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Author: Adeola @ Contributor of PermaDAO

Reviewer: Xiaosong HU @ Contributor of PermaDAO

Akord protocol has said it adopted a signup process that requires a username and password and a fiat payment model instead of tokens because it is bringing to the Arweave ecosystem a platform that onboards more users.

Richard Caetano, co-founder of Akord which is a protocol that helps users store data and files securely on the Arweave network, in an interview on STAMP Show with Tom Rakis while responding to why Akord chose this approach revealed that his experience working with startups and companies is that there is always a gap between technology and the people, adding that it is crucial to bring technology within the context of user experience.

Caetano further stated that Akord’s model of allowing usernames and passwords and fiat in its pricing has been helpful to a lot of people who may not be able to get Arweave’s token easily.

For many projects offering crypto-related services, what is common is signing up involves a connection of crypto wallet and tokens are used to access services offered. Integrating web2 sign-up processes and fiat payment is a strategy that is being adopted to remove obstacles to using web3 services and open up the space to more users.

“And we believe that to do that we really have to integrate the web1, web2, and Web3 experience into something unified. And so by integrating those three together, we are able to create something that is both familiar but in a way that allows the user to easily adopt these new features and the case with Web3, that’s ownership,” Caetano said.

While the objective of the approach seems good for Arweave in particular and Web3 ecosystem in general, critics may perceive it as divergent to decentralisation. Caetano however views it as building upon layers.

“So decentralizing the lower layers for universality, making sure that we all have the same properties and rights on the web but then centralizing to drive customer value…It’s really like to get that technology to different niches or to get it in the hands of different people, you really need to bring it together in a certain package and create this relationship between the company and the customer,” he said.

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