American multinational retail giant, Walmart has applied for a cryptocurrency patent. The application to the US Patent and Trademark Office is unprecedented and could have significant implications for crypto. The “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DIGITAL CURRENCY VIA BLOCKCHAIN” will be a bold experiment given the regulatory challenges Walmart could face.
Walmart coin will likely be similar in structure to stable coins that peg their value to fiat currencies. Already, corporations like IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Facebook and VISA/MasterCard have expressed interest in similar projects.
This stablecoin can open up the financial capabilities for millions across the world without banking services. A Walmart spokesperson gave the following explanation to this effect:
“Using a digital currency, low-income households that find banking expensive may have an alternative way to handle wealth at an institution that can supply the majority of their day-to-day financial and product needs.”
Accordingly, users could use this token in the near future to provide fee-free wealth storage. With the coin, you can spend at Walmart conveniently with easy fiat conversion.
Structure and Benefits of Walmart Coin
The coin will be an ecosystem payment mechanism. In the patent filing, Walmart states that this stablecoin will be available for use at select stations its retail chain. This way, customers can save using the digital currency unit and use it for accepted goods or services.
Therefore, low-income households, in particular, can have alternative affordable banking. It goes without saying that traditional credit and debit card have considerable transaction fees. As such, convenient savings can suit the majority of their day-to-day financial and product needs.
Moreover, customers can enjoy interest. This is a departure from most other stable coins on offer. Walmart will store your purchase history on a blockchain with loyalty points and other savings bonus.
Implications
Walmart is obviously an enormous enterprise. The fact that the coin could go directly into payments in their retail operations is a bonus. Additionally, other stores can adopt this blockchain for commerce and tracking supply systems.
This stable coin has the potential to transform world supply chain finance. Even though Walmart does not have the marketing operation Facebook does, this coin has the potential to have similar if not greater effect. The completion for unbanked customers especially in parts of Asia and even Africa is worth watching. That and regulatory hurdles will shape this drive moving forward. Regardless, Walmart’s foray into crypto is an exciting and interesting development for crypto enthusiasts at large.
