Populous is aiming to build a P2P (peer-to-peer) invoice discounting platform with a global invoice trading platform built on the Ethereum blockchain.
The idea behind Populous
The Populous project wants to disrupt the traditional invoice discounting system by eliminating the need for third parties or financial institutions by connecting businesses with global invoice buyers without a middle-man. In this way, Populous wants to help small and medium sized enterprises in need of short-term financing.
Invoice discounting
Invoice discounting is a form of funding that instantly unlocks the cash tied up in outstanding invoices. Business owners allow invoice buyers to buy invoices at a discounted rate to unlock their cash before the due date. Populous wants to connect business owners with invoice buyers on a global scale by leveraging the security, transparency, and speed of blockchain technology and smart contracts.
What problem does Populous solve?
Having a consistent cash flow is a real problem for many SMEs. Late invoice payments can cost small businesses a lot of money. Using invoice financing as proposed by the Populous project, businesses can sell their outstanding invoices at a discount to immediately receive the outstanding amount in cash. The buyer of the invoice effectively takes it over and receives the money at a later date when the client pays the invoice.
Poken vs PPT token
Populous has two tokens, both with a different function. Pokens are the internal currency of the Populous platform and each Poken is pegged directly to the equivalent amount of fiat currency. Pokens are also used to purchase invoices and operate as an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain. PPT, on the other hand, were sold during the Populous ICO and can be used to invest in invoices. When you invest in an invoice using PPT, your tokens are used as a collateral for the investment. In return, you receive Pokens which Populous automatically uses to buy the invoice.
Rather than waiting for their customers to settle invoices that often have due dates of 45 to 90 days, the invoices can be sold in a decentralized way to invoice financing companies to access the funds immediately via the Populous World platform. Populous is already functioning as an invoice discounting system and is currently available as a beta version and has already funded over £2,000,000 invoices.
