A new UK start-up, International Property Network (IPN), have completed what they believe to be the first blockchain based property transaction, involving banks, conveyancers, agents, legal teams, buyers and sellers using Blockchain technology. U.S-based law firm Squire Patton Boggs, U.K-based law firms Ashurst and Clifford Chance, Barclays, Commerz Real, SBI Nihon SSI, BBVA, Swiss Re and Royal Bank of Scotland are among 40 companies on IPN’s platform as they all seek to reduce the costs of real estate transactions while significantly speeding them up.
IPN has also been working with HM Land Registry’s Digital Street project to explore how they are able to use Blockchain technology to improve how it interacts with different parties.
IPN claims that cost-savings could be as high as $160 Billion p.a. as the current system is very reliant on analogue, predominantly paper-based, systems. The ability for many independent parties to work together on a property transaction in the same online environment progressing it in real time is revolutionary and could reduce the time to complete property transactions from months to weeks.
IPN, which harnesses R3’s Corda Blockchain, say recent trials have illustrated that businesses can use the platform within a few days without the need for complex changes to their back-office systems. This is because rather than creating yet another information storage, it provides a secure means of transacting with users’ existing technology - with each party retaining control over their own data.
This not only removes some of the GDPR challenges and other compliance issues, but also allows the various players to retain control, and their independence, while removing the cost of continuous re-checking and reconciliation of facts and information by each party at its ‘border’ - which adds much delay, cost and friction.
The platform could prove to be significant internationally too. It has the potential to greatly assist many projects globally which are looking to tokenise real estate portfolios in an effort to have greater transparency and liquidity, whilst also making property investments available to smaller investors via fractionalisation.
