Jessy, Golden Finance
On December 12, Zhao Changpeng said on X that Binance invested in a crypto travel platform Travala.com before the epidemic. According to the news released on the project's X, the project has achieved an annual income of 100 million US dollars and announced a strategy to use Bitcoin and its platform token $AVA as treasury reserves.
Affected by the news, $AVA's 24-hour increase reached nearly 267%. The project was established in 2017 and received investment and support from Binance. It has been connected to the Binance exchange APP and can be directly found in the Binance APP. The project interface can be used.
Using cryptocurrency payments to cope with people's daily life is an important step for cryptocurrency to truly play its monetary attributes. In addition to the use of cryptocurrency, platforms like Travala also use the decentralization of blockchain technology to revolutionize traditional travel, taxis, house rentals, etc. In addition to Travala.com, what other excellent projects are currently working on this track?
Travala
Founded in 2017, Travala aims to provide the cryptocurrency community with an affordable way to travel using a decentralized platform and cryptocurrency-based incentives, and is committed to making cryptocurrency payments the main choice for the tourism industry.
Currently, Travala covers 2.2 million hotel resources in 230 countries around the world, providing users with a wealth of accommodation options. . In addition to hotel reservations, it also supports users to book homestays and flights through cooperation with D Travel and others.
Travala supports 81 cryptocurrency payment methods such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDC. In addition to cryptocurrencies, the platform also accepts payment methods such as credit cards, Crypto.com Pay, Binance Pay, My Wallet, Apple Pay, Vnpay, and travel points.
Its token $AVA can currently be used as a payment medium within the platform, and holders of the token can also enjoy special offers and discounts provided by the platform when booking travel services. The platform has also set up an incentive plan to give corresponding rewards based on the user's AVA holdings and accommodation consumption. At the same time, the token is also a governance token within the platform.
Currently, the token has risen by 267% in 24 hours, with a market value of US$160 million
Dtravel
Founded in 2021, it is a sub-project of Travala.com, a decentralized shared housing rental platform based on blockchain technology. People can search for vacation rental properties worldwide on the platform and make reservations directly with the owners without going through traditional online travel intermediary platforms.
Compared with traditional online travel rental platforms such as Airbnb, Dtravel eliminates the high commissions in the middle, allowing travelers to enjoy more affordable prices.
In 2021, it received $5 million in seed round investment and received support from former executives of Airbnb, Expedia and other global technology companies.
Dtravel is managed by its community through a decentralized autonomous organization. The token on the platform is TRVL, which was issued in 2021. It can be used to book travel services such as accommodation on the Dtravel platform. The token is also a form of incentive. Users can get TRVL token rewards for participating in various activities on the platform, such as completing reservations and contributing to the platform. At the same time, holding the token will enjoy booking discounts on the platform, etc. TRVL is also the governance token of the platform.
The token rose by more than 30% in 24 hours and its current market value is 29.31 million US dollars.
Staynex
Founded in 2022, it is a solution to change the tourism and hotel industry through blockchain technology. By leveraging blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and decentralized financial protocols, it provides users with hotel and resort booking services, and has currently established partnerships with more than 2.5 million hotels, resorts, and serviced apartments. The project hopes to remove intermediaries through blockchain technology, provide travelers with more favorable prices, save costs for hotels and resorts, and increase their profit margins.
Technically, in 2023, it announced a partnership with Huawei, using Huawei's artificial intelligence tools within the platform, and the cooperation also includes integrating Staynex into the Huawei market.
The native token within the platform is $STAY, and token holders and members can enjoy exclusive privileges, loyalty programs, and special offers. Through staking and claiming options, holders can also share 20% of the platform's revenue.
CryptoRefills
Founded in 2018, it is an encrypted daily transaction service company headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, dedicated to enabling people around the world to use Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to meet daily needs, bringing blockchain-based payments into daily life. Its business scope mainly covers gift card purchases and mobile phone recharges. Users can use cryptocurrencies to purchase gift cards from 4,500 brands around the world on its platform, and support mobile phone recharge services for more than 600 mobile operators in 180 countries and regions around the world.
Currently, it supports cryptocurrency payments such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, USDC, USDT, MIM, DAI, Euro Stablecoin (EUROC), FRAX, and networks such as Avalanche, Polygon, Solana, Tron, Fantom, Binance Chain, and Arbitrum.
In October 2022, it completed its seed round of financing, led by Eric Barbier, founder of Singapore's crypto payment provider Triple A, and participated by LXA Advocaten investment advisors Marnix Geraerts and Daniël Soons. The specific amount of financing has not yet been disclosed.
The project has not issued tokens.
DRIFE
Founded in 2018, it is a decentralized ride-hailing platform that aims to subvert the traditional ride-hailing service business model dominated by Uber and Lyft through blockchain technology, creating a more fair, efficient and transparent peer-to-peer network ride economy and transportation market for drivers and passengers. The biggest feature of this project is the zero commission fee structure.
On July 20, 2021, Drife announced the completion of a $2.7 million venture token financing round led by MasterVentures, GD10, AU21 Capital, Titans Ventures and FBG Capital.
In 2024, the project announced its integration with the Sui blockchain and went online for trial operation in Dubai.
The project token is $DRF, and its main function is to serve as the payment currency within the platform. It can not only be used to pay for rides, but users holding the token can also obtain loyalty rewards and participate in the platform's staking and other functions.
The token fell 2.5% in 24 hours and its current market value is $19.38 million.
Of course, in addition to crypto payments, the DRIFE platform also provides users with traditional payment methods such as cash, credit cards, etc.