Astra Announced as Technology Partner for Fern Rewards to Transform UK Rental Market
Astra Announced as Technology Partner for Fern Rewards to Transform UK Rental Market
Astra Announced as Technology Partner for Fern Rewards to Transform UK Rental Market
London, UK – September 8, 2025–Astra, a blockchain technology company specialising in fintech innovation, has been selected as thetechnology partnerforFern Rewards, a new rental services platform designed to reshape the UK’s £90 billion rental market.
Tackling a £90 Billion Market Gap
The UK private rental market represents over£90 billion in annual spending, yet tenants receive little recognition, rewards, or credit-building benefits from their largest monthly expense. With rents rising21% in the past three years, compared to just4% growth in house prices, millions of renters remain locked out of homeownership.
Fern Rewardsintroduces an “everyone wins” model, ensuring tenants, landlords, and agents all benefit from a fairer, more rewarding rental ecosystem.
Astra Brings Blockchain Expertise
“We’re delighted to be chosen as the technology partner for such an ambitious project – we’re architecting the future of rental relationships,” saidEllis McGrath, CTO at Astra. “Fern represents the convergence of our blockchain expertise with real-world utility that will impact millions of lives.”
Astra’s proven KYC and blockchain infrastructure will be directly integrated into Fern’s onboarding process, enabling60-second identity verificationand compliance checks — a critical feature for success in the regulated UK rental market.
Why Fern Chose Astra
“Astra was the perfect fit for Fern,” saidJim Jamieson, CEO of Fern Rewards. “The complexity of integrating blockchain, financial services, credit reporting, and property management required a partner with deep technical and regulatory expertise. Astra’s proven ability to deliver secure, scalable fintech solutions made them the natural choice.”
Strong Market Demand
Independent research highlights strong interest across the UK rental ecosystem:
About Astra
Astra builds secure, scalable blockchain infrastructure for financial services, with expertise spanningidentity verification (KYC), smart contracts, payment processing, and compliance solutions. The company has delivered multiple regulated fintech platforms, establishing itself as a trusted partner for large-scale, high-security implementations.
About Fern Rewards
Fern is the UK’s first comprehensiveon-chain rental services platform, enabling tenants to build credit, earn rewards, reduce utility bills, and move closer to homeownership — while giving landlords and agents improved yields, streamlined management, and stronger tenant relationships.
Fern is the UK’s first comprehensiveon-chain rental services platform, enabling tenants to build credit, earn rewards, reduce utility bills, and move closer to homeownership — while giving landlords and agents improved yields, streamlined management, and stronger tenant relationships.
Founded byJim Jamieson, a former Global Partnerships lead atGumball 3000, Fern draws on Jamieson’s background in disruptive fintech, blockchain innovation, and cultural change-driven ventures in the UK and USA.
Looking Ahead
The Fern platform will enterbeta testing in Q4 2025, with a full UK launch scheduled forearly 2026.
“We’re building the infrastructure that will power the next generation of rental relationships,” addedEllis McGrath. “This is just the beginning of what’s possible when technology meets genuine market need.”
Media Contact
Ellis McGrath — CTO, Astra Protocol📧Email: ellis@astraprotocol.com
