bpost (Belgian Post)

About bpost

bpost (officially bpostgroup) is the national postal administration of Belgium and the youngest of the AT joint edition family. With the first crypto stamp on 21 October 2024 — the Dragon edition as a quadrilateral joint edition with AT, NL, LU — bpost became the fourth joint partner issuer.

Position in the Crypto Stamp Ecosystem

bpost entered the crypto stamp market almost 5 years after Austria — as the last European postal service of the "Crypto Stamp Family." This late position has structural reasons:

bpost was able to benefit from established joint-edition experiences of the others on entry — the Dragon edition 2024 was already the third AT joint edition and the format was mature.

History: Belgian Post Since 1830

The Belgian postal tradition goes back to the founding of Belgium 1830. Important milestones:

• 1830: Founding of modern Belgium, establishment of the Belgian postal system
• 1849: First Belgian stamp
• Long state postal administration
• 2002: Privatization phase begins
• 2013: Listed on Euronext Brussels
• 2024: bpost renamed to bpostgroup and bnode
• 21.10.2024: First crypto stamp (Dragon, with AT, NL, LU)

Strategy: Late Start with Premium Print Quality

bpost pursues a consistently collaborative strategy like PostNL and POST Luxembourg — all crypto stamps emitted so far are joint editions. What structurally distinguishes bpost from the others is the premium print quality:

Athena 2025 — A Technical Masterpiece

The Athena edition shows the Belgian print quality in full maturity:

• Paper: Invercote 240 g/m² (3-layer + 1 layer with chip)
• Printing process: 6-layer combination
  1. Digital toner print
  2. Screen print
  3. Thermal transfer print
  4. Iriodin pigment varnish (for shimmer effects)
  5. Laserfoil Rainbow under the 4C print (for holography)
  6. Backside CS logo in Laserfoil Rainbow via hotfoiling
• Stamp size: 53 mm × 42.5 mm
• Sheet format: 85.60 mm × 53.98 mm
• Designer: Lisa Filzi (Austria)
• Perforation: 1 mm dot, 2 mm web

This 6-layer print quality is a premium standard that makes bpost crypto stamps visually above average.

Two Crypto Stamps in Detail

Dragon (21.10.2024)

• Joint with: AT (CS 5.2 Dragon), NL (NL Crypto Stamp Dragon), LU (Luxembourg Dragon)
• Face value: "3 World" (for non-standardized letters up to 100g international)
• First Belgian crypto stamp ever
• CEO Chris Peeters on the edition: "We are delighted to present our first Crypto stamp. By combining philately tradition with blockchain technology, we are offering our customers a new way to collect and trade postage stamps."
• Sales start: 21.10.2024 in the bpost eShop
• Pre-sale: Pre-sale on 19.10.2024 in Arlon (Belgium) as a cross-border marketing event with POST Luxembourg

Athena (18.09.2025)

• Joint with: AT (Zeus & Hera), NL (Hermes), LU (Artemis), PT (Poseidon — new!)
• Mintage: 17,000 pieces (between LU 15,000 and larger mintages)
• Retail price: €9.36 per piece (€9.00 when buying 2+)
• Face value: "3 World"
• Designer: Lisa Filzi (Austria)
• Theme: Heroes of Mythology — Athena, goddess of strategy and wisdom
• Visual concept: Athena holds a scroll and is accompanied by her owl; background: lightning and Greek temple

Symbolism of the Owl

A deliberate symbolism of the Athena edition: The owl has a 360° view, which bpost connects with the crypto stamp mechanic — bringing physical and digital perspective together. CEO bpost: "Athena is the perfect embodiment of our vision. The goddess guided heroes to victory, just as this stamp is guiding our customers on a new postal odyssey."

Belgium Contextualization

The Athena choice is also politically thoughtful: "As the heart of the EU and NATO, strategy is not a side issue for us. Athena is therefore a logical choice." — bpost. This politically symbolic layering is typical of the Belgian crypto stamp marketing strategy.

Distribution Channels

bpost distributes crypto stamps almost exclusively online:

1. eshop.bpost.be — the bpost eShop with crypto stamp section
2. press.bpost.be — the press domain for official announcements
3. cryptostamp.com — joint platform for on-chain purchases
4. International orders via special order form

Unlike the other joint partners, bpost has no extensive physical branch availability for crypto stamps — sales are primarily digital. This fits the bpost image as a digitally focused logistics provider.

Face Value "3 World"

bpost crypto stamps have the Belgian tariff code face value "3 World" instead of a numerical Euro face value. This stands for the franking of:

• Non-standardized letters
• Up to 100 grams
• To the whole world (except Belgium and Europe)

This face value is a relatively high tariff category — fits the premium positioning of crypto stamps. As with NL, the stamp remains valid indefinitely.

Significance in Crypto Stamp History

bpost holds a differentiated role in the crypto stamp ecosystem:

1. Fourth joint partner issuer (8th issuer overall): latest EU entry
2. Premium print quality: 6-layer print (Athena 2025)
3. Consistently collaborative strategy: no solo editions
4. Symbolic brand depth: Athena as politically strategic choice
5. Digital-focused distribution: primarily eShop-based
6. Cross-border marketing: pre-sale events in Arlon (BE/LU border)

bpost is thus a structurally valuable joint partner of the CS family. The late position allowed benefiting from established joint-edition mechanics and differentiating through premium print quality. The Athena edition shows how bpost uses the crypto stamp format as a politically symbolic vehicle for Belgian EU identity — the strategic goddess Athena fits the "Capital of Europe" Brussels.