FastForward company launches nano-paywall platform for publishers

SatoshiPay, a company backed by FastForward Innovations, has launched a platform for online publishers to monetise content through a login-free paywall using “nanopayments”.

Germany-based startup SatoshiPay, in which AIM-listed FastForward owns a 10% stake, has developed a pay-as-you go solution, also available as an extension for WordPress, that offers news and entertainment publishers a new 'frictionless' technological solution to charge readers for articles.

SatoshiPay's payment technology allows users to pay amounts as small as €0.01, which SatoshiPay refers to as "nanopayments", by using blockchain technology, such as Bitcoin.

Tuesday's launch of the platform for web publishers will allow charging per article, per page, per-paragraph or per-image, as well as an ad blocker detection capability that can set off a message asking readers who refuse to view adverts to make a small donation instead.

Lorne Abony, the Canadian media entrepreneur recently appointed as FastForward's chief executive, said: "This announcement by SatoshiPay represents a major step in that company's path towards the commercialisation of its disruptive technology. As investors we are excited by the prospect of its long term value creation"

FastForward last month raised $8m (£5.6m) at a premium price of 15p per share with non-institutional shareholders, including Jim Mellon, Gigi Levy-Weiss, Norbert Teufelberger, Stephen Dattels and Russell Geyser.

Shares in the company were up 8.5% to 19.38p by 1130 GMT on Tuesday.