NFTs could be the Next BIG thing in Travel as we move to Crypto-as-an-Experience 🤯; Startup that wants to scale Ethereum quadruples valuation in 6 mths 😳; Stripe App Marketplace is a massive move 🔥

Good Morning FinTech, 26 May

Good day Everyone,

Today’s issue is undoubtedly the most interesting one this week so far. It focuses on NFTs for the travel industry (which could be huge!), a startup that wants to scale Ethereum quadrupling its valuation in just 6 months, and why Stripe’s App Marketplace is a massive move (hint: it's a part of their ultimate strategy). So without further ado, let’s jump straight into the good stuff:

NFTs could be the Next BIG thing in Travel as we move to Crypto-as-an-Experience 🤯

NFTs meet Travel 🤝 NFT tech is meeting travel tech in the meta lobby with the launch of NFTs that hotel & resort guests can buy (and sell, if needed). In short, this is similar to how StubHub allows sellers to offer concert and sporting events tickets.

Why? 🤔 Reservation “no-shows” and last-minute cancellations account for up to $100M in lost sales for the hotels every year. And this is for the United States alone. Blockchain could be the silver bullet for this.

The USP 🥊 There are two sides of the coin here:

• For hotels 🏨 Pinktada, a new booking platform, teams up with local resorts to take room reservations in hotspots like the Caribbean, Mexico, San Francisco, and Hawaii and turn them into NFTs.

• For guests 🙋🏽‍♂️ They can reserve rooms by buying those NFTs from Pinktada at a lower rate than if they booked a refundable room from the hotel. If they need to cancel, there’s an option to gift or resell the reservation on Pinktada's NFT marketplace. Also, travelers can use the tokens for other Pinktada hotels or sell them in the Pinktada network.

A win-win for everyone? 🤑 This is undoubtedly another interesting application of NFTs in real life (which could potentially be huge), but there’s a catch… Here’s the takeaway: