Press Releases

South Africa’s First Ever Blockchain-based Property Register Pilot

Published

4 years ago

November 8, 2019

The Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF) (HousingFinanceAfrica.org), research consultancy 71point4 and Seso Global have partnered to develop South Africa’s first blockchain-based property register. The pilot study area consists of almost 1 000 properties located in four sites in Makhaza, Khayelitsha. All the properties are Government-subsidised properties that have not yet been registered on Deeds Registry.

CAHF According to Daniel Bloch, the CEO of Seso Global, a blockchain property registry company, this will be the first working example of a blockchain-based property registry in South Africa. Aside from creating an immutable record of who owns which house, the Seso platform facilitates and records transactions such as sales and transfers out of deceased estates and integrates with third parties who facilitate transactions, including mortgage lenders. “For the time being, property owners will record these transactions at the Transaction Support Centre, a walk-in housing advice office created by CAHF and 71point4 located in the area. But over time, we will record transactions through the Seso app” says Bloch.

The benefit of the blockchain solution is that it allows the data to be stored in a decentralised, secure database that can be updated without any loss of historic data. This means there is a secure, back-to-back record of all transactions that is completely tamper-poof. Eventually, the vision would be to integrate this record into the Deeds Registry when other impediments to transfer have been removed.

South Africa has a serious titling problem. According to Kecia Rust, the CEO of CAHF, the government has built over three million RDP houses since democracy. But CAHF’s analysis of deeds office data indicates that only 1.9 million of these properties have been registered. The National Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation (NDHSWS) estimates that the title deed backlog for RDP properties built prior to 2014 currently stands at 511 752. These properties were given to beneficiaries, but no title deeds were registered and handed over. At the same time, there is a backlog of 351 470 title deeds on newer properties.

Registering these properties so long after they were built and handed over to subsidy beneficiaries is an administratively complex task. In some cases, original subsidy beneficiaries are no longer living in the properties. Some beneficiaries might have passed away, some might have tenants in their properties while others have sold their houses informally.

“To create a register of property owners we first had to go door to door to find out who lives in each property and to establish how they came to be there,” says Melzer, founder and lead consultant at 71point4. “We hired a team of 17 enumerators and trained them to collect information and capture supporting documents. Thankfully we can leverage smartphone to collect the data, but it still requires a significant effort. It took us two months to cover these areas.”

But the effort is well worth it. Properties in the area sell for over R200 000 informally – and would sell for more if they were listed on a trusted registry and were ‘bankable’. This would enable buyers to obtain mortgage finance and create affordability. Without access to mortgages, buyers have to pay cash for a house or use an expensive unsecured loan. There are also significant benefits to the City of Cape Town of being able to access an accurate and up-to-date record of property ownership. Without it, the City cannot collect revenue from households in the area who are not indigent nor can City departments facilitate building plan approvals.

Next steps

In many cases in the pilot areas, the original beneficiary is still living in the property. “We hope that these properties can be registered in the deeds registry within a few months, and we are working closely with the City of Cape Town to facilitate that,” says Melzer. “Where the beneficiary no longer lives in the property, we are in the process of tracing the beneficiary to confirm information we have gathered on who owns the property. We will also be working closely with the City on a resolution process where ownership is disputed.”

It will take some time before all the required information has been collected and validated. It will also take time for validated properties to be registered on the deeds registry. In the meantime, we will enable property owners and occupants to keep those records up to date.

“We will also be using Seso’s platform to manage other client service requests that come to the Transaction Support Centre from all over Cape Town,” says Rust. “These include helping clients to regularise informal sales and wind up deceased estates. Going forward, as the country moves towards an electronic deeds registry, we hope the lessons we have learned will provide valuable evidence to inform the development of accessible, secure, affordable and efficient mechanisms to facilitate property market transactions. This is important across the market, but particularly in entry-level segments of the market where existing mechanisms are simply too costly”.

CAHF, Seso Global and 71point4 have a working agreement to extend this pilot into other areas and use cases. There are hundreds of thousands of RDP properties around the country where no primary transfer has taken place. In addition, in many areas where title deeds were issued, property owners have transacted informally, which means there is no longer an accurate record of ownership at the deeds registry. Blockchain-based solutions can help there too. Blockchain can also enable households who live in informal settlements and rural areas to record and maintain land records and secure their rights. “We are very pleased with the pilot results. We think the solution we have developed is scalable and replicable,” says Bloch. That does not mean it is easy but “blockchain technology together with the potential value we can unlock makes it worthwhile,” says Melzer.

Disclaimer: This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the company, product or service. BitcoinAfrica.io is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any loss or damage caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, product or service mentioned in this press release.

Related Topics:Property Registor south africa

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Press Releases

ND Labs Launches Crypto Exchange Software Development

Published

5 months ago

January 20, 2023

Guest Contributor

ND Labs, an international blockchain consulting and development company with offices in Poland and the United States, has recently announced the launch of crypto exchange development services.

ND Labs understands that cryptocurrencies are gaining even more popularity and predict their mass adoption in the future. Thus, the company offers full-cycle development services to IT businesses and non-IT enterprises from various industries, including retail, construction, oil & gas, etc.

Dmitry Khanevich, co-founder and CEO of ND Labs, commented on the news:

“Launching a crypto exchange is a good business idea. First, there is a growing demand for such platforms as digital currencies are becoming more widely used. Second, they can generate constant profit by charging fees for each transaction. Third, they are relatively easy to set up and maintain. Finally, they offer lots of flexibility, which makes them ideal for businesses of all sizes. If you lack the necessary skills or knowledge to build a crypto exchange, that’s where our blockchain expertise will be helpful.”

What is a crypto exchange?

A crypto exchange is a trading platform that allows users to buy and sell digital assets in a peer-to-peer manner, which means there is no third party involved. For instance, users can buy cryptocurrencies for fiat money and then trade them.

How to develop a crypto exchange platform?

- Choose the platform type. It can be a crypto trading app as well as a centralized, decentralized, or hybrid cryptocurrency exchange.
- Build key features. They include user authorization and verification, a trading engine, a crypto wallet, an intuitive user interface, and market and liquidity provider integration.
- Add nice-to-have and advanced features. They are manageable user profiles, portfolio tracking, push notifications, loyalty programs, a knowledge base, data analytics, NFT trading abilities, automated strategies, etc.
- Meet regulatory compliance. Depending on the jurisdiction you are going to work in, you will have to comply with GDPR, KYC, KYT, AML, and other requirements.

Develop a crypto exchange platform.

About ND Labs

ND Labs is an international company that offers blockchain consulting and development services. They build blockchain-powered solutions for businesses of all sizes from various industries, such as logistics, real estate, insurance, etc. The company’s team consists of experienced blockchain professionals who focus on strategic outcomes and help clients generate long-term profits.

Contact

For more details and updates, visit:

Website: www.ndlabs.dev
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ndlabs.dev
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ndlabs.dev/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ndlabs-dev/
Twitter: twitter.com/ndlabsdev

Disclaimer: This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to any company, product, or service mentioned in this article. BitcoinAfrica.io is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any loss or damage caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, product, or service mentioned in this post.

Press Releases

Get Lucky Tickets for World Cup Bets on 1xBit

Published

7 months ago

November 25, 2022

Guest Contributor

The long-awaited World Cup 2022 is here, bringing many opportunities to win big. Are you excited about seeing your favorite players on the pitch? Then the World Cup is an opportunity not just to do that but also to win big from your passion.

Participating in 1xBit’s Ticket Rush is all you need to have a fun World Cup experience. This tournament offers you the avenue to stay on top of the game, enjoying fascinating matches and securing impressive prizes.

1xBit 1xBit has created Ticket Rush with numerous fanciful prizes that could change your entire gambling experience. With multiple prize draws designed to select many winners, you have a chance at winning big. The prize pool is 3 BTC, with numerous winners per category.

To participate in the offer, you must log in or register on 1xBit. Proceed to the offer page, click “Take part,” and bet on World Cup 2022!

Participants collect tickets for bets on World Cup 2022 matches. There are three ticket categories:

Individual match tickets – for bets on any World Cup matches
Supporter tickets – for bets on the picked 8 countries during the group stage
Play-off tickets – for bets on play-off matches

For the Individual match tickets prizes, the 1st place winner will emerge with 500 mBTC. The first-place winner in the Supporters’ tickets prize draw goes home with 10 mBTC, while the first-place winner in the Play-off tickets prize draw will win 250 mBTC.

