Blockchain technology is revolutionizing the way we access and use financial services. One such platform that utilizes blockchain technology is Flac Finance, which aims to provide instant loans, payments, and earning opportunities for digital asset holders. It utilizes digital assets as collateral and provides access to financial services with no hidden fees, no credit checks, and no capital gains taxes. This article will provide an overview of the platform’s features, examine the potential benefits and it’s role in Disrupt India’s Financial Industry
What is Flac Finance
Flac Finance is a RealFi financial platform built on the Cardano blockchain that aims to provide a range of (regulated) financial services to users in India and around the world.
The platform allows users to borrow fiat or stablecoins against their cryptocurrency holdings, make payments using cryptocurrency or fiat, earn staking rewards, and swap between cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies.
Additionally, the project also plans to integrate with countries’ financial infrastructure to provide access to regulated financial services such as credit cards, banking, and payment solutions.
Flac Finance has set its sights on India as its first target market, recognizing the unique opportunities and challenges present in the country’s cryptocurrency landscape.
So let’s have a quick look at the background.
Short Background: Blockchain Regulations in India
India’s approach towards blockchain and cryptocurrency has been cautious, with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issuing warnings about potential financial risks and taking steps to limit their use. The government has set up committees to study the potential uses and regulations of blockchain and cryptocurrency but has not yet formed a clear official stance. The Supreme Court recently struck down a circular prohibiting regulated financial institutions from dealing with entities that deal in virtual currencies, which led to renewed interest in the potential uses and benefits of blockchain in India.
However, the lack of clear regulations has been a hindrance to the development of blockchain projects in India. But the government is moving towards a more positive and supportive approach and private sector players are experimenting with the technology in a controlled environment, which is likely to lead to more concrete regulations in the future.
From Digital Payments to Digital Currencies
Despite India’s initial cautious stance towards cryptocurrencies, the adoption of centralized digital payment methods is widespread and has grown significantly in recent years.
India has seen a significant increase in digital payments in recent years due to government initiatives like Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, and Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
The widespread usage of UPI has facilitated the shift towards a cashless economy and the government has expressed interest in exploring the possibility of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Despite the high number of cryptocurrency users in India, there is currently a lack of infrastructure for digital asset finance.
Flac Finance is building the infrastructure to harness the power of digital assets using the Cardano blockchain to increase adoption of digital assets in India and around the globe. The wide adoption of digital payments in India provides a strong foundation for the development and adoption of cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, allowing for increased accessibility and more user-friendly integration between crypto and centralized digital payments.
The Next Step: Flac Finance – A Custodial RealFi Platform
The digital-forward environment in India creates a fertile ground for the growth of real-world finance platforms like Flac Finance. These platforms provide financial services that bridge the gap between cryptocurrency and fiat currencies. The widespread usage of digital payments and a large number of individuals with access to digital financial services make India an ideal market for such platforms.
The adoption of digital payments in India, in combination with the accessibility of new services based on cryptocurrencies, makes Flac Finance the perfect entry point for the crypto and blockchain industry in India.
By leveraging the existing infrastructure and utilizing the technological advancements in crypto, Flac Finance is well-positioned to provide innovative and cutting-edge financial solutions to its users.
Flac Finance Features
The value proposition of Flac Finance for users is the ability to access financial services using digital assets as collateral and collateral source.
The platform contains several features including:
- Instant Loan: Users can access low-interest instant loans against their digital assets collateral with 0% fees, and can also borrow stablecoin-based loans which they can use to buy more digital assets. As the value of the crypto assets increase, Flac unlocks more loan limits to the users. Users can repay the loan with crypto assets, fiat money, or via bank transfer with discounted interest rate if repaid with FLAC tokens.
- Flac Pay: Users can make payments at stores using Flac credit cards by taking out an immediate loan against their digital assets, and integration with UPI allows for instant payments in participating stores.
- Deposit & Earn: Users can deposit their digital assets to Flac and provide liquidity to the Flac ecosystem and earn interest on it regularly, and earn more interest by providing liquidity against FLAC tokens.
- Swap: Users can swap a certain amount of one cryptocurrency token for another facilitated by Flac’s exchange service
All these features can be accessed easily via the Flac mobile or web app with no hidden fees, no capital gains taxes, and no credit checks.
Tokenomics
Flac Finance is a platform that utilizes and is governed by FLAC tokens.
The maximum supply of FLAC tokens is 2,000,000,000 with 6 decimals.
The token serves several utilities for the platform, such as
- Governance, where token holders can vote on platform decisions
- Discounted Loans, where token holders can access loans at a discounted rate
- Higher Interest Returns, where token holders can earn higher interest on their holdings, and
- Staking, where token holders can earn rewards by staking their tokens and providing liquidity to the platform.
These utilities provide an incentive for users to hold and use FLAC tokens, creating a strong ecosystem and added value for token holders.
The Team behind Flac Finance
The Flac Finance team is composed of skilled and experienced Cardano developers, led by founder Ashish Prajapati, who has a long history of building innovative products and tools for the Cardano blockchain.
The team’s in-depth technical knowledge of the Cardano protocol and its portfolio of products, including open-source libraries, position them well to deliver a successful and innovative product in the RealFi space.
Project Roadmap
The Flac Team closed Q4/2022 with the delivery of R&D and Engineering, Web and Mobile UX/UI development, and Authentication Layer and started on the 12th of December their V1 Testnet Program. The V1 testnet program showcased mobile app features and concluded on 7th January 2023.
The next steps of the project roadmap for Flac Finance includes the completion of the Initial Stake Pool Offering, airdropping of FLAC ISPO tokens, and listing of FLAC token on Cardano Dexes and Exchanges.
The development of the platform continues with a focus on User Account Management and custodial solutions for Cardano and Cardano native tokens.
Once usability and feature improvement are shipped, a second testnet will be made available.
In 2023, the roadmap expands to include support for BTC and ETH, allowing users to lend and borrow crypto assets, and make crypto and fiat withdrawals. Additionally, the platform aims to integrate a fiat payment gateway, swap crypto, and fiat, and implement Auto KYC/AML.
By the end of 2023, the platform aims to have integrated instant loans via real-time payments and UPI integration. The project also plans to launch a referral program, Flac credit card, and cross-chain bridges.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Flac Finance’s RealFi platform has the potential to disrupt the traditional financial industry in India. Its unique featuresand its integration with the UPI payment system, can revolutionize the way people access and use financial services in India. The platform’s use of digital assets as collateral and its lack of hidden fees, credit checks, and capital gains taxes, makes it a more accessible and user-friendly option for digital asset holders.
Furthermore, the platform’s support for all major digital assets and its integration with the Cardano blockchain, can increase the adoption of digital assets in India and around the globe. While it’s still early days for RealFi and the regulatory environment in India is uncertain, it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on this project and how it develops in the future.
References
https://flacfinance.medium.com/testnet-program-v1-concludes-1858b3b0f14b
https://flac.finance/whitepaper.pdf
https://flacfinance.medium.com/introducing-flac-finance-c3a59225616b
https://docs.flac.finance/#features
