Business

4 Real Estate Technologies That Can Help People During the Coronavirus-Induced Recession

Published

5 years ago

December 18, 2020

admin2

The recession has officially hit the United States. Although some still deny the recession, the economy disagrees. Even though initial lockdowns have been lifted, millions of businesses have already closed their doors for good thanks to the last round of shutdowns. With California about to enter yet another lockdown, it’s only going to get worse.

Many people will need to find cheaper housing and possibly share a home with others. However, finding an affordable place to live is challenging. Oddly, rents are rising in certain areas despite the recession. For people who live in cities with rising rent, it’s hard to find affordable options. However, technology is making it a little easier.

In addition to essential property management applications that landlords use to communicate with tenants remotely, here are four technologies that can help people find affordable housing during this recession.

3D property tours

Even when people aren’t under stay-at-home orders, many are hesitant to drive long distances because gas costs money. Gas might be cheap compared to what it was last year, however, even cheap gas is expensive for someone who has lost part of their income.

Many people who have lost part of their income can still afford to pay rent. They just need to find a smaller house or move to a cheaper location. Offering 3D property tours on your website for potential tenants can be a huge help for those who can’t drive or don’t want to drive to see a property in person.

Another way a 3D property tour helps is by narrowing down potential tenants without having to meet with them first. People can see far more in a 3D tour than they can in 2D photos. Potential tenants might spot some deal breakers in a 3D tour, which means real estate agents don’t have to waste their time scheduling a showing, only to find out their prospect doesn’t like having a small step leading from the kitchen to the family room.

There are many 3D property tools on the market, but one of the easiest tools is the 3D tour app from Zillow. Al you need is an iPhone or a 360-degree camera to take some panoramic shots and the app puts all the photos together to create the 3D tour.

Homeshare

For San Francisco residents who need to rent smaller spaces for less money, Homeshare is making that possible. Homeshare divides luxury apartments into smaller units that rent at a lower price than the entire apartment. The company divides luxury apartments into 100-square-foot sections that cost around $1,300 per month.

The 100-square-foot units have sleeping areas sectioned off with privacy curtains, but otherwise it’s like sharing an apartment with roommates. The living room, bathroom, kitchen, and closets are all shared spaces.

Most people would consider $1,300 a ridiculous amount of money to pay for 100 square feet of living space, but in San Francisco, that’s cheap. For those used to paying $4,000-$6,000 per month, being able to jump into a $1,300 unit without leaving the city they love is a blessing.

Bungalow

For those open to renting a room from someone, Bungalow helps people find a shared living situation without having to try their luck on Craigslist. All the houses listed with Bungalow are vetted by the company and roommates are matched based on shared interests and similar living preferences.

The best part about Bungalow is that the landlord can handle the lease agreement and rental payments through the app. Unlike finding a room to rent on Craigslist, if you don’t like the home you move into, you can move into another Bungalow listing without penalty within the first two weeks.

Divvy Homes

Divvy Homes helps renters who want to buy their home to save money long term.

The services provided by Divvy Homes fall under the category of rent-to-own, but there are several key differences. When a client finds the dream home they want to buy, Divvy Homes purchases that home and then rents it to the client. While the client is renting their dream home, Divvy Homes helps them build their wealth to cover the down payment, all while they live in the home they are going to purchase.

Everyone should be saving money on rent if possible

The recession is here and nobody knows how long it will last. If you’re paying too much rent, consider downsizing until the recession is over. You never know what’s around the corner. If you don’t reduce your rent expenses now, you might regret not saving money sooner.

Business

Inside the $4.3B Quarter: What’s Fueling Black Banx’s Record Revenues

Published

5 days ago

January 16, 2026

Matthew Wiles

Every quarter brings fresh headlines in fintech, but few make the kind of impact achieved by Black Banx in Q2 2025. The Toronto-based global digital banking group, founded by Michael Gastauer, reported an extraordinary USD 4.3 billion in revenue and a record USD 1.6 billion in pre-tax profit, while improving its cost-to-income ratio to 63%.

These results not only highlight the company’s operational efficiency but also mark a pivotal moment in its journey from challenger to global leader. The big question is: what’s fueling such impressive financial performance?

Customer Growth as the Core Driver

One of the clearest engines of revenue growth is Black Banx’s expanding customer base. By Q2 2025, the platform had reached 84 million clients worldwide, up from 69 million at the end of 2024. This 15 million net gain in six months demonstrates both the attractiveness of its services and the scalability of its model.

Unlike traditional banks, which rely heavily on branch expansion, Black Banx leverages digital-first onboarding that allows customers to open accounts within minutes using just a smartphone. This approach is especially effective in regions underserved by legacy institutions, where access to affordable financial tools is in high demand.

