Aqwire: Partnering with SCI To Process Real Estate Crypto Payments

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Satoshi Citadel Industries, Makati, PH: June 4, 2018 - In its efforts to build the first real estate platform through blockchain in Asia, AQWIRE is partnering with one of the biggest crypto companies in the Philippines to realize this dream.

As the first global real estate platform in Asia, AQWIRE will have the capability to list units from different developers worldwide, process payments through different conventional channels such as credit/debit cards, international bank transfers and SWIFT as well as give out different analytical data to help potential buyers with their purchasing decision. Adding a crypto payments gateway will only strengthen the platform.

AQWIRE will be able to handle real estate transactions in different stages of the sale cycle, from developers listing their units for sale to buyers paying their monthly dues in perpetuity. This gives all players involved a single platform, an ecosystem, where their real estate needs are met and everyone is satisfied.

What are the problems we’re solving?

Property developers and brokers worldwide are facing multiple barriers when trying to sell properties overseas. International property investors face similar challenges:

Inefficient property search process due to fragmented listings data.
Lack of a standard protocol for international real estate transactions.
Lack of trust among entities.
Lack of real time settlement of recorded transactions and efficient cross-border payments processing.

All of these challenges will be a thing of the past once AQWIRE is launched.


Crypto Payments with SCI:

SCI or Satoshi Citadel Industries is:

‘A financial technology company building the Blockchain ecosystem in the Philippines. We seek to usher the financial service industry into a new era by creating Blockchain solutions and strategies that are faster, more efficient, and more accessible compared to traditional methods of using and moving money.’ - Satoshi Citadel Industries

That dedication and commitment to disrupt the current status quo is a trademark of SCI. As one of the first established blockchain companies here in the Philippines, they also seek to improve and streamline the old and sluggish processes rampant to our financial system, with services different products all focusing to introduce and teach about cryptos and blockchain.


Why cryptocurrencies?

With the growing adaptation of cryptocurrencies to various different industries, both locally and internationally, it would seem to fit the natural evolution of financial technology in the country. With specific niches and corresponding needs that are often addressed with the use of cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Furthermore, as a truly global technology that transcends barriers, it is definitely the next step for real estate developers wanting to expand their international clientele. With various countries adopting the use of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment options, coupled with the increase need in real estate space, whether residential or commercial, accepting payments in cryptos is a smart decision.

This partnership will enable AQWIRE to process real estate payments in crypto, adding to its already robust payment processing capabilities. Giving potential real estate buyers and investors more options and significantly making the entire payment process more efficient and convenient.


What’s next for AQWIRE?

AQWIRE is currently on its fundraising stage. To fulfill its goal, AQWIRE is raising $9.9M through a token sale. Proceeds of which will directly be used for the development of the platform, as well as, on-boarding more and more real estate developers, both locally and internationally.

Q4 of this year will also bring AQWIRE to Thailand. With the goal of global real estate listings, Thailand is AQWIRE’s first stop, establishing presence in the Southeast Asian region before expanding to the rest of Asia.

Surefire Ways to Get Your Home Loan Application Approved

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Applying for a mortgage is your key to achieving the home you have always dreamed of

Unless you are ultra-rich, purchasing a home would require financing from banks and other lending institutions. Owning a home is easier said than done; a big chunk of the process is applying for a loan.

Nowadays, lenders are taking advantage of the Philippines being one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia to offer competitive mortgage products for potential home buyers. Furthermore, the property market is projected to remain thriving due to the demand from investors resulting from the Philippine government’s Build, Build, Build program.

The ball is now on the side of home buyers; they have to prove that they are financially capable of taking on a huge responsibility, which requires prudence and commitment. These are the things you have to do to make sure your home loan application gets the green light.

Have a steady and stable source of income

One of the biggest red flags for banks and lending institutions is an unstable source of income. After all, your income stability will affect how consistent you will be able to settle your monthly mortgage repayments. For a higher chance of getting your home loan approved, you have to have steady employment for at least two years. This assures the banks of your financial readiness.

