XSpend brings Axie Infinity’s smooth love potions to life

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Hello there,

A gripe that I have with loyalty points, which are offered as a reward on so many different apps, is their lack of convenience in real-life situations. They’re often basically worthless outside the platform that issues them, and most expire before I can even get around to using them.

In a similar vein, what xSpend is doing for Axie Infinity token holders could be a game changer for the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who play to earn on the blockchain-based game. The platform allows users to spend their smooth love potions (SLPs) – Axie’s in-game currency – on ordinary purchases such as mobile phone top-ups, electricity bills, or even flight tickets.

As it is, crypto users can swap their digital assets for fiat money by using centralized cryptocurrency exchanges. By using a service like xSpend, token holders can do transactions even without an exchanger wallet. And when it comes down to payments, a small convenience goes a long way. (You can read more of our coverage on Axie Infinity here.)

Staying along the lines of financial inclusion, AirAsia’s latest fintech initiative – AirAsia Money – launched in Indonesia last week. Beyond price comparison, the firm says it aims to push out products that are simple, affordable, and relatable to its users’ financial needs. We explore how this aggregation service ties in with the budget carrier’s super-app ambitions in this week’s Hot Take.

— Melissa

THE BIG STORY
Axie Infinity players are using SLPs in real life

Image credit: Timmy Loen

The xSpend platform, run by XLD Finance, lets users pay bills and meet expenses with Axie Infinity tokens and other cryptocurrencies.

THE HOT TAKE
AirAsia’s latest take on financial services

Here’s what happened:

• The Malaysian carrier recently rolled out financial marketplace AirAsia Money in Indonesia.
• This is its second market after Malaysia, where it launched last year.
• AirAsia Money aggregates various financial products such as insurance, investments, and money transfers.

Here’s our take: