Jan 17, 2022The Emirates Post Group, located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is helping to commemorate the nation's golden anniversary with a set of four crypto-stamps that leverage Near Field Communication (NFC) and blockchain technologies. The stamps each have both a physical and digital presence, with a digital twin linking to the actual stamp in the blockchain. Because the digital data is linked with the physical stamp in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT), collectors can create a record of having received the stamp, then authenticate it and collect the blockchain digital record, which can be stored and accessed on their smartphone.
The stamps were released in December 2021 to mark the 50th UAE National Day, the nation's anniversary of independence from the Trucial States under British protectorate in 1971. Although the latest collectibles are not the first such commemorative stamps, they are the first being offered with NFT digital twins, according to Emirates Post Group. The stamps are available for purchase online here.
Emirates Post Group's NFT stamp
Emirates Post Group is the official postal operator of the United Arab Emirates. The first definitive set of collector stamps was issued in Dubai on January 7, 1961, under the governance of the Trucial States. "Since then, we have released many stamps to promote the UAE's culture and rich heritage and commemorate important national expositions and milestones," says Abdulla Mohammed Alashram, Emirates Post Group's CEO. The stamps can be bought and sold by collectors, he explains, and typically increase in value over time.
By giving the stamps a digital presence, however, the post group enables collectors to store information about each stamp in a digital wallet, as well as purchase, trade or sell the stamps using cryptocurrency. Each stamp comes with a built-in 13.56 MHz NFC chip, compliant with ISO 14443 and encoded with a unique ID number linked to the stamp's NFT cryptographic code. Emirates Post Group has declined to identify the type of NFC chip being used, citing security purposes.
Individuals would first need to purchase the physical stamp card (a laminated credit card-sized carrier), which holds the stamp. The stamp's secure codes are printed on the card, along with instructions to access them online and thereby claim the digital twin. This digital counterpart in the blockchain can be collected, traded or used for online exchange like other digital tokens, Alashram says. "Our NFT stamps are minted on the Ethereum blockchain, Level 2," he states, "based on Polygon," a protocol and framework for blockchain networks.
Abdulla Mohammed Alashram
Buyers must open the package and scan the QR code on the front side of their card. This step will lead them to the unique NFT of their stamp, stored in the cloud. They must also set up their own crypto-wallet. To transfer the digital twin of the NFT stamp to their wallet, they need to verify the NFT stamp's authenticity. That is where the NFC chip comes in, Alashram explains. Users would tap their iOS- or Android-based device against the stamp, and the NFC reader built into their phone or tablet would then capture the unique ID number encoded on the NFC chip.
This process ensures the stamp is not a counterfeit, while automatically accessing the digital twin for that specific stamp. Once the chip has been read and authenticated, the buyer is then prompted to transfer the NFT stamp into their crypto-wallet by entering a "secret wordlist" or password that is printed on the back of the card, under a security label. The blockchain ensures that the digital certificate of authenticity comes with a record of each transaction, so if a buyer sells or trades the stamp, an immutable record is created and accessible to other collectors.
The Golden Jubilee premium edition sells for 2,021 dirham ($550). This version contains a gram of gold. Those who buy the stamp can access a secret video message as well, according to Alashram, after they have scanned the NFC chip. The three other versions cost 250 dirham ($68). So far, he says, "The response toward our NFT stamp issuance has been positive, and sales are doing very well." The number of NFT stamps in each edition is limited, with only 2,021 Golden Jubilee stamps issued.
Austria's Österreichische Post also released an NFC-enabled crypto-stamp for collectors in May 2021. The Crypto Stamp 3.0 is its third release in a series of stamps that require NFC authentication to access a blockchain-enabled digital form. A month earlier, Switzerland's postal service, Swiss Post, released its own crypto-stamp that leverages a QR code to link to digital data about that stamp. However, Alashram notes, Emirates Post Group is the first business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to launch NFT stamps, as part of a strategy of investing in initiatives that will strengthen and contribute to its technology infrastructure.
"The adoption of emerging digital technologies," Alashram says, "is also in line with our efforts to address the tech-savvy generation and their favorability toward digitally accessible services over traditional models." As part of bridging the gap between traditional postage stamps and the digital world, he adds, "We look forward to launching more NFT stamps."