If you consider yourself as self-employed or freelancing, you have to be able to prove how much you earn on a monthly basis. While banks consider freelance employment risky, you can still get a decent home loan offer. Just show the banks that your income flow is steady and you have an ample amount of savings.

Save up for a large deposit

It is advisable to save up for a large down payment first to secure a home loan. This reduces the loan-to-value ratio, which is a big consideration for banks. As a rule of thumb, you should only borrow up to 80% of the total value of the home you are planning to buy. Your savings will cover the rest.  The lower the amount you intend to borrow, the higher the chances that your loan will get the go-ahead.

A considerable amount of savings also shows that you can handle your finances, which is a big plus for lenders.

Educate yourself

Purchasing a property entails a lot of responsibility and commitment from you as a homeowner and as a borrower. Learning about the mortgage market would give you a working knowledge of the home loan approval process, and allows you to build up a reliable credit reputation.

Be consistent with your other debt repayments

Your credit history is perhaps the most crucial determinant in your home loan application. It should be a habit for you to pay bills consistently. Banks often do credit checks with other banks or billers to gauge your ability to meet their repayment requirements. They will scrutinize everything from late and missed payments, defaults, overpayments, and other relevant information that would help them see how risky or safe you are as a borrower.

If you have a bad credit history, it’s not too late to turn it around and settle your accountabilities. Seek options on how you can rebuild your reputation as a responsible borrower.

It is important to note, however, that having no credit history at all will not necessarily translate to a good home loan application. As mentioned earlier, banks would want to see how consistent you are in paying your dues. In a way, having existing loans is better than having none at all. If you are not a fan of credit card or other loans, you can instead submit your phone and utility bills. Even insurance statements can give banks an idea of how you are as a client.

Do not submit multiple applications with different banks

Never go on a fishing expedition and apply to multiple lenders for a home loan; banks might see it as bad behavior and an indication of a higher risk.

Instead, make a list of banks or lenders you wish to avail home loans from and research about their mortgage products, benefits, interest rates, and disadvantages. Submit your application to one bank at a time. If you do not get approved at the first one, move on to the next lender on your list.

Have a guarantor

A guarantor is someone who will be of help to you when unforeseen circumstances result in you not being able to make repayments for a period of time. First-time home buyers usually sign their parents up as their guarantors.

Guarantors who have a good credit standing can boost your application and get it approved in no time. It is also an advantage if the guarantor was a previous client of the lender you are submitting your application to.

Explore your options at the Lamudi Affordable Housing Fair

Lamudi’s Affordable Housing Fair in Glorietta 3 Activity Center in Makati City is a great avenue for you to know every nook and cranny of home ownership—from selecting a house that fits your needs to applying for a mortgage that suits your financial health.

Home loan experts will grace this two-day event to give attendees a seminar on the Philippines mortgage market. Banks and lending firms will also be present to showcase their home loan products for potential home buyers.

The Lamudi Housing Fair will be on June 30–July 1, 2018, Saturday to Sunday. To register for the event, click here.

Twitter Takes Action to Counter Spam and Malicious Automation

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Inauthentic accounts, spam, and malicious automation disrupt everyone’s experience on Twitter. To help move towards this goal, Twitter introducednew measures to fight abuse and trolls, new policies on hateful conduct and violent extremism, and are bringing in new technology and staff to fight spam and abuse.

To date, the company has made a lot of investments in this space resulting to positive impacts:

●      In May 2018, Twitter’s systems identified and challenged more than 9.9 million potentially spammy or automated accounts per week. That’s up from 6.4 million in December 2017, and 3.2 million in September.

●      Twitter is removing 214% more accounts for violating Twitter spam policies on a year-on-year basis.

●      At the same time, the average number of spam reports received continued to drop — from an average of approximately 25,000 per day in March, to approximately 17,000 per day in May. A 10% drop in spam reports from search as a result of recent changes. These mean people are encountering less spam in their timeline, search, and across the Twitter product.

●      In Q1 2018, Twitter suspended more than 142,000 applications in violation of their rules — collectively responsible for more than 130 million low-quality, spammy tweets as Twitter maintained this pace of proactive action, removing an average of more than 49,000 malicious applications per month in April and May. Twitter is increasingly using automated and proactive detection methods to find misuses of their platform before they impact anyone’s experience. More than half of the applications they suspended in Q1 were suspended within one week of registration, many within hours. These are proofs that Twitter is working to catch and prevent these activities before anyone can see it.

