Crypto wallets: An important battlefront to gain wallet share and mind share

Cointelegraph

Published Aug 29, 2021 06:13AM ET

Updated Aug 30, 2021 08:40AM ET

Digital wallets are software constructs that mimic physical wallets and provide the functionality of storing, using and categorizing payment instruments. The journey of digital wallets started with payments and morphed to other forms of stubs such as digital passes, tickets and boarding passes. However, crypto wallets attempt to redefine the digital wallet landscape as something more than safe storage of payment and crypto instruments.

With more than 100 crypto wallets and growing, this sector in the cryptosphere is getting crowded and adding further complexity to an already fragmented blockchain and digital asset space. As I study this space and try to make sense of the complexity of new blockchains, layer-one protocols decentralized finance (DeFi) and nonfungible token (NFT) projects emerging with exponential growth, I think crypto wallets will be the next battlefront as the wars of layer-one protocols eventually cool down. The core issues of scale, security and speed of transaction processing and layer-two protocol consolidate and morph as layer-one superiority aims for processing efficiency and security. Crypto wallets will not only provide an avenue to gain wallet share but will also represent the battle for mind share.

Nitin Gaur is the founder and director of IBM (NYSE:IBM) Digital Asset Labs, where he devises industry standards and use cases and works toward making blockchain for the enterprise a reality. He previously served as chief technology officer of IBM World Wire and of IBM Mobile Payments and Enterprise Mobile Solutions, and he founded IBM Blockchain Labs, where he led the effort in establishing the blockchain practice for the enterprise. Gaur is also an IBM-distinguished engineer and an IBM master inventor with a rich patent portfolio. Additionally, he serves as research and portfolio manager for Portal Asset Management, a multi-manager fund specializing in digital assets and DeFi investment strategies.

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