Introducing SteemPay
I am introducing a new web app SteemPay that aims to help people to use SBD for selling and buying the real stuff. The primary mission of this tool is to simplify the selling and buying process using SBD.
Using SteemPay, you can create an invoice quickly, and the buyer can pay it by scanning QR code. You can also get paid without any Steem account if you have a Steem wallet in Upbit or Bittrex.
Although SteemPay only supports KRW currency for now, you can try out just for fun.
https://steempay.co
Motivation
Korean Steemians who owns their own offline stores like pubs, restaurants or clinics have been trying to receive SBD for their products and services. However it was not as simple as they thought because:
- Converting the local currency KRW to SBD is a burden, and the exchange rate changes second by second
- No one step way for sellers and buyers to create and share an invoice
- Sellers and buyers must go through the manual processes for the payment, putting numbers by numbers
- no clear and unified way to keep the track of the transactions
Here is the scenario of selling a cup of coffee for SBD.
- Seller calculates the SBD price of the product
- Seller gives the number like 1.352 SBD to the buyer
- Buyer opens whatever Steem app he uses and manually puts the seller's account ID and the price
- Buyer also needs to put some memo about what he is paying the money for.
- Put active key if neeeded.
- Seller needs to check if buyer paid that amount.
- Found any mistake in the processes above? sigh...
SteemPay project was born to simplify this process, and has been making a great progress in his mission although it is still in its very early stage. SteemPay is now perfectly usable in Korea, and some Steemians are using it for their business already.
I will now walk you through what it does for the sellers and buyers currently.
Main page
This web app is currently not responsible but dedicated for mobile devices. There is a button to open and close the sidebar in which there are some buttons to move around the features.
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Setting
Seller must setup their Steem accounts and exchange accounts in order to generate an invoice. Once it's done, seller can simply choose which account they want to receive the payment to. You must click "Save" as now it does not do auto save.
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Invoice
You can create an invoice by putting the price in the local currency (now only KRW) and choosing the account. You can see the exchange rate is automatically fetched and applied to the KRW to SBD conversion.
Once all the required fields are filled, you can click "Create Invoice" to generate the invoice with a QR code. This invoice can directly scanned using any kind of QR code scanner, or also can be shared with the other people through many other ways.
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At the moment the local currency is immediately converted to SBD and fixed to that value forever. However I am considering to add the opposite way of applying the exchange rate which is fixed to local currency and then converted when the payment is made. Both are necessary for the different types of businesses.
Payment
You can scan the QR code in the invoice to make a payment. A QR code reader is embedded into the web app for Android devices, but you can use your favourite QR code reader as well.
iPhone users can use their camera app to scan the QR code. It is very obvious and easy.
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If you click "Pay via SteemConnect", you are redirected to SteemConnect. For the first time, you will be asked to put the private active key. If you did make your browser save your active key before, you will not need to put it again.
Used technology stack
NodeJS, Webpack, Javascript, HTML, ReactJs, ReactRedux, ReactRouter, Semantic UI React, AWS EC2, API Gateway, Lambda, Dynamo DB, etc
Future Work
Although SteemPay is functioning, it is still in its prototype phase. There is very long to-do list but I will not share everything here. The items on the top of the list are:
- Supporting USD currency
- More detail configuration for sellers
- Introducing permanent invoice
- Authentication
Although this project will be driven by the feedback from KR community, as they are actually using it for their real business, any feedback from non-KR will be really appreciated.
I deliver incrementally and work backward with the feedback. Therefore this project will be progressing quickly towards the right direction.
Open Source
SteemPay is an open source project.
https://github.com/ianpark/steempay
Please Support SteemPay project
You can support this project by various ways.
Vote @asbear as a witness. You need to manually put my account because I am 57th now.
https://steemit.com/~witnessesVote and resteem this post
Follow me :)
Many thanks!
This is awesome.
May I suggest though that rather than doing the obvious and integrate the USD, you initially focus on lower ranked economies and nations. New economies like Steem have the potential to massively disrupt the status quo and directly improve social vertical mobility.
There is a reason why there are so many mobile payment apps in the Asian scene (and Africa): the unbanked demographic is massive. While we still suffer the inconvenience that most debit card issuers have pulled out, it is more likely that affluent users are capable to easily exchange without going through many expensive hoops.
