How will cryptocurrency affect the housebuilding industry in 2019?

A year ago, the sale of the first new homes in exchange for cryptocurrency was reported in the UK press as a gamechanger, and yet little has changed over the last 12 months, writes Chris Dietz, Executive Vice President of Global Operations for Real Estate Companies of the World.

This had the potential as a key moment for the house building industry, with much debate amongst property professionals as to whether this history making sale would irrevocably change the nature of the new homes market.

However, as we draw to the end of 2018, cryptocurrency home sales remain few and far between, and there is little expectation in the industry that this will change in the immediate future. Indeed, in a recent survey of our European members, many of whom have dedicated new homes teams, only a handful stated their belief that cryptocurrency will be a widely accepted method of payment by 2025 and few shared plans to develop as specialists in cryptocurrency.

The most significant advantage of…