More customers don’t just mean higher transaction volumes—they generate a compounding effect where network size, brand trust, and service adoption reinforce one another.

Real-Time Payments and Cross-Border Solutions

A major contributor to Q2 revenues is the platform’s real-time payments infrastructure. Black Banx enables instant cross-border transfers across its 28 supported fiat currencies and multiple cryptocurrencies, helping both individuals and businesses bypass the traditional bottlenecks of international banking.

For freelancers, SMEs, and multinational clients, this means faster liquidity, reduced foreign exchange costs, and simplified global operations. The demand for real-time financial services is growing rapidly—Juniper Research projects global real-time payments turnover to hit USD 58 trillion by 2028—and Black Banx is strategically positioned to capture a significant share of this market.

Crypto Integration as a Revenue Stream

Another key revenue driver is crypto integration. While many traditional institutions remain hesitant, Black Banx embraced digital assets early and has built infrastructure to support Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the Lightning Network. In Q2 2025, 20% of all transactions on the platform were crypto-based, reflecting strong customer appetite for hybrid banking services that bridge fiat and digital assets.

Revenue comes not only from transaction fees but also from value-added services like crypto-to-fiat conversion, staking yields (4–12% APY), and blockchain-enabled payments. For customers in markets with unstable currencies, these services act as a financial lifeline, further expanding the platform’s relevance.

AI-Powered Efficiency and Risk Management

Record revenues would be less impressive if costs ballooned at the same rate. But Black Banx has proven adept at balancing growth with efficiency. Its cost-to-income ratio improved to 63% in Q2, down from 69% a year earlier, thanks to heavy reliance on AI-powered automation.

AI now drives fraud detection, compliance, and customer onboarding—areas where traditional banks often struggle with cost inefficiencies. By automating these processes, Black Banx can process millions of transactions securely while maintaining profitability at scale. This level of efficiency is rare in fintech, where high growth often comes at the expense of margins.

Regional Expansion and Untapped Markets

Geography also plays a role in fueling revenues. Much of the Q2 growth came from Africa, South Asia, and Latin America—regions where demand for mobile-first banking continues to soar. In 2024 alone, Black Banx reported a 32% increase in SME clients from the Middle East and Africa, signaling the strength of its positioning in underserved markets.

By extending services to populations previously excluded from formal banking—migrant workers, rural communities, and small businesses—Black Banx taps into vast pools of latent demand. The strategy proves that financial inclusion and profitability are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing.

Diversified Revenue Streams

Another factor behind Q2’s record revenues is Black Banx’s diversified business model. Income is not tied to a single service but spread across multiple streams, including:

Transaction fees from cross-border transfers and payments.
Crypto trading and exchange services.
Premium account features for high-net-worth clients.
Corporate services for SMEs and international businesses.

This diversification insulates the company against volatility in any single segment, creating stable revenue growth even in shifting market conditions.

Michael Gastauer’s Strategic Blueprint

Behind these results is Michael Gastauer’s long-term strategy: scale aggressively but with efficiency, innovation, and inclusion at the core. His vision has always been to create a borderless financial ecosystem, and Q2 2025’s performance is evidence that this vision is not only achievable but sustainable.

By balancing mass-market accessibility with premium features, and by blending fiat with digital assets, Gastauer has positioned Black Banx as a category-defining player in global finance.

The Road Ahead: Toward 100 Million Clients

Looking forward, the company’s goal of reaching 100 million customers by the end of 2025 will likely be the next catalyst for revenue growth. More customers mean more transactions, more data insights, and more opportunities to refine and expand its service offering.

If current momentum holds, the USD 4.3 billion quarterly revenue milestone could be just the beginning of an even larger growth story. The challenge will be ensuring systems scale securely while maintaining trust in an environment where privacy and compliance are paramount.

A Record That Signals More to Come

Black Banx’s Q2 2025 performance—USD 4.3 billion in revenue, USD 1.6 billion in pre-tax profit, 84 million clients worldwide, and a lean 63% cost-to-income ratio—is more than a financial milestone. It is a signal of how the future of banking is being rewritten by platforms that are borderless, crypto-inclusive, and data-driven.

What fueled this record-breaking quarter is not one innovation but a combination of strategies—scalable onboarding, real-time payments, crypto integration, AI efficiency, and expansion into underserved regions. Together, they form a model that doesn’t just challenge traditional banking but actively builds the foundation for global dominance.

For Black Banx, the road ahead is clear: the $4.3 billion quarter is not an endpoint but a launchpad for even greater scale and profitability.