DoshEx, the South African Digital Asset Exchange, and global blockchain-based payment pioneer Pundi X, today (4 April) announced a strategic partnership to bring cryptocurrency  to high street retailers and local consumers. In a first for South Africa’s retail market, XPOS, the Pundi X blockchain-based point-of-sale devices and XPASS cards for cryptocurrency transactions are to be deployed at selected sites across South Africa in a co-branded roll-out with DoshEx. Blockchain-driven point-of-sale technology enables merchants to digitize their payment infrastructure on the blockchain while consumers transact in cryptocurrency in a fast, efficient and convenient manner. Blockchain – a tamper-proof, cryptography-based technology – establishes trust of the transactions among various parties. Cryptocurrency transaction within the Pundi X payment ecosystem is a hassle-free method that promotes financial inclusion as XPASS-holders will have their own financial history of the transactions on XPASS card and the associated XWallet app without the necessity for having a bank account. Rapid acceptance is envisaged as the process resembles credit-card transacting with which consumers are familiar. To enable crypto transacting, the XPASS is simply tapped on an XPOS device.

Zac Cheah, CEO and Co-founder of Pundi X Labs, commented: “XPOS is the easy, affordable access point into crypto for mainstream retailers and consumers. “Many big businesses already access the crypto benefits of trusted record-keeping transactions. Now, an XPASS card loaded with crypto enables ordinary people to embrace the crypto-future, including millions of unbanked South Africans. “Our partnership with DoshEx enables us to tap into the early-adopter market at pace as this Bryanston-based innovator has a proven track-record as a digital exchange and developer of blockchain-based solutions for leading corporates, including the South African arm of Virgin Money.” DoshEX CEO Alex de Bruyn noted: “It was essential to roll out trusted and proven technology as our objective is to rapidly build South Africa’s first point-of-sale cryptocurrency network. This is why we partnered with Pundi X. “This global technology player has deployed payment ecosystems in numerous markets, including developing economies such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Nigeria.. Its international representation stretches from London to Jakarta to Tokyo. Pundi X therefore has the resources to support a rapidly growing network in line with our vision of demystifying crypto and turning it into a generally accepted payment option.

“We believe XPOS will rapidly become your crypto ATM and transaction-enabler at your local coffee shop or high street store.” Adoption is easy. Participating merchants install XPOS technology on the counter and provide the XPASS cards, activated for a once-off fee. Cryptocurrency is preloaded by the vendor. Users then transact on XPASS. Alternatively, users can buy XPASS online from DoshEX at www.doshex.comand load crypto online. The XPOS strategy calls for phased roll-out of XPASS cards and devices, with 5000 cards available for the first wave of early adopters.  The partners will announce details of the deployment footprint as the technology becomes available in different geographic areas. De Bruyn added: “The ability to readily transact in crypto is a vital step in digital currency development. Soon it will be the norm for the public to buy, hold and sell crypto. Borderless transactions and transfers will be easy, without the high costs traditionally associated with these activities. “In the crypto-future consumers will transact in their crypto currency of choice, perhaps linked to dollars or euro. Crypto’s future is bright and Pundi X has provided the first light switch.” 

-- ENDS --

About DoshEx: DoshEx is a South African company pioneering the local development of crypto-tokens. Related DoshEx products and services include tokenised solutions for corporates and SOEs, safekeeping of funds and the design and deployment of blockchains. This digital exchange is the brainchild of a group of entrepreneurs with a background in payments and crypto-currencies. Among the innovators is Alex de Bruyn, who is young, articulate and passionate about the tokenised future. He is also DoshEx’s media spokesman. Website:  www.doshex.com Contact: Alex De BruynTel: +27 11 468-5236 

About Pundi X: Pundi X is a leading developer of blockchain-powered devices, including the world’s first point-of-sales (POS) solution enabling merchants and consumers to do transactions on the blockchain in physical stores.  Pundi X is also the developer of the first, fully-functional blockchain phone, the XPhone.  Its POS device, the XPOS, has been shipped to over 25 countries including Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the USA; 100,000 devices are being targeted for rollout to the global retail market by 2021.  The company is headquartered in Singapore. Its international presence includes offices in Jakarta, São Paulo, Seoul, Shenzhen, Taipei, and Tokyo.  Listed as one of the top 50 innovative fintech startups in 2018 by KPMG and H2 ventures, the company is also a member of Singapore Fintech Association, Fintech Association of Hong Kong, ACCESS, Swiss Finance and the Fintech Association.  It is also a founding member of Asosiasi Blockchain Indonesia. For more information, please visit https://www.pundix.com

Cape Town-based CloudOne Technologies Pty Ltd, trading as CloudOne.mobi, has announced that it closed two funding rounds totalling R34m at the end of 2018. The investors include Investec Private Capital, through its Emerging Companies mandate. The investment will be used to help scale out and grow the business more aggressively. CloudOne.mobi was founded in October 2014 with the mission of re-inventing the Point Of Sale (POS) experience.

Founder and CEO Dana Buys has successfully started and sold a number of software businesses since launching his first business while studying at the University of Cape Town in the early 1980s. Subsequently a hospitality business owner, among other interests, he became frustrated with poor levels of technology, particularly related to POS. Buys is passionate about customer service and wanted a solution that would improve the speed and accuracy of serving customers.

 "Speed and accuracy deliver a win-win for both business and its customers,” he says. “Happy customers spend more and spread the good news via word of mouth. Accurate orders reduce costly mistakes and improve profitability. It’s hard to beat if you can make the solution easy-to-use and affordable to own!” He continues, “There is massive opportunity to deploy affordable Cloud and mobile technology in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Cloud solutions model allows us to eliminate many of the headaches experienced by SME businesses which often lack strong IT skills. We develop the , keep the systems up to date, manage the databases and integration to external solutions, perform regular backups, and enforce security.” 

