e-marketplace is an online trading platform, created with a collection of search-able  web services definitions enabling  federated members to conduct business over Internet. It provides federated identity, non-repudiation, financial and logistics supply chain, escrow and arbitration to its trading partners.

e-marketplace is NOT a B2B Portal.

 e-marketplace is often confused with B2B Portals. Whereas a B2B Portal is a facet of the overall marketplace, only a tip of an ice-berg.

e-Marketplace is a collection of web services definitions within a  contained in a search-able registry.  The marketplace is distributed across the Internet, parts of which may even reside within the ERP systems of enterprises like Wallmart.

e-marketplace cannot be controlled by  any single entity.

e-marketplace constitutes of only two main components:

• Federated Identity
• Web Services Registry 

Click here for more details. 

e-marketplace lowers the barrier to entry and also lowers the cost of doing business and reduces the time to conclude a business transactions from weeks to hours.

A network of loosely coupled community of members conduct business with each other, assured by the e-marketplace of their authenticity.

Entities

The various entities or marketplace participants are.

• Buyers
• Sellers
• Financial Supply Chain providers (like Banks, Payment gateways)
• Infrastructure Services Providers
• ISV (Independent Software Developrs)
• SI (System Integrators) 
• Logistics providers
• Governance and  Arbitrators
  
• Consulting & SupportServices