How EPEX works
From Verified Listing
to Recorded Transfer
EPEX coordinates verification, funding evidence, title investigation and settlement authorization. Only the buyer's 6% earnest money is held in an EPEX-controlled escrow account; the balance stays with the buyer's certifying bank.
- Verified Listings
- Bank-Held Funds
- Recorded Transfer
- Controlled Settlement
Verified. Transparent. Trusted.
Every step is checked, approved and recorded.
The Eight Steps of an EPEX Transaction
- 1
Property verification
The seller's identity, authority to sell and official property identifiers are checked, and the property is matched against existing records to prevent duplicate listings. Verification confirms documentary consistency; it is not a legal guarantee of title.
- 2
Listing and global marketing
Once verified, the property is published with a seller-set asking price in ETB and marketed to buyers in Ethiopia and abroad. Global visibility does not establish a buyer's legal eligibility to purchase.
- 3
Offer and acceptance
Buyers submit offers and counteroffers with an intended funding route. Acceptance opens a transaction case; it does not transfer ownership or release any money.
- 4
Funding placed with a partner bank
Cash buyers place the full purchase amount with a partner bank. Financed buyers provide their down payment plus approved, committed financing covering the full price. A preliminary loan approval is never accepted as sufficient funding.
- 5
Title investigation and evidence
Independent title investigation and required regulatory releases are collected into the transaction case. Any hold suspends progress until it is cleared.
- 6
Closing statement and dual approval
A versioned closing statement itemises price, fees, taxes and disbursements. It requires two distinct approvals, and any change to amounts invalidates prior approvals.
- 7
Transfer recorded, then settlement authorized
Ownership transfer must be completed and officially recorded before a settlement authorization can be issued. Seller proceeds are never released before recording, and the person who prepares the closing statement cannot approve settlement.
- 8
Reconciliation
Bank payment confirmations are matched against the approved statement. Unmatched amounts stay open as unreconciled and do not close the transaction.
What EPEX never does
- Treat escrow funds as its own money, or use them for any EPEX expense.
- Operate a wallet, top-up or withdrawal function, or hold the balance of the purchase price.
- Underwrite insurance or act as an insurer.
- Guarantee title, price, rental income or that a sale will complete.
- Release seller proceeds before ownership transfer is officially recorded.
Demonstration limits
In this environment every property, participant, document, bank and insurer is fictional, and all bank, insurer and registry responses are simulated. Asking prices and rents are set by sellers and landlords and are not EPEX valuations. Prices are in ETB, the official listing currency.