The Metal DAO (MTL) is an ecosystem that uses Proof-of-Processed-Payments (PoPP) to convert fiat currency into cryptocurrency.
Metal DAO’s goal is to build a user-friendly interface similar to Venmo, Square, or PayPal that offers ordinary people easy access to cryptocurrency. They claim the Metal Pay app is that interface. To explain, Metal Pay serves as a gateway to the Metal DAO’s ecosystem.
Proof-of-Processed-Payments is digital evidence a person is making a payment in the real world. For example, evidence that a cryptocurrency purchaser has fiat currency. Metal Pay uses PoPP to identify users and verify their payments.
Metal’s PoPP system will identify people through Social Security or passport numbers with identification software. Metal will keep photographs of users and pictures of identifying documents on file to verify users’ IDs. The Metal PoPP link to credit and debit cards and bank routing numbers for payment processing. Users can also sign up with email addresses if they want to provide credit card, debit card, or bank routing numbers.
How Metal DAO uses Proof-of-Processed-Payments (PoPP)
When Metal Pay (MTL) processes a transaction, it returns a gross amount of the payment to the Metal DAO in the MTL cryptocurrency.
This amount can be up to 5% of the transaction volume. Theoretically, the Metal DAO will use this MTL to reward Metal Pay users. For example, a person could receive one MTL for every $1 USD they spend through Metal Pay.
The Metal DAO uses Proof-of-Processed-Payments (PoPP) as a Know-Your-Customer (KYC) identification tool. Hence, the Metal DAO could comply with banking regulations that require payment systems to use KYC and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) technology. Metal has a proprietary AML solution and anti-fraud technology to protect users.
They claim Metal Pay can process payments in under one minute.
Metal DAO Financial Services
One Metal DAO goal is to provide financial services to small and medium-sized businesses.
In particular, I think they want to offer financial services to businesses in developing countries and smaller nations. To explain, it is hard for ordinary people and small businesses to access the financial system in many countries.
They claim Metal can approve or decline payments immediately like credit cards do. Metal displays transactions off chain until the system declines or approves them. POPP replaces this system with a simple reward laypeople can understand. Users earn crypto through Metal Pay when they spend or receive money.
Another goal at Metal DAO is to allow people to access cryptocurrency with no blockchain or FinTech knowledge. Today, you need an understanding of blockchain to access and use many cryptocurrencies.
Financial services the Metal DAO plans to offer includes peer-to-per transfers and invoicing for businesses. Hence, the Metal DAO could offer businesses invoices in crypto. They hope Metal Pay will be cheaper to use than traditional credit and debit cards.
Metal Pay
Ultimately, they intend the Metal DAO (MTL) as a centralized alternative to most blockchain solutions. To this end, Metal will show many transactions in US Dollars or Euros.
The Metal DAO itself is the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that operates Metal Pay and the Metal ecosystem. A DAO is a blockchain company tokenholders govern through voting.
They claim users can use Metal Pay to buy and sell over 65 cryptocurrencies. Plus, they claim users can send money for free through Metal Pay. Users can pay with a cash balance, a linked bank account or a cryptocurrency with the Metal Pay app. The Metal Pay app is available through the Apple App Store and Google Play. Importantly, Metal Pay can link to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured bank accounts in partner banks. This means Metal Pay works with insured assets.
They claim users can deposit paychecks through Metal Pay. Metal Pay functions as a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment network similar to Venmo. Metal Pay is available in 47 US states and European nations. They claim Metal Pay users get free tax computations from TaxBit. TaxBit claims to offer a complete tax and accounting solution for digital assets.
MetalPay users can convert EvoShare cash back into cryptocurrency. They claim EvoShare claims to offer 30% cash back at over 10,000 merchants and 700,000 hotels. EvoShare users can use cash back to pay mortgages and student loans or contribute to an individual retirement account, brokerage account, cryptocurrency account, or bank account.
The Metal DAO has plans for a Metal Pay Credit Card that will allow people to receive cryptocurrency rewards for spending US Dollars. They claim the credit card will offer monthly crypto rewards on all purchases. However, there is no evidence that the Metal Pay Credit Card is available. Instead, they compiling a waitlist of people interested in the card.
What Value could Metal Pay Obtain?
Metal Pay could become popular because a similar app, Venmo is popular.
For example, 782,008 US websites were accepting Venmo payments on 3 October 2022, Statista estimates. In contrast, just 144 German websites and 69 Venezuelan websites were accepting Venmo payments on the same day.
Moreover, Venmo’s total payment volume rose to over $63 billion in the third quarter of 2022, Statista estimates. Plus 32% of US survey respondents said they used Venmo in the 12 months ending in February 2022.
I think Venmo’s popularity shows payment apps can receive widespread use. However, there is evidence Metal Pay can obtain that level of use.
What Value does the Metal DAO (MTL) offer?
Mr. Market has interest in the Metal DAO (MTL). For exmaple, MTL was CoinMarketCap’s 10th most trending cryptocurrency on 25 December 2022.
CoinMarketCap gave the Metal DAO a 75.84₵ Coin Price, a $50.516 million Market Capitalization, a $50.501 million Fully Diluted Market Cap, and a $34.628 million 24-Hour Market Volume on 27 December 2022.
The Metal DAO also had a $34.548 million Centralized Exchange (CEX) Volume and a $5,218 Decentralized Exchange Volume (DEX) Volume on 27 December 2022. They based those numbers on a 66.589 million MTL Circulating Supply, and a 66.589 million MTL Total Supply. The Metal DAO was CoinMarketCap’s 326th ranked cryptocurrency on 27 December 2022.
In contrast, MTL was CoinGekco’s 355th ranked cryptocurrency on 27 December 2022. CoinGecko gave the Metal DAO a 76.15₵ Coin Price, a $49.184 million Market Cap, and a $32.338 million 24-Hour Market Volume on 27 December 2022. They base those numbers on a Circulating Supply of 64.634 million MTL and a Total Supply of 66.589 million MTL.
I think Metal DAO (MTL) is an interesting cryptocurrency with growth potential because they are offering Fintech solutions that ordinary people could use. Moreover, the Metal DAO is one cryptocurrency that could be resistant to the Crypto Winter.
To explain, I think the Metal DAO could survive Crypto Winter because it can tap streams of revenue outside the crypto markets. For example, fees from small merchants and consumers. Thus, I consider the Metal DAO a DeFi protocol cryptocurrency speculators need to examine.