1xBit: Your Best Bet

Ticket Rush is one of the many tournaments designed by 1xBit to help players profit from their passion while enjoying the World Cup. With 1xBit, you can rest assured about sumptuous prizes that make your gambling experience worthwhile.

As the fastest and leading crypto sportsbook, 1xBit is passionate about rewarding players’ efforts in an exciting fashion. The platform provides its users with numerous benefits to maximize the crypto gambling space.

You can make bets on 1xBit using over 40 supported cryptocurrencies. This crypto adoption eliminates the need for fiat currency. It removes the stress of first converting your cryptocurrency to fiat before depositing it in a sportsbook to bet on your favorite games.

Instead, you can utilize these currencies directly, allowing you to maximize their value without losing any of it to conversion fees. Even more, 1xBit is constantly looking for relevant partnerships and new coins to add.

You also enjoy instant payouts with zero fees. This allows you to enjoy your winnings without adversely affecting the platform’s fee structure. 1xBit also provides educational blogs on crypto gambling to help you get started with the necessary tips to navigate the field. Whether a beginner or a veteran, 1xBit covers all you require.

Additionally, 1xBit offers users a Welcome Bonus of up to 7 BTC following their first 4 deposits – it gives you the required jumpstart to experience the platform and play your favorite games.

Final Thoughts

All roads lead to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, and you don’t want to miss out on any match. With the Ticket Rush tournament, you can spice up your experience and win crypto!

Disclaimer: This is a press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to any company, product, or service mentioned in this article. BitcoinAfrica.io is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any loss or damage caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, product, or service mentioned in this post.

Press Releases

Crypto Lists Announce Bitcoin Maximalist as Head of Content

Published

8 months ago

October 27, 2022

Guest Contributor

CryptoLists.com is delighted to announce the arrival of the new Head of Content, Tom White.

Tom is now a key member of the speedily growing crypto info site, with ambitions to take the content up a level and define and refine the tone of voice. A keen follower of crypto and Bitcoin, in particular on a personal level, he’s well acquainted with blockchain and DeFi technology and has been investing in digital assets for some time.

In other news, Crypto Lists are also pleased to announce an updated mission statement and a new slogan: Crypto Done Smarter.

As a native English speaker, Tom is well-positioned to take over the tone of voice and editorial oversight of the website, which was founded by two Scandinavians. Alongside this, Tom’s main focus will be to ensure that fresh and informative news articles are released even more frequently, and reviews of new coins and brokers are published swiftly.

Tom White – A Bitcoin Maximalist?

While open to the potential of various altcoins, as somewhat of a Bitcoin Maximalist, Tom sees Bitcoin as digital gold of the new economy. A keen chart-watcher, he’s excited about the next halving event in 2024 and seeing how high BTC can go during the next bull run. A bull run where he believes incredible new ATHs will be reached. A full review of Bitcoin with breaking news, FAQ, historical background, and the most recent updates can be found at https://www.cryptolists.com/coins/btc/.

Things Tom will oversee

During his first week at the company, Tom has covered subjects surrounding changes within the traditional banking sector in regard to crypto, as well as a multitude of other topics. Being such a big advocate of Bitcoin and its potentially revolutionary capabilities, a topic he found especially interesting is how to survive on Bitcoin. He recently published a piece about Arnhem, a Dutch town that some call the world’s only Bitcoin city. Alongside such specific topics, he will be making sure that the Crypto Lists brand voice is consistent across both the website and all externally facing written comms.

Upcoming events in Africa

Tom will also write articles and releases about recent and upcoming Bitcoin and crypto events. In the near term, one such event is the Ghana DeFi Summit 2022.

Crypto Lists – Crypto Done Smarter

Tom also brought his creative mind to the forefront when brainstorming the new brand mission alongside the wider team. Crypto Lists had been searching for a new slogan, that is both accurate, descriptive, as well as evergreen – taking into consideration the future developments and growth of the company. Along with the senior leadership, a general consensus was reached: Crypto Done Smarter.

Why smarter? Well, Crypto Lists is there to help people make more informed decisions. The entire ecosystem of the site revolves around educating people on the crypto space, and the coins, platforms, brokers, exchanges and at the same time doing reviews of blockchains that compose it. In a nutshell, Crypto Lists is a site where you learn to make smarter decisions in the crypto space.