Mojaloop Community Central: Simeon Oriko

Call for System Integrators: Join Our April Accelerator Program Cohort

Simeon Oriko — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 07:28:50 +0000

Applications are now open for the Mojaloop Foundation’s new Accelerator Program virtual cohort. Starting in April, this cohort is designed specifically for system integrators who are ready to expand their skills and make a lasting impact in the fintech and payments sectors.

The Mojaloop Accelerator Program is a comprehensive training program aimed at building a robust network of local System Integrators (SIs) that supports the deployment, customization, and maintenance of Mojaloop-based Instant and Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS) across Africa and beyond.
Participants will gain practical skills, engage with Mojaloop workstreams, and collaborate on solutions that promote financial inclusion.

Learn more about the program in our recent blog, and join our information session on Wednesday, 27 March 2025 for more details on the April cohort.

Applications are due on Friday, 4 April at 11:59 PM UTC.

Apply Now

2024 Community Governance Elections

Simeon Oriko — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 12:56:25 +0000

Nominations for the Mojaloop Community Council and Change Control Board, as well as voter registration, are now open. Community members have until Friday November 22 to either nominate someone or self-nominate for the available positions and register to vote. A complete election timeline is provided below.

The Design Authority elections were held earlier this year in order to start working under the new DA charter as soon as possible. Results will be announced soon.

To qualify to make a nomination or vote in this election, you must have been an active contributor to the Mojaloop Open Source Software, and/or the Mojaloop ecosystem for at least one year.

Qualifications for Community Council

The Community Council serves as the Mojaloop Community’s governing body, tasked with setting strategic goals and resolving any conflicts that arise.

Council members will serve a one-year term, with the option for re-election.

To be eligible to run for a seat, candidates must demonstrate a strong understanding of the Mojaloop Community and ecosystem. You will also need to be an active contributor to Mojaloop’s mission and abide by the Mojaloop Community Code of Conduct.

Change Control Board Qualifications

The Change Control Board (CCB) plays a key role in advancing the adoption of the Mojaloop Specification. Its focus is on enhancing clarity, ensuring consistency across implementations, balancing current implementations and future changes, and reducing both deployment and maintenance costs. The CCB is also responsible for protecting the integrity of the Mojaloop family of API specifications, ensuring they align with the Level One Principles.

Members of the CCB will serve a one-year term, with the possibility of re-election.

To be eligible for a seat on the Change Control Board, candidates must demonstrate a solid understanding of the Mojaloop codebase and have been actively engaged in workstreams for at least a year before their nomination. You will also need to abide by the Mojaloop Community Code of Conduct.

The Change Control Board is offering one position for election, the CCB Rapporteur, who must meet the following qualifications:

Should be an expert in financial services (DFSP expert).
Thorough understanding of Mojaloop Design Principles.
Thorough understanding of Level One Principles.
Thorough understanding of Mojaloop family of APIs (FSPIOP, settlement, Administration, 3PPI, reporting).
Ability to understand product requirements from Mojaloop adopters, implementers (including potential ones) and translate them into designs, APIs, technical requirements as needed.
Ability to understand technical designs and implementations to ensure alignment with Mojaloop specifications.
Ability to critically analyze change requests proposed to provide reviews and feedback.
At least a year of presence in the Mojaloop Community.
Time commitment to do these for the required duration (one year).
Commitment to the Mojaloop Code of Conduct and other policies.

Timeline

The following timeline details the dates and milestones in the election and transition process:

Call for nominations and registration to vote: November 15 – 22, 2024
Voting period: December 9 – 13, 2024
Announcement of election results: January 6, 2025
Transition week: January 6 – 10, 2025

Register and Make Nominations

The Mojaloop Community has had an incredibly productive year, thanks in large part to the dedicated members of the Community Governance Committees. Your involvement and contributions have been invaluable. Now, it’s time to elect new leaders to guide these groups forward.

Please fill out this form to register to vote in the Mojaloop Community Governance Elections and to nominate or self-nominate representatives for the two committees.

We look forward to your active participation in this process. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Simeon Oriko at soriko@mojaloop.io.

MOJA101 and SCHEME101 Training Courses Updated

Simeon Oriko — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 04:17:25 +0000

If you’re curious about how Mojaloop works, we’ve recently updated two courses with the help of payments experts Glenbrook Partners. These updates incorporate new terminology and fresh content to reflect changes in the market — we’ve also improved the user experience.

Our courses are open to anyone interested in how Mojaloop works, and are available online for free. You can find a detailed course structure guide on our training page that explains the goals and intended audience for each course.

MOJA 101

MOJA 101 is the Mojaloop Training Program’s foundational course, designed to give you a thorough introduction to Mojaloop, including its origins and purpose. The course is intended for all audiences and is divided into two sections.

In the first section, you’ll explore the fundamentals — starting with instant (or “real-time”) payments, key terminology, and the benefits associated with these systems. It also introduces the Level One Project, which serves as a framework for discussing inclusive instant payments and creating financial systems for everyone, regardless of income level.

The second section dives deeper into the roles and responsibilities of the various groups involved in building a system aligned with the Level One principles. It clarifies each participant’s role and how they collaborate within the broader ecosystem.

SCHEME 101

This non-technical course offers an in-depth exploration of Mojaloop-based payment systems, known in the industry as “schemes.” You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the structure and components of a scheme, including its ownership model, participation framework, and the process for developing scheme rules. Additionally, the course covers the business rationale for establishing and managing a scheme, along with practical steps for implementation.

While the SCHEME 101 course is open to all, it is specifically designed for individuals directly involved in creating a scheme, as well as advisors and advocates promoting the adoption of Mojaloop payment schemes in their region. Learners are encouraged to complete MOJA 101, the introductory course in the Mojaloop Training Program, before diving into SCHEME 101.

Courses Now Available in Our Training Program

The Mojaloop Foundation provides a comprehensive training program at no cost. Visit our training page for an in-depth look at the courses, along with a diagram designed to help you identify the ideal starting point based on your role.

Explore Our Two New Mojaloop Training Program Courses: HUB 204 & DFSP 204

Simeon Oriko — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 12:20:58 +0000

Introducing two new courses in our free Mojaloop training program: Hub 204 and DFSP 204. These courses feature brand-new content and build on our existing training roadmap, designed to deepen your understanding of Mojaloop.

While our courses are open to anyone interested in how Mojaloop works, these two are specifically tailored for professionals in key roles within hub operators and financial institutions. On our training page, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of the roles each course is designed for — whether you’re a business owner, project lead, technical architect, or developer.

HUB 204: Hub Security Overview

Ideal for security professionals and system architects, this course equips you with the knowledge to manage and enhance Mojaloop’s hub security.

The course is tailored for professionals focused on securing Mojaloop’s payment hub infrastructure. It provides a deep dive into the core secure design principles that extend beyond the Mojaloop switch and offers a detailed overview of the Mojaloop hub security architecture.

Participants will explore the operational processes and safeguards needed to maintain hub security and compliance. You’ll also learn how Mojaloop implements authentication, authorization, and secure communication protocols. The course covers how transaction flows are protected within the Mojaloop ecosystem, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and non-repudiation. Additionally, it outlines the essential requirements for securely onboarding digital financial service providers (DFSPs).

DFSP 204: Mojaloop DFSP Security Overview

This course delves into the Mojaloop security architecture and is designed for integration architects and operations teams at DFSPs. Participants will gain deep insight into the security protocols and controls adopted by DFSPs operating within a Mojaloop hub.

The course explores key processes and technical requirements for securely connecting your systems to the Mojaloop hub while understanding the DFSP’s role in maintaining security and non-repudiation across transactions.

By the end of the course, participants will have a clear understanding of a DFSP’s responsibilities in securing transactions and ensuring integrity. They will also understand DFSP security controls within the Mojaloop hub and be able to navigate the integration steps and security measures for DFSP connection.

Find These Courses in Our Training Program

The Mojaloop Foundation offers a full training program — available for free. Our training page provides a complete overview of the program, and a diagram to make it easier for you to decide the best place to start for your role.

New Design Authority (DA) Charter

Simeon Oriko — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:00:25 +0000

In recent months, the Technical Governing Board (TGB)convened a task force led by @bushj to re-examine the DA charter. This process involved soliciting input and feedback from across the Mojaloop community.

That process has concluded with the TGB recently voting to accept the proposed changes. See announcement on the [Mojaloop Blog here](https://mojaloop.io/new-design-authority-charter-2024/

Overall, the new charter better reflects Mojaloop’s alignment with the best practices at world-class software development companies that ensure reliability, resilience, security, and regulatory compliance. There is also more emphasis on the close working relationship with the Product Council and ensuring that any changes to Mojaloop reflect the wider financial services and regulatory landscape. The new charter also provides more detail about the requirements for technical and business risk management processes, as well as end-to-end traceability, that will streamline future audits by regulatory authorities.

You can read the complete text of the new Design Authority charter here.

Contribute to create new courses for the Mojaloop Training Program and update existing ones

Simeon Oriko — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 13:40:02 +0000

The Mojaloop Foundation’s Training Program is taking a significant leap forward, and we want our vibrant Community to be a part of this journey.

The Mojaloop Community is thrilled to announce new opportunities for members to contribute to our course development — an initiative that not only supports the growth of Mojaloop but also empowers you, as a Community member, to share your knowledge and expertise.

We’re looking for teams to:

Revamp existing courses with fresh insights (you can find the full descriptions on our Training Courses page):

MOJA 102 — Expands on MOJA 101 and covers fundamentals of the DFSP interoperability API.
MOJA 103 — Gives you a deeper understanding of how Mojaloop works from a technical perspective, focusing on the open source side.
MOJA 104 — Shows how Mojaloop solves issues related to confidentiality, integrity, and security of payment processing.
Scheme 101 — Provides a non-technical but detailed look at Mojaloop schemes including ownership, participation, rules, and the business case for operation.
DFSP 101 — Explores why a digital financial service provider (DFSP) should use Mojaloop, and a variety of considerations for business and project owners.
DFSP 209 — Builds on DFSP 101 to provide practical steps for performing technical operations (TechOps) support functions.
HUB 101 — Explores the architecture of Mojaloop and explains the interplay between the scheme, the hub, and the platform.
HUB 209 — Provides an overview of the Mojaloop tools, processes, and operations for hub operators or potential hub operators.
TTK 101 — Reviews the basic features of the Mojaloop Testing Toolkit (TTK) and its usages.

Craft entirely new training modules:

Executive Series Courses — Provides potential adopters with adequate information to make decisions on Mojaloop deployments.
HUB204 — Provides an overview of Mojaloop security and security operations for hub operators or potential hub operators.
DFSP 204 — Provides DFSPs an overview of Mojaloop security and security operations.
Third-party payment initiation (3PPI) / Payment Initiation Service Provider (PISP) — Reviews roles and functionality of Third-Party Payment Initiation (3PPI) and Payment Initiation Service Providers (PISP) in Mojaloop.

No matter which type you choose, your contribution can make a monumental impact. Imagine your work helping to shape the skills and knowledge of others in the world of financial technology.

Who We’re Looking For

Are you part of a team of dynamic experts? Do you have unique insights into digital financial service provider (DFSP) implementations or deep knowledge of hub operations? Now’s the time to step forward. Your voice and expertise can help shape the future of digital financial services.

Join us on this exhilarating path of community driven education. Dive into the details of our bidding process, understand the content requirements, and learn how your work will contribute to a larger goal — a more inclusive and efficient digital financial ecosystem.

These opportunities are open to Mojaloop Community members and also to non-members, as long as they have extensive knowledge about Mojaloop software. We are also offering payment for successful completion of course work:

Up to $1,500 for updates to existing courses.
Up to $3,000 for the creation of new courses.

Important Dates

Bid Submissions: 22nd January to 9th February 2024
Bid Reviews: 12th February to 23rd February 2024
Announcement of bid winners: 26th February 2024
First Workstream Call with all bid winners: 29th February 2024

If you’re not already a part of the Mojaloop Community you can learn more about joining our community and our training program.

Let’s build something remarkable together. Sign up via our form to start your journey as a Mojaloop course contributor!

The Mojaloop Community Governance Election Results Are In!

Simeon Oriko — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 08:04:38 +0000

Voting is closed and the results of the Mojaloop Community Governance Elections are in. Today, we're thrilled to share the new team of elected representatives for the Community Council, Design Authority, and Change Control Board for 2024, as chosen by Mojaloop Community members.

Thank you to the outgoing members for your dedication and service, and welcome to the newly elected representatives. Please see the results below.

2024 Community Council Representatives:

Alain Kajangwe, CEO, WiredIn
Aung Thaw Aye, CTO, ThitsaWorks
Elijah Okello, CTO, Alfajiri
Johan Foley, Team Lead, Sybrin
Kim Walters, Senior Managing Director, Crosslake Technologies
Michael Richards, Financial Services Principal, INFITX
Min Tha Gyaw, Chief Strategy Officer, ThitsaWorks
Reica Rampersadh, Director of Programs, FRMS Center of Excellence
Sridevi Miriyala, Quality Assurance Lead, INFITX

2024 Design Authority Representatives:

Aung Thaw Aye, CTO, ThitsaWorks
Karim Jindani, Co-Founder and CEO, Paysys Labs
Michael Richards, Financial Services Principal, INFITX
Paul Baker, Engineering Manager, INFITX
Vijay Kumar Guthi, Sr. Software Engineer, INFITX

2024 Change Control Board Representative:

Rapporteur -- Michael Richards, Financial Services Principal, INFITX

2023 Community Governance Elections - Voting Period

Simeon Oriko — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 18:42:24 +0000

Greetings friends, collaborators and community,

Voting for the new members of the Community Council, Design Authority, and Change Control Board is officially open. If you registered to vote and you're eligible, you should have received an email with your login credentials and a link to vote. If you have not received this information, please contact me immediately.

Voting will run from 15-21 November 2023 and election results will be announced on 29 November 2023.

We look forward to working with you to continue building a strong and diverse community.

PI-23 Community Update

Simeon Oriko — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 11:41:38 +0000

Hello all 👋

After an incredible week in Lusaka, I'd like to follow up with some very important updates you should be paying attention to.

2023 Mojaloop Community Governance Elections

Registration to vote and nominations are open and ongoing. Several of you have already registered to vote and have nominated and self-nominated candidates for the Community Council, Design Authority and Change Control Board.

If you haven't yet, please register to vote here. Deadline: 8th November 2023

Community Sync Call

If you're actively contributing to workstreams, engaged in community governance committees, or dedicated to Mojaloop advocacy efforts, we invite you to join us on our Community Sync.

When: Thursday November 9, 2023, 2:00 PM UTC

Where: Zoom

Community Survey

We kindly ask you to respond sincerely, as every response will play a pivotal role in shaping our community's future. This survey includes three sections of questions and will take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete.

If you completed this survey prior, you do not need to complete the survey again.

Complete the survey

Community Discussion on Uganda's RFP for a national payment switch

Simeon Oriko — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:35:40 +0000

Dear Mojaloop Community Member,

The Bank of Uganda has recently released an RFP for a national payment switch resulting from years of advocacy efforts by members of the Mojaloop community.

Review the RFP here.

The deadline for submission of the RFP is August 10th, 2023 – right around the corner.

The Mojaloop Foundation would like to invite members of the community to an open analysis and discussion of the RFP to debate where Mojaloop meets the criteria and does not.

This meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at 1:00 PM UTC/ 9:00 AM ET.

Paul Makin (@paul_makin), Mojaloop Foundation Product Council Chair, will lead the discussion. Topics include:

Intro and background led by community member, Innocent Kawooya, CEO, HiPipo
Product-focused discussion about the requirements
Community member discussion

This discussion will be an opportunity for the community to put increased focus on building components that meet the criteria of RFPs, and where possible discuss options for partnerships that help meet those criteria. This meeting is open to the community, but we do ask that you register in advance.

Announcing 2023 