The company can tackle attempts to manipulate conversations at scale, across languages and time zones, without relying on reactive reports. With that, Twitter has four new processes in fighting spam and malicious automationaside from developing machine learning tools.

1.     Reducing the visibility of suspicious accounts in Tweet and account metrics

A common form of spammy and automated behavior is following accounts in coordinated, bulk ways. Often accounts engaged in these activities are successfully caught by an automated detection tools (and removed from the platform’s active user metrics) shortly after the behavior begins.Twitter has started updating account metrics in near-real time: for example, the number of followers an account has, or the number of likes or Retweets a Tweet receives, will be correctly updated when Twitter take action on accounts.

When an account behaves suspiciously, it will be put into a read-only state where it can’t engage with others or Tweet. Follower figures and engagement counts will be remove until it passes a challenge like confirming a phone number. People can see a display warning on read-only accounts and prevent new accounts to follow them to avoid inadvertent exposure to potentially malicious content. After the challenge, it will take hours for the account to be restored. These makes protections more transparent to anyone who may try to interact with an account in a read-only state. People may notice improvements on account metrics regularly in the display of Tweet and account information to ensure that malicious actors aren’t able to artificially boost an account’s credibility permanently by inflating metrics like the number of followers.

2.     Improving the signup process

To make it harder to register spam accounts,Twitter will require new accounts to confirm either an email address or phone number when they sign up to defend against people who try to take advantage of Twitter’s openness. Twitter is working closely with their Trust & Safety Council and other expert NGOs to ensure this change does not hurt someone in a high-risk environment where anonymity is important. This may roll out later this year.

3.     Auditing existing accounts for signs of automated signup

Twitter is conducting an audit to secure a number of legacy systems used to create accounts to ensure that every account created on Twitter has passed some simple, automatic security checks designed to prevent automated signups. The new protections as a result of the audit which helped prevent more than 50,000 spammy signups per day.

Now, Twitter is taking action to challenge a large number of suspected spam accounts that they caught as part of an investigation into misuse of an old part of the signup flow. These accounts are primarily follow spammers who have automatically or bulk followed verified or other high-profile accounts suggested to new accounts during the signup flow. Some people may see their follower counts drop; This does not mean accounts appearing to lose followers did anything wrong; they were the targets of spam that Twitter is cleaning up. Twitter is taking more steps to clean up spam and automated activity and close the loopholes exploited.

4.     Expansion of Twitter’s malicious behavior detection systems

Twitter is now automating some processes in suspicious account activity, like exceptionally high-volume tweeting with the same hashtag, or using the same @handle without a reply from the account they are mentioning. These tests vary in intensity, and at a simple level may involve the account owner completing simple reCAPTCHA process or a password reset request. More complex cases are automatically passed to Twitter for review.

What Users Can Do

There are important steps users can take to protect their security on Twitter:

●      Enable two-factor authentication. Instead of only entering a password to log in, Enter a code which is sent to a mobile phone. This verification helps make sure that only the owner can access their account.

●      Regularly review any third-party applications. Visit the Apps tab in the account settings on twitter.com to review and revoke access for applications.

●      Don’t re-use passwords across multiple platforms or websites. Have a unique password for each accounts.

●      Use a FIDO Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) security key for login verification when signing into Twitter.

Additionally, if you believe you may have been incorrectly actioned by one of Twitter’s automated spam detection systems, you can use the appeals process to request review of your case.

Twitter is continuing to invest across the board in their approach to these issues, including leveraging machine learning technology and partnerships with third parties. They’re looking forward to soon announcing the results of theirRequest for Proposals for public health metrics research. These issues are felt around the world, from elections to emergency events and high-profile public conversations. In Twitter’s recent announcements, the public health of the conversation on Twitter is a critical metric by which they will measure the success in these areas.

https://twitter.com/TwitterPH/status/1011918925414535169 Wazzup Pilipinas!