For the unbanked demographic this is often an expensive chore tho. I know for example that in the Philippines there are people who are not capable of withdrawing their crypto without paying expensive Western Union/Remittance cash out fees. Alternatively they must travel for hours to use one of the few BTC ATMs. IDs are still expensive and not everyone has one thus excluding options like the otherwise excellent Coins.ph which serves many locals already but has KYC/AML and thus requires ID verification.
Same situation in Indonesia and I bet Nigeria, Kenya, Venezuela, and Brazil are not different. Something tells me that those local scenes, most of which have also setup their own communities on Steem, will find ways to propagate the use of a Steem payment platform and grow faster than USA adoption. If not faster in number most likely definitely much more in local importance, in social vertical mobility.
From a 2014 CoinDesk interview with Ron Hose, Co-Founder of Coins.ph:
Disclosure: I’m a European living in PH.. The PH community here on Steem is very active, although by long not as large as the KR community, but I’m not active in the scene myself. My personal focus is mostly on convincing local store owners, especially sari-sari stores to start accepting crypto. Many are eager but lacking flawless methods don’t help (and coins.ph is mostly focus on signing up franchises and restaurants for faster expansion).
Really appreciate your comment. All sounds quite interesting. Btw how this tool would be useful in developing countries if they have not easy way to cashout STEEM? In Korea, there are exchanges called Upbit and Gopaxnand you can cash out SBD easily. In US, they can sell SBD for BTC and then cashout. What is it like in Phillipine? Would they do the same?
What would be the best way to convert local currency to SBD in PH? Would it involve USD conversion anyway?
Store owners are more likely to have both ID and also bank account.
For the unbanked the reality is that both cost (opening a bank account requires a deposit of $10-$40 depending on the bank).
Surprisingly mobile wallets are huge (especially send money via SMS from prepaid load or postpaid). Internet is also cheap and so are smartphones. There’s a hands down culture, when I get a new contract phone my old goes to a family member of my partner.
The beauty of Steem is that Steem can provide a new revenue stream requiring nothing of what we needed before (PayPal requires credit card or bank account). As such even those without ID/bank account can actively earn with Steem and then spend their money. The store operator then exchanges and withdraws local fiat.
This is why Ron Hose’s quote is so important: cryptoes solve an actual need. Especially unique platforms like Steem. Queue Dan’s legendary new economy post: give people a place to both earn and spend.
Btw especially in the Philippines this is now a real future since cryptoes are accepted and each local exchange requires accreditation by the local central Bank - last December more than 20 applications had been submitted already and Coins.ph already have the beta for their exchange up. Closed beta still for now. There is no doubt that the second biggest player, SCI.ph, will soon follow as well.
But in countries like Venezuela this is a big thing as well.
Here’s an additional thought: At worst/best you could simply provide a manual with the instruction where to change the api for currency line. In an initial model that seems great already if using CoinGecko. A call to community should soon see many new pull requests with expansions both for new currencies and also exchanges IMHO.
Addendum: until now will use Bittrex and convert to BTC. From there Coins.ph/Bitbit by SCI.ph/BTC ATM/ask a friend (many used Poloniex before because of lower BTC transfer fee option, $5/10 loss is a lot for small earners).
this is so inspiring. Many thanks. As now I am at work and having a busy day but I will come back to this discussion and have more thought. You seem to be a great advisor for the south asian culture and economic status. Due to my job and the other personal projects I have been barely spending my hours on SteemPay recently. But I will com back to this as quickly as possible!
Which country in Europe are you originally from? I live in the UK.
I’m originally from Belgium but have travelled Europe, having lived also in The Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, and eventually Cyprus before moving to South-East Asia.
Thanks for the kind words. Moving over here was an eye opener and absolutely interesting as well to discover how worlds are different and people need totally different solutions. I have als been very active in the local startup scene for a while some years ago when there was some traction around it.
The truth is that economic hardship drives creative innovation. If the deprived can find new ways to make money, they will jump on it and make it. The need for food and electricity is a massive creative inspiration for disruption.
Much later, First World will often make the solutions mainstream. Usually without credit for they who started it, obviously.
