopify, Asics, Helio, and Tiplink.Funding and financialsThe total value locked (TVL) in DeFi projects across the Solana blockchain amounted to USD 4 billion as of May 2024. The company raised USD 314 million through an initial coin offering (ICO) of SOL. The ICO was co-led by Polychain Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. The funding was to be used to create a venture investing arm, a trading desk, and support the development of new applications in its blockchain.

Solana

Swiss-based Eidoo is a developer of a wallet that supports cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, along with tokens such as DAI, MKR, AAVE, and UNI, among others. In addition, Eidoo provides a DeFi marketplace that integrates with its wallet, allowing users to trade any tokens that they hold. Eidoo also offers a debit card that allows the conversion of digital assets into fiat currencies, such as the GBP and EURO, and spending or even withdrawing cash from ATMs.Eidoo began with the proprietary token EDO, which it also used to raise USD 27.9 million in an initial coin offering (ICO) in 2017. The token was then upgraded following its merger with blockchain oracle provider Provable Things to establish pNetwork, the infrastructure that facilitates cross-chain interactions between multiple decentralized apps, governed by the token PNT. To obtain an Eidoo debit card, users are required to stake PNT ranging from 20 to 200,000 for various service tiers.Eidoo had several applications such as virtual account numbers to deposit money and obtain a tokenized representation of their deposit as well as features to buy, hold, and trade NFTs in the roadmap as of December 2021.

Eidoo

Synthetix is a DAO (governed by holders of its native token SNX) that offers a platform on which users can trade and vote on the creation of on-chain synthetic assets, which are derivatives based on real-world assets. These synthetic assets enable traders to capture the price movements of assets such as cryptocurrencies, fiat currencies, stocks, and commodities, among others, with zero slippage. The protocol allows users to stake SNX as collateral for the debt pool and earn weekly rewards. As of April 2022, Synthetix had USD 642 million in total value locked (TVL).Additionally, Synthetix also offers the opportunity for developers to build on top of the platform to tap into its liquidity as well as develop decentralized perpetual futures, options markets, deal coordination markets, and more. As of December 2021, the protocol served large DeFi platforms including 1inch, Curve Finance, Yearn Finance, and Paraswap.In February 2023, Synthetix <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16609?industryIds=64">deployed version 3 (v3) of its platform </a>on the Ethereum mainnet. V3 reportedly offers more efficient architecture that enables developers to create products that offer a liquid market for any financial derivative, as well as more complex decentralized applications. Additionally, the solution also offers staking and differentiated debt pools, to enable stakers to earn fees from supplying collateral to specific asset pools. The company went on to deploy its protocol on Base, an Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain developed by Coinbase, in April 2024. Moreover, the company announced plans to launch a new perpetual futures exchange named Infinex in the following months.Funding and financialsIn March 2023, Synthetix <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17267">received an investment of USD 20 million </a>from DWF Labs, a Web3 venture capital company. Synthetix plans to use this investment to drive volume for its protocol across both centralized and decentralized exchanges and invest in product development.

Synthetix

Compound is an open-source lending protocol built on Ethereum that allows developers to build DeFi applications for functions such as deposits and lending. Compound offers adjusted money market interest rates based on asset-specific supply and demand and supports a number of Ethereum-based assets for users to take collateralized loans and lock-up assets without borrowing. Locked assets are automatically liquidated if an independent oracle determines that the price has dropped too low. Additionally, since assets are stored in a shared pool, even users with liquidated collateral can claim tokens if they are able to repay the general pool. Compound also <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13038">offers borrowing services</a> for institutional clients that allow them to borrow USD or USDC at a fixed annual percentage rate of 6% using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ether as collateral, with a loan-to-value of 90%.As of April 2024, Compound had a total value locked (TVL) of USD 2.3 billion. The protocol is governed by its native-token COMP, which along with a variety of other digital assets that are a part of the Compound ecosystem, are supported by Coinbase Custody, a crypto asset custodian. In August 2022, Compound launched a version of its protocol named “Compound III” which features a single borrowable asset. Users can supply collateral that can never be withdrawn by other users (except during liquidation) and borrow USDC.In May 2022, Compound<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10267"> received a B- credit rating from S&amp;P Global Ratings</a> on its enterprise credit facility which offers 4% annually on deposits of the stablecoin USDC. Notably, Compound claims that this is the first time an "institutional DeFi" product has been scored by a major credit rating agency.Funding and financialsCompound’s last funding round was in November 2019 where it raised USD 25 million in a Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z crypto fund to help the company further decentralize the protocol by enabling crypto exchanges and custodians such as Coinbase to maintain the protocol going forward.

Compound

Organizations and protocols that allow individuals to lend their crypto assets and take out collateralized or uncollateralized loans from to/from these projects

Organizations that allow individuals to invest in tokenized financial and real assets

Organizations that provide fully decentralized insurance products

Organizations that apply NFTs across areas of finance such as documentation and non-fractionalized ownership records for assets

Decentralized exchanges that help connect buyers and sellers of DeFi tokens without the need to rely on an intermediary

Organizations that provide digital wallets for users to take custody of DeFi tokens

Blockchains and related protocols that allow developers to build DeFi apps

All companies within this industry are either blockchain-based platforms or offer blockchain-centric services

Promotes financial inclusivity, allowing those that won't traditionally have access to credit to raise funds

Companies with the infrastructure segment offer solutions for users to build decentralized applications

Reltime

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