In January 2021, we launched the first NFT marketplace on Flow that made possible the non-custodial exchange of digital assets like art, collectibles, virtual real estate, and gaming items.

We opted for Flow due to its scalable and composable smart contract platform, which provides the performance required for mainstream-level applications while keeping costs relatively low for users.

Established blockchains like Ethereum had a well-developed infrastructure and a robust ecosystem of tools, non-custodial wallets, and dApps. Flow lacked these essential components, however, we held an optimistic outlook, anticipating the development of these components over time.

Many projects have since chosen to launch on the Flow blockchain. However, a notable portion of these projects embraced web2 models, which focus on making the retail experience as user-friendly as possible, sometimes at the expense of web3 users' needs, particularly those accustomed to the openness and interoperability associated with platforms like Ethereum.

We aim to address these users' needs, and today, we unveil SHADOW, a Secure Hub for Assets in Digital Online Worlds, which encompasses a suite of non-custodial tools and decentralized apps available to everyone at no cost.

We're thrilled to present two of these tools today.

SHADOW Exchange, a non-custodial NFT marketplace with advanced trading features and zero transaction fees.

SHADOW Wallet (previously Flipper), a non-custodial browser extension wallet that serves as an alternative to MetaMask on Flow.