Why Investors Should Pay Attention to Waves

Despite the proliferation of cryptocurrencies and ICOs over the last 5 years, the process of undertaking an ICO and getting funding is still not nearly as simple as it should be. There are complex regulations and heavy amounts of friction that make it hard for the “crowdfunding” model of startup financing to occur.

Waves is a platform (with an eponymous token) whose aim is to solve this problem by launching a decentralized cryptocurrency trading platform and opening more gateways between other cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies.

The team at Waves are planning on changing the crowdsale model to make it much less complicated for companies trying to get funding. The team operates out of Switzerland, but is run by Russians (the CEO, Sasha Ivanov, is a trained physicist with a strong past in the cryptocurrency space).

Waves is all about helping companies obtain funding for their projects, and all of their work has been focused on this singular goal. Tokens need to have a specific use or utility in order to justify their existence, and the Waves token has been designed to fulfill this condition.

The incentive structure is clear in this protocol: owning tokens helps you trade or create tokens, which is the purpose of the platform. The tokens may also be used to run smart contracts, which is why many consider WAVES to be a competitor of Ethereum.

Waves tokens are currently trading at approximately $1.70, although it has reached peaks above $16.00. This sharp drop-off in price can largely be attributed to the phishing scam that has occurred in the last few days. Last month they were hacked when their CEO’s passport was falsely reproduced and used to obtain access to the domain and obtain the personal information of customers. Although the facts currently being reported make it sound like the fault lies with the domain provider, this is not the sort of issue that should be happening in a trading exchange.

In addition, Waves currently has limited KYC requirements and allows users to trader without submitted extensive identification information. This can be seen as a positive thing or a negative thing, depending on where you are standing. Yes, it is great that there are few barriers to entry for anyone who would like to trade on the DEX, but it is also likely to attract the ire of regulators in the USA. With a token that is strongly linked to this exchange, it is definitely something to pay attention to.