DigiStock

DigiStock turns livestock into trusted digital collateral, unlocking credit for millions of African farmers.

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Inspiration

In Eastern Africa, millions of farmers own livestock worth thousands of dollars but remain excluded from formal financial systems. Despite agriculture contributing nearly 30% of regional GDP and over 25% of Rwanda’s GDP, farmers struggle to access credit. During interactions with rural cooperatives and SACCOs, we observed that banks hesitate to accept livestock as collateral because they cannot reliably verify ownership or existence. Ear tags are easily removed or forged, leading to fraud and “ghost assets.”

We were inspired to build DigiStock to make farmers’ wealth visible, trustworthy, and usable in the formal economy, enabling them to invest, grow, and become financially resilient.

What it does

DigiStock is a Digital Public Infrastructure platform that transforms livestock into secure, bankable digital assets.

It links a farmer’s national digital identity to their animals using biometric muzzle-print recognition. Each registered animal receives a Verifiable Credential stored in the farmer’s digital wallet, containing ownership, valuation, and health data.

Through DigiStock, banks, SACCOs, and insurers can instantly verify livestock collateral, even in offline environments. The platform applies a “Proof of Life Protocol” that requires periodic biometric verification of pledged animals, ensuring that collateral remains valid.

This system enables farmers to use their livestock to access loans, insurance, and financial services safely and transparently.

Our Solution

How we plan to build it

DigiStock is designed as a mobile platform built on existing digital identity infrastructure.

Identity Layer: MOSIP e-Signet for secure authentication and consent

Credential Layer: Inji framework for issuing Livestock Ownership Verifiable Credentials

Biometric Layer: Smartphone-based muzzle capture with Edge AI processing

Integration Layer: APIs connecting banks, cooperatives, insurers, and collateral registries

The platform uses a mobile-first design to ensure usability in low-connectivity environments. Edge computing minimizes data transmission and protects farmers' privacy by storing sensitive data locally.

What we learned

  • The Law is Ready: We learned that countries like Kenya and Rwanda already have Movable Property Security Rights Acts allowing livestock collateral. We are building the missing link

  • Trust Is the Real Currency: Financial inclusion depends more on verifiable trust than on technology alone.

  • Digital ID Is a Powerful Enabler: Leveraging MOSIP and Inji dramatically reduces development complexity and improves security.

  • Rural Constraints Shape Design: Offline-first and low-cost solutions are essential for real adoption.

  • Community Matters: Combining biometric verification with social validation strengthens acceptance and accountability.

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