CloudOne.mobi has developed an advanced cloud-based Point of Sale solution called TallOrder for SME businesses across the hospitality, retail and service segments. TallOrder delivers Cloud benefits, along with robust offline capacity to deal with the relatively slow, less reliable and costlier Internet prevalent throughout emerging markets. Buys explains that similar solutions developed in the United States and Europe assume an always-on, fast and low-cost Internet which is not yet the case in Africa and other developing markets.solution

 CloudOne.mobi says TallOrder is easy to deploy, easy to learn to run, and operates on Microsoft Windows, Apple's iOS, and Android devices. It is designed for traditional point of sale stations, tablets and even smartphone-sized devices. The system supports mobile use, which boosts the speed and accuracy of customer service. "TallOrder replaces expensive upfront license and installation fees with low monthly or annual fees, based on the number of devices in use. This opens the market to many businesses which previously could not afford nor cope with the older technology" says Anna Groenewald, COO and co-founder at CloudOne.mobi.

 According to Meiring de Wet, Chief Technology Officer at CloudOne.mobi, "SME companies by themselves will never generate enough data to be as truly useful as Big Data. We have built TallOrder in a way that allows us to aggregate the small data coming from SME businesses into Big Data".    

“This investment is an important opportunity for CloudOne.mobi to expand our software developments and allow us to rapidly scale our marketing and sales efforts and increase our future partnership opportunities,” stated Groenewald. Learn more about CloudOne.mobi and their hero products TallOrder Point of Sale and PageMan Digital Signage on their website, https://cloudone.mobi/ or contact them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./ +27 (0) 728630116

GAAP Point of Sale has announced the acquisition of A.M. Audio.  A.M. Audio is the African distributor of HME products, the premier technology provider to the drive-through segment of the hospitality industry.

AM Audio supplies, installs and supports an extensive range of wireless communication devices, service timers and intelligent reporting to drive-through outlets. 

GAAP Point of Sale started operating more than 35 years ago and is now 51% owned by Tarsus Technology Group who in turn are 100% owned by Investec. GAAP P-O-S has grown into the largest POS system provider to the Southern African hospitality industry with over 7 000 users around Africa and a staff complement of 500 working from 17 branches around South Africa. 

“This acquisition matches our policy to provide complete IT services to our large clientbase within the hospitality industry,” said GAAP Point of Sale MD, JP d'Abbadie. “GAAP is showing excellent growth in Africa and this combines well with what AM Audio have been doing on the continent. We look forward to continued growth in this area as well as the planned growth in the drive-through segment of the industry in South Africa.” 

As well as industry-leading P-O-S hardware and software solutions, GAAP also offers digital menuboards along with extensive enterprise level controls and reporting to over 150 franchise groups.

The drive-through technology that comes with AM Audio will extend the GAAP offering to these customers. 

AM Audio operations will soon be incorporated into the GAAP offices in Midrand, Durban and Cape Town, as well as giving their existing and future customers access to the extensive GAAP infrastructure around South Africa and the African continent.

Over 100 units of iMira screen are on their way to South Africa as part of the Gearhouse Group’s year-end technology upgrade.

The new screens are scheduled to arrive ahead of the festive season events and New Year’s functions.   Ultra slim, lightweight and easy-to-use; iMira digital posters are a convenient, cost effective and eye-catching way of displaying promotional content, way-finder information, boardroom schedules or client welcome information.

The system operates on patented cable-less connection technology, which means that content can be uploaded to the screens via USB or wirelessly. Marketed as a “plug-and-play” broadcast and communication system; iMira is particularly easy to use – no complicated configuring, wiring or programming required. Just plug in your USB, the on-board 5GB media player extracts the information in minutes and you are good to go. There is also an HDMI input /output option to link to PC or to link up to 8 panels together as a “video wall” if required.   iMira LED screens are high resolution with a 2.5mm pixel pitch which provides a superb clarity, high contrast picture across a range of ambient light levels. This is a powerful medium through which to communicate your message and they deliver sufficient punch to stop passers-by in their tracks.

IMira will be available for rental around the country in mid-December through the Group’s venue technical supplier, INHOUSE Venue Technical Management and live events service provider, Gearhouse South Africa.  They will also be available for sale from the Group’s distribution and sales company, System Solutions and are already being welcomed as a differentiator in a retail environment saturated with conventional information boards, point of sale displays, window dressing and promotional advertising.  Low maintenance digital LED posters also provide a more environmentally-friendly alternative to print.

Each high-gloss panel stands at just over 2m high with a width of around  600mm and provides a vibrant kinetic display of your message - wherever, however and whenever you want it communicated. Content can be displayed across single or multiple panels in one location or simultaneously transmitted to various screens in different locations via a network management system. The panels can be suspended, wall mounted (portrait or landscape) or stand-alone using a built-in kick stand that tucks discretely away for easy storage.

The System Solution offers after sales support and service for iMira with swap out units, an in-stock spares inventory and a repair facility down to board level.   Experience the “stopping power” of iMira in venue receptions, conference boardrooms, hotel foyers, in shopping malls, at airports and at exhibitions in all the main centres, soon.  

ISSUED ON BEHALF: OF GEARHOUSE SYSTEM SOLUTIONS (PTY) LTD
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robyn D’Alessandro
Tel: +27 (0) 216 3000
Cell: +27 (0) 83 607 3010
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.systemsolutions.co.za