3 projects that promise to crack the crypto adoption code

As each day passes, the number of people in the world who can remember a time when they never used the internet decreases. But it wasn’t all that long ago that the vast majority of people lived their lives entirely offline. 

Back in 1995, internet penetration had only just reached 10% of American households, almost five years after the launch of the first web browser. Adoption was initially very slow, but it began to accelerate rapidly from that point onwards, and by 2000, more than 50% of American homes were connected to the Web. 

There’s barely a soul in the developed world who doesn’t use the internet daily, and we will likely one day be able to say the same about cryptocurrencies. Blockchain is one of the most disruptive technological advancements since the advent of the internet itself. Crypto is rapidly transforming how people interact and transact, bringing financial freedom and equality to the masses. 

Internet adoption was initially slow due to its scalability, ease of use, and privacy concerns. These are the same concerns holding back crypto, but several emerging projects are looking to change this and help make crypto an everyday aspect of our lives.

Sweat Economy

Sweat Economy is the creator of a popular fitness application that has been downloaded over 100 million times on Android and iOS devices. People use the Sweatcoin app to motivate themselves to stay fit by regularly walking, jogging, or running. 

So what does a fitness app have to do with crypto? The answer is integration. While Sweatcoin has been around since 2014, last year, it introduced a big change that could prove revolutionary for crypto adoption. It introduced its cryptocurrency – SWEAT – a digital wallet and a new mechanism that pays people to get out and about. 

Linking the Sweatcoin app to your smartphone’s GPS system compels you to keep fit through a financial incentive. Each time you go for a jog, take the dog for a walk, or enjoy a stroll to work or school, you’ll be paid SWEAT tokens for your efforts. Sweatcoin tracks its users’ movement and pays them a set rate for every step they take. 

Users can then swap the SWEAT tokens they earn for another cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or USD Coin, or they can head directly to the app’s built-in store and use them to buy all manner of products and services from its partners. You can purchase various audiobooks, fitness clothing and apparel, Amazon credits, air tickets, iPhones, and smart TVs from Samsung. If you’re prepared to be incredibly active daily, this will cost you nothing.

By using crypto to incentivize an already popular activity – fitness – Sweat Economy is quietly building up a massive ecosystem around the idea of “move-to-earn” while introducing millions of its existing users to crypto for the first time.

Gari

Another popular service that’s integrating with crypto is Gari Network, which is one of the most downloaded social networks in India. Gari is often said to be a TikTok clone and involves creating short videos using a series of filters and applying background music, then sharing them with your fans. It has benefited immensely from India’s controversial decision to ban TikTok in 2020, as millions of former TikTok’ers migrated to the service. 

Gari is aiming to grow a creator’s economy with the introduction of GARI tokens, its very own cryptocurrency that users can earn simply by creating, watching, sharing, and commenting on videos. Users can earn crypto daily, then use those tokens to tip other users for creating content they like or subscribe to watch exclusive content from their favorite creators. Selling merchandise through the platform is also possible, with GARI serving as the in-app currency. 

With its 140 million-strong user base, Gari is at the forefront of making crypto more accessible. Within just five months of introducing GARI, it boasted that there were 800,000 GARI wallet users, and growing. Gari is spreading the word about crypto through one of India’s most popular social media platforms, and it’s no wonder India often appears near the top of most lists that rank countries in terms of crypto adoption.