4.	SETTLEMENT PROCESSING

The Company’s proprietary blockchain-based technology serves as the settlement engine for all transactions within the Company’s ecosystem. The blockchain ledger provides a robust and secure platform to log immense volumes of immutable transactional records in real time. Generally speaking, blockchain is a distributed ledger that uses digitally encrypted keys to verify, secure and record details of each transaction conducted within an ecosystem. Unlike general blockchain-based systems, GreenBox uses proprietary, private ledger technology to verify every transaction conducted within the GreenBox ecosystem. The verification of transaction data comes from trusted partners, all of whom have been extensively vetted by us.

GreenBox facilitates all financial elements of our closed-loop ecosystem and we act as the administrator for all related accounts. Using our TrustGateway technology, we seek authorization and settlement for each transaction from Gateways to the issuing bank responsible for the credit/debit card used in the transaction. When the Gateway settles the transaction, our TrustGateway technology composes a chain of blockchain instructions to our ledger manager system.

When consumers use credit/debit cards to pay for transactions with merchants who use our ecosystem, the transaction starts with the consumer purchasing tokens from us. The issuance of tokens is accomplished when we load a virtual wallet with a token, which then transfers credits to the merchant’s wallet on a dollar for dollar basis, after which the merchant releases its goods or services to the consumer. These transfers take place instantaneously and seamlessly, allowing the transaction experience to seem like any other ordinary credit/debit card transaction to the consumer and merchant.

While our blockchain ledger records transaction details instantaneously, the final cash settlement of each transaction can take days to weeks, depending upon contract terms between us and the gateways we use, between us and our ISOs, and between us and/or our ISOs and merchants who use our services. In the case where we have received transaction funds, but not yet paid a merchant or an ISO, we hold funds in either a trust account or as cash deemed restricted within our operating accounts. We record the total of such funds as Cash held for Settlements – a Current Asset. Of these funds, we record the sum balance due to Merchants and ISOs as Settlement Liabilities to Merchants and Settlement Liabilities to ISOs, respectively.

The table below shows the status of transaction settlements:

	December 31, 2019			December 31, 2018
Settlement Processing Assets:
Cash held for settlements	$	763,110		$	239,124
Cash due from gateways		3,073,183			291,112
Amount due from gateways and merchants – hold and fees		4,824,223			-
Chargeback allowances (1)		-			(139,374	)
Reserves (2)		5,353,661			474,224
Total before allowance for uncollectable		14,014,177			865,086
Allowance for uncollectable – hold and fees		(5,587,333	)		-
Total – settlement processing assets	$	8,426,844		$	865,086

Settlement Processing Liabilities:
Settlement liabilities to merchants		14,014,177			786,425
Settlement liabilities to ISOs		-			107,342
Refund allowances (3)		-			(28,681	)
Totals	$	14,014,177		$	865,086

(1) During 2018, the Company absorbed all chargeback costs as a cost of services provided – essentially a sales promotion tool to onboard customers in 2018. The Chargeback Allowance shown in the table above reflects our estimate of potential chargebacks that are likely to be realized in 2019, which are connected to sales transactions that occurred in 2018. The allowance decreases the amount that GreenBox is owed from the Gateways we use in our proprietary ecosystem. In 2019, the actual dollar amount of chargebacks will be reconciled with our allowance.

(2) Reserves are essentially an escrow fund that protects a gateway/card issuer from financial losses. In the Reserve, funds are held until chargeback time limits expire.

(3) The Refund Allowance shown in the table above reflects our estimate of potential refunds that may be realized in 2019, which are connected to sales transactions that occurred in 2018. The allowance decreases the amount that GreenBox owes to Merchants using our proprietary ecosystem. In 2019, the actual dollar amount of refunds with be reconciled with our allowance.