CTT - Portuguese Post Office issued, this Tuesday, February 28th, the first Portuguese crypto stamp, issued in physical format and NFT (non-fungible token), with exclusive benefits for collectors.

This issue, under the theme "Sailing to Discover the Future", reinforces CTT's role as one of the most disruptive and active postal operators in the development of new products and services in all areas of the company, including philately. The development of this crytpo stamp was carried out in partnership with the Estonian start-up Stampsdaq, a company dedicated to cooperation with postal operators worldwide, bridging the gap with collectors.

According to Raul Moreira, CTT's Philately Director, "CTT has maintained an excellent reputation for technological development and artistic innovation throughout its 170 years as official stamp issuer. We were the first in the world to issue a cork stamp, the first to produce stamps in silk fabric, the first also to include remotely activated LEDs on stamps and even the first to insert a graphene sheet (crystalline form of carbon) on a philatelic block, on which a poem by Miguel Torga was engraved and read through an application. This bet is part of our mission to be highly innovative in the stamps we release, and we believe that this crypto-stamp will appeal to both our old and new collectors. We chose StampsDaq as a partner for the digital stamp because we share a common vision about the future of philately.”  

"Our partnership with CTT is an important milestone for StampsDaq and constitutes for us a validation of our business model by one of the most important European postal operators," said Andrii Shapovalov, CEO of StampsDaq. "All elements of the philatelic value chain are valuable, but collectors should benefit the most, and I am pleased that CTT has the same vision and strategy to make this happen. The possibilities offered by blockchain will complement and definitely enhance the traditional stamp collecting experience by enabling new, authentic and rewarding opportunities for collectors."

NFT are digital files with rarity attributes, which can be equated to pieces of art with a certain market value and are based on blockchain (a structure that stores transactional records of the general public in the form of databases) to ensure authenticity and security.

This crypto stamp "Caravela" will have a total issue of 40 thousand copies, with a face value of 9,90 euros: 30 thousand in physical format, with its digital "twin", in NFT, and 10 thousand exclusively digital copies, available on the StampsDaq platform. In the physical version, on sale in CTT's Post Offices and online store, the buyer receives a card with the physical stamp and a 10-digit numerical code. This code must be entered on the StampsDaq platform to allow digital access to the corresponding NFT stamp.

The digital format NFT stamp has different rarity levels and the one corresponding to the stamp you purchased is only known when you access the StampsDaq platform. In physical format there is only the common stamp, but when the associated NFT stamp is redeemed, the collector receives a digital stamp with one of 4 rarity levels. There are four categories: common, with 35,000 copies; rare, with 4,900 copies; super rare, with 99 copies; and unique, with only one copy. The fact that the rarity level is not known at the time of purchase means that it is not possible to choose the associated NFT, which makes this stamp very interesting for traditional collectors, digital native consumers and, of course, anyone interested in strengthening their portfolio.

The digital stamp is accessible in the crypto wallet and can be paid with Matic - the native cryptocurrency of the Polygon network or using a credit card. Once the NFT is accessed it must be stored in the crypto wallet, which allows the stamp to be stored and viewed at any time.

This initiative is another example of co-innovation in CTT developed in partnership with its start-up ecosystem. CTT has in CTT 1520 StartUProgram its relationship program with entrepreneurs to whom it seeks to open the doors to the company's ecosystem, looking for projects that fit their business, enhancing areas of joint collaboration and with the resulting reciprocal benefits. Since its inception, the program has mapped more than 1800 companies, with 32 projects currently underway: 15 in business partnerships, 17 in co-creation projects (5 in technical pilot and 12 in production), 1 acquisition and 3 investments via Techtree, KIT-AR, Sensefinity and Habit.

This CTT investment in philately innovation is part of the company's long-term strategy, which will involve greater exploration and integration of new philatelic experiences, reinforcing the collector's component to the stamp's practical role.