Arya.ag launches agri loans on blockchain
Grain commerce platform Arya.ag has launched agri loans on the blockchain. Warehouse receipt loans disbursed on its fintech arm and NBFC, Aryadhan, shall be processed on its blockchain to offer users absolute trust and transparency, the company said in a statement.
Arya.ag has tokenised commodities stored in its warehouses, and this development now enables it to board its disbursements on the blockchain.
“Porting all disbursements on the blockchain while making payments in under five minutes will mark a significant leap in the efficiency of agri-lending services. The blockchain will ensure unprecedented visibility and assurance to control all physical risks in commodity storage and finance,” said Prasanna Rao, CEO of Arya.ag.
Partnering with 35 financial institutions, including banks and NBFCs, Arya.ag is managing 7.6 million tonnes of commodities with assets under management of $3 billion in the last financial year. “We look at collaborating with other lenders to move commodity-based warehouse-receipt financing onto the blockchain and improve the overall transparency, speed, and reliability of these transactions,” said Rao.
Navigating the agricultural lending landscape presents a fundamental challenge of establishing trust between the lender and borrower. Arya.ag claimed it solves this through its blockchain. Arya.ag stands as the trusted custodian for every token generated, safeguarding against duplicate pledges and ownership conflicts. Upon a pledge, a smart contract initiates, allowing banks to assign a distinct identifier for the token lien. This procedure guarantees the exclusivity of each pledge while offering banks a consolidated view on all pledged commodities.
Moving the lending process to a blockchain would not only expedite transactions but also significantly enhance security and trust among participants, the company said. The decentralised nature of blockchain ensures immutable record-keeping, making the data transparent yet secure and virtually tamper-proof, thereby reducing fraud and errors. Additionally, such a move would standardise procedures and documentation, facilitating smoother interactions among various stakeholders in the commodity trading and financing sectors.
Arya.ag collaborated with Newrl, a decentralised trust network blockchain, to develop this infrastructure. For now, Arya.ag’s ledger has 3.2 million metric tons of commodities stored across 894 warehouses on the blockchain network.