Pesagram

Inspiration

Across Uganda and Africa, thousands of informal savings groups and SACCOS continue to operate outside the formal financial system — relying on handwritten records, cash transactions, and trust alone. These groups face major challenges: limited access to banking services, complex KYC requirements, lack of digital literacy, and poor connectivity in rural areas. We were inspired to build Pesagram — a bridge between informal community finance and the formal digital economy — empowering small groups to digitize savings, lending, and member records securely and easily.

What it does

Pesagram is a mobile-first, blockchain-enabled digital onboarding platform designed for low-bandwidth and low-literacy environments. It allows: Group administrators to register their SACCO or savings group digitally. Members to create lightweight accounts and undergo tiered KYC (using ID, phone, or referral verification) Automatic wallet creation and linking for each member. Recording of savings, loans, and repayments transparently on the blockchain. A credit scoring module that uses transaction history and behavioral data to evaluate trustworthiness — opening access to microloans and other financial services.

How we built it

We built Pesagram as a hybrid Web2 + Web3 system: Frontend: Next.js + Tailwind for a responsive, mobile-friendly interface that works offline-first. Backend: Node.js/Express API managing authentication, KYC verification, and group data. Blockchain Layer: Smart contracts (Solidity on Celo) handling group wallets, deposits, and loan agreements. Database: PostgreSQL for storing off-chain records and IPFS for storing member documents securely. Credit Engine: Python (FastAPI) microservice analyzing group and individual transaction history to generate trust scores. Authentication: JWT tokens for standard users + wallet-based authentication for blockchain interactions.

Challenges we ran into

Designing for low-bandwidth and low-literacy environments, where users may have only basic smartphones. Implementing tiered KYC that meets regulatory standards but remains simple enough for informal groups. Building a smooth Web3 onboarding flow (wallet creation and signing) for users unfamiliar with blockchain. Ensuring data privacy and compliance while integrating both off-chain (PostgreSQL) and on-chain data.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully built a working prototype

What we learned

Building for the informal sector requires empathy, simplicity, and resilience — not just technology. Hybrid blockchain systems offer the best of both worlds: trust and transparency (Web3) + usability and performance (Web2). Credit scoring in low-data environments must rely on behavioral and community signals, not just financial history. Partnerships with local cooperatives and regulators are key to long-term adoption.

What’s next for Pesagram

Integrated tiered KYC flow that adapts to users with or without national IDs. Deployed a hybrid data model — blending blockchain transparency with Web2 convenience. Designed a credit scoring framework that can scale to real-world financial inclusion use cases. Launch pilot programs with 3–5 SACCOs in Uganda to test real-world onboarding and lending workflows. Integrate mobile money APIs (MTN, Airtel) to automate deposits and withdrawals. Expand the credit scoring engine using on-chain analytics and AI models. Introduce tokenized group incentives for consistent savers and early adopters. Collaborate with regulators to develop digital ID–linked KYC tiers for inclusive onboarding.

Built With

• cairo
• nextjs