Mojaloop Code of Conduct

Updated 5 October 2023

Vision and Mission

Mojaloop is a portmanteau derived from the Swahili word "Moja" meaning "one" and the English word loop. Mojaloop's vision is to loop digital financial providers and customers together in one inclusive ecosystem.

The Mojaloop open source project mission is to increase financial inclusion by empowering organizations creating trusted and interoperable payments systems to enable digital financial services for all. We believe an economy that includes everyone, benefits everyone and we are building software that will accelerate full financial inclusion. Succeeding in our mission will require diverse opinions and contributions from people reflecting differing experiences and who come from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Community Foundation and Values

Our goal is a strong and diverse community that welcomes new ideas in a complex field and fosters collaboration between groups and individuals with very different needs, interests, and skills.

We build a strong and diverse community by actively seeking participation from those who add value to it.

We treat each other openly and respectfully, we evaluate contributions with fairness and equity, and we seek to create a project that includes everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, and orientation.

This code of conduct exists to ensure that diverse groups collaborate to mutual advantage and enjoyment.

The Code of Conduct governs how we behave in public or in private, virtually or in person. We expect it to be honoured by everyone who represents the project officially or informally, claims affiliation with the project, or participates directly.

We strive to:

Be Considerate
Our work will be used by other people, and we in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision we take will affect everyone involved in our ecosystem, and we should consider all relevant aspects when making decisions.
Be Respectful
We work together to resolve conflict, assume good intentions, and do our best to act in an empathic fashion. We believe a community where people are respected and feel comfortable is a productive one.
Be Accountable
We are accountable for our words and actions. We all can make mistakes; when we do, we take responsibility for them. If someone has been harmed or offended, we listen carefully and respectfully and work to right the wrong.
Be Collaborative
What we produce is a complex whole made of many parts. Collaboration between teams that each have their own goal and vision is essential; for the whole to be more than the sum of its parts, each part must make an effort to understand the whole.

Collaboration reduces redundancy and improves the quality of our work. Internally and externally, we celebrate good collaboration. Wherever possible, we work closely with upstream projects and others in the open-source software community to coordinate our efforts. We prefer to work transparently and involve interested parties as early as possible.
Value Decisiveness, Clarity, and Consensus
Disagreements, social and technical, are normal, but we do not allow them to persist and fester leaving others uncertain of the agreed direction.

We expect community members to resolve disagreements constructively. When they face obstacles in doing so, we escalate the matter to structures with designated leaders to arbitrate and provide clarity and direction.
Ask for help when unsure
Nobody is expected to be perfect in this community. Asking questions early avoids many problems later, so questions are encouraged, though they may be directed to the appropriate forum. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful.
Step Down Considerately
When somebody leaves or disengages from the project, we ask that they do so in a way that minimises disruption to the project. They should tell people they are leaving and take the proper steps to ensure that others can pick up where they left off.
Open Meritocracy
We invite anybody, from any company or organization, to participate in any aspect of the project. Our community is open, and any responsibility can be carried by any contributor who demonstrates the required capacity and competence.
Value Diversity and Inclusion
This is a community that wants to make a real difference to people's lives across the globe; and, in particular, in developing societies and economies. We value our members, first of all, for themselves; and, second, for the help they can give each of us as we work together to transform the world. Each of us will strive never to allow any other considerations to weigh with us, either consciously or unconsciously. In particular, considerations of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, language, and citizenship have no place in our collaboration and we will work to eradicate them where we find them: first of all, in ourselves; but after that, and with respect and affection, in those we work with.
Be Transparent
We believe community members will have personal and professional interests in the development of the Mojaloop Open Source Software. These interests will, directly and indirectly, influence perceptions about the best direction of the community. Community members should make every reasonable effort to be transparent about their interests within the limits of confidentiality. Community members who hold permanent or temporary governance roles should not use those roles in the advancement of personal or professional interests but should base their influence on the best interests of the success of the community.

This Code of Conduct is not exhaustive or complete. It is not a rulebook; it serves to distil our common understanding of a collaborative, shared environment, and goals. We expect it to be followed in spirit as much as in the letter.

Our Standards

Examples of behaviour that contributes to creating a positive environment include:

Using welcoming and inclusive language
Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
Focusing on what is best for the community
Showing empathy towards other community members

Examples of unacceptable behaviour by participants include:

The use of sexualized language or imagery and unwelcome sexual attention or advances
Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
Public or private harassment
Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission
Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting

Enforcement Responsibilities

The Mojaloop Community Council is responsible for clarifying and enforcing our values and standards of acceptable behaviour and will take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any behaviour that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.

The Mojaloop Foundation Community staff reserve the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct, and will communicate reasons for moderation decisions when appropriate.

Neutrality

The Community Council, elected by the Mojaloop Community, prioritizes impartiality and neutrality in all decisions and actions. Our dedication to transparency and fairness underpins our reputation and trust within the community.

To safeguard against bias or conflicts of interest, the Council may form a sub-committee. This approach ensures that the Code of Conduct is enforced neutrally, maintaining a fair and just Mojaloop Community.

Scope

This Code of Conduct applies within all physical and virtual community spaces, and also applies when an individual or group is officially representing the community in public spaces.

Reporting and Resolution

If you see someone violating a specific value set or standard in the Mojaloop Code of Conduct, you are encouraged to address the behaviour directly with those involved. Many issues can be resolved quickly and easily, and this gives people more control over the outcome of their dispute. If you are unable to resolve the matter for any reason, or if the behaviour is threatening or harassing, report it. We are dedicated to providing an environment where participants feel welcome and safe.

Reports should be directed to the Community Council via an email sent to reports@mojaloop.io This email goes to the Mojaloop Foundation Community Manager whose duty it is to receive and address reported violations of the code of conduct. They will then work with the Community Council to address and resolve the report.

We will investigate every complaint, but you may not receive a direct response. Whether we respond to you directly or not, you will always be able to inquire after the status of a complaint by contacting a member of the Community Council. We will use our discretion in determining when and how to follow up on reported incidents, which may range from not taking action to permanent expulsion from the community and foundation-sponsored spaces. We will notify the accused of the report and provide them an opportunity to discuss it before any action is taken. The identity of the reporter will be omitted from the details of the report supplied to the accused. In potentially harmful situations, such as ongoing harassment or threats to anyone's safety, we may take action without notice.

All community leaders are obligated to respect the privacy and security of the reporter of any incident.

Enforcement Guidelines

The Mojaloop Community Council will follow these Community Impact Guidelines to determine the consequences for any action they deem in violation of this Code of Conduct:

1. Correction

Community Impact: Use of inappropriate language or other behaviour deemed unprofessional or unwelcome in the community.

Consequence: A private, written warning from community leaders, providing clarity around the nature of the violation and an explanation of why the behaviour was inappropriate. A public apology may be requested.

2. Warning

Community Impact: A violation through a single incident or series of actions.

Consequence: A warning with consequences for continued behaviour. No interaction with the people involved, including unsolicited interaction with those enforcing the Code of Conduct, for a specified period of time. This includes avoiding interactions in community spaces as well as external channels like social media. Violating these terms may lead to a temporary or permanent ban.

3. Temporary Ban

Community Impact: A serious violation of community standards, including sustained inappropriate behaviour.

Consequence: A temporary ban from any sort of interaction or public communication with the community for a specified period of time. No public or private interaction with the people involved, including unsolicited interaction with those enforcing the Code of Conduct, is allowed during this period. Violating these terms may lead to a permanent ban.

The accused will be granted an opportunity to address the allegation

4. Permanent Ban

Community Impact: Demonstrating a pattern of violation of community standards, including sustained inappropriate behaviour, harassment of an individual, or aggression toward or disparagement of classes of individuals.

Consequence: A permanent ban from any sort of public interaction within all physical and virtual community spaces and community and Mojaloop Foundation Programs.

The accused will be granted an opportunity to address the allegation

Attribution

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Ubuntu Code of Conduct v2.0, available at https://ubuntu.com/community/code-of-conduct (opens new window)