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 the technology partner for Fern 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 rising 21% in the past three years, compared to just 4% growth in house prices, millions of renters remain locked out of homeownership.

Fern Rewards introduces 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,” said Ellis 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, enabling 60-second identity verification and compliance checks — a critical feature for success in the regulated UK rental market.

Why Fern Chose Astra

“Astra was the perfect fit for Fern,” said Jim 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:

• 87% of tenants want to earn rewards for rent payments.
• 72% of landlords value technology that boosts tenant retention.
• 93% of agents want tools to streamline property management.

About Astra

Astra builds secure, scalable blockchain infrastructure for financial services, with expertise spanning identity 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 comprehensive on-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 comprehensive on-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 by Jim Jamieson, a former Global Partnerships lead at Gumball 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 enter beta testing in Q4 2025, with a full UK launch scheduled for early 2026.

“We’re building the infrastructure that will power the next generation of rental relationships,” added Ellis 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