Ken Griffith - CEO at Solidus - Introducing Chamapesa: The Open Network For Social Savings Communities

Solidus builds software for mobile payments and social savings, based on the Ricardo Transaction Suite. Our flagship product is Chamapesa, the app for social savings groups. Chama is the Kenyan name for a Savings Club. Savings Clubs have existed around the world for centuries. There are over 1,200,000 Kenyan Chamas. They give people a means to save and access low-cost loans which are used to start or grow businesses, to improve community infrastructure (by saving to build or equip a health centre, for instance) or to support Members in temporary financial difficulty. Chamas’ collective savings account for 46% of Kenya’s GDP. For those unable to access bank accounts (due to costs or geography), Chamas are invaluable.