Financial Technology
Stawi is building infrastructure that lets individuals and savings groups manage shared funds and group decisions while keeping control of their own assets. This is a development programme, not a live financial service.
Concept interface. Not an operational product.
Savings groups run on trust, notebooks and memory.
Across East Africa and beyond, people save, lend and borrow together through savings groups. Contributions, loans and repayments are tracked by hand. Records get lost, rules are applied inconsistently, and members have little visibility of where the money is. Stawi's financial technology programme is an attempt to give groups digital tools without taking control of their money away from them.
Self-custodial accounts
Each member holds their own digital account and keys. Stawi provides software, not custody. Members keep control of their assets.
Group savings with rules
Groups define contribution schedules, lending rules, interest and repayment terms in software, and the rules are enforced the same way for everyone.
Governance and visibility
Members vote on decisions such as loan approvals, and every transaction is visible to the group on shared, tamper-evident records.
What the infrastructure is designed to support.
- Self-custodial wallets
- Digital accounts
- Group savings
- Group financial rules
- Member contributions
- Member-to-member lending
- Repayments
- Group governance and voting
- Transaction visibility
- Blockchain-based settlement
Our philosophy
Members should retain appropriate control over their financial assets and group decisions. The software should make rules transparent and records reliable, not insert Stawi as an intermediary holding people's money.
Separation from current commercial activities
This programme is separate from Stawi's current payment flows. Payment services used for Job Alerts and Website Solutions are not used for, and do not imply approval of, cryptocurrency on-ramps, self-custody transactions, stablecoin collection or group savings transactions. Those will be introduced only subject to applicable legal, regulatory and payment-partner requirements.
Where the programme stands.
Research and design
Working with savings groups to understand rules, roles and failure points. In progress.
Prototype
Group ledger, contribution and voting prototypes on test infrastructure. In progress.
Legal and regulatory review
Determining what approvals or partnerships are required before any public launch. Not started publicly.
Pilot
Limited pilot with volunteer groups, only once requirements are met. Planned.
Technology and business partnerships
If you work with savings groups, build financial infrastructure or want to explore a partnership, we would like to hear from you.