Did you know that both Africa and SEAsia are world leaders in mobile payments? Almost each telco provides mobile wallets, both via SMS and apps. Your phone number becomes a wallet. Imagine if we can expand that to cryptoes, at least some which people have true access to and have a backing system which is optimized for micro-payments. With no fees and fast transactions. #WIN
@fknmayhem, I updated SteemPay with more currencies including PHP and MYR as you suggested.
https://steemit.com/utopian-io/@asbear/steempay-0-3-0-release-supporting-seven-more-currencies-usd-eur-gbp-jpy-cny-php-myr
I put large amount of SBD to promote this post to get noticed by the Steemians like you who see the potential of SBD payment, but not sure how to get attention from the Philippine community though.
I noticed the update before I noticed the mention.
Thanks for the update. I like the solution used via CMC. Let me try to forward as much as I can.
Pinging @surpassinggoogle to this comment and also forwarding him the update via DM.
PS: Never use bidbots on Utopian submissions. Not only do you lose beneficiary but the Utopian bot also rewards less.
This is a great project, but I would consider a rename since I already have a project called SteemPay. Our app is in the play store, we have a public API, several different apps under this brand - merchant facing and consumer facing - we have the GitHub organization, and the domains.
You are free to do what you want, but there may be some confusion otherwise.
Other than that, awesome project!
Thanks for your suggestion!
I think the name SteemPay cannot be owned by anyone as you know there was SteemPay project before you started your project, and there are another project beginning including mine, and I believe there will be more in the future. So I will go with SteemPay as I primarily target the Korean market. We may need to compete in some area, but I believe that will be productive for both of us.
Regards
It's no problem. You can do what you want, I just feel like it will be confusing.
For confusion's sake, why not just put KR in the name so that it's less confusing for those searching for a steem related payment solution in Korea?
Also, not I'm not trying to start a fight or anything (I really don't care what your project is called) but the name definitely can be owned by someone, there are tons of cases in trademark law where you see people argue over what constitutes a brand name, and what things should be called. Disclaimer: IANAL
I am currently not voting for any witness until I have the certainty they will do whatvever was needed in order to end the promoter bots abuse.
But yours is a really great service created using Steem. I will take it into consideration once I decide to vote again.
(as you could you, my wwight woldn't do too much a difference, neither)
I am resteeming it, however, so maybe someone would vote for you.
@javirid, I am as powerless as you for now, but trying to fight against the spam and abusing.
I really hope you could have some minutes to read my recent witness update.
https://steemit.com/witness-category/@asbear/witness-update-asbear-april-2018
Thanks for your resteeming!
All the best for you and your Catalunya. I've been to Bercelona already twice and will visit there again probably around 2025 (yes, the expected completion year of Sagrada Familiar!)
Indeed it’s such a wonderful app. There are already several usages of this app in Korea!
@project7 Thanks a lot! :)
Always love your work and contribution on Steem community.
Hope you get into the top 21 witness soon :)
Oh btw, I just shared this on Steemhunt as well.
You can check it on here: https://steemhunt.com/@tabris/steem-pay-offline-payment-with-steem
I also always admire your dev works especially Steemhunt! great job!
I'm gonna give you a witness vote because i believe you can make a difference in making STEEM more "easy to use" for all people and in the long term, we will all profit from that.
이미 사용하고 계신 분들 봤는데, 정말 유용하다고 하시더라구요~ 멋집니다~
정말이요? ㅎㅎ 감사합니다!
Utopian.io에 올려보시는 것도 생각하시면 좋을거 같습니다. 이미 아시겠지만 오픈소스에 대해 보팅지원을 하고 있습니다. 업그레이드 상황을 꾸준히 올리시면 지속적인 지원이 가능할거라고 생각이 듭니다.
유토피안 이넘들 별로 도움이안되는것 같습니다. 전에는 몇번 보팅 받았는데, 모더레이터들이 무능해서 제대로된 큐레이션도 못하고.. 게다가 글 보상 일부는 떼어가고.. 그래서 고민중입니다^^
시간 날 때 스팀페이 로고나 만들어봐야겠습니다.ㅎ
같이 일하는 디자이너가.. 있어서.. 반영못할수도있어서 부탁은 못드리지만 마음만으로도 정말 감사합니다!!
상관없습니다. 그냥 만들고 싶어져서요.ㅎㅎ 스팀페이 응원합니다!
와.. 벌써 이렇게 개발을 하신 게 놀랍고.. 또 얼른 스팀페이가 널리 퍼져서 어디에서나 쉽게 사용할 수 있도록 되면 좋겠다 생각이 듭니다.
감사합니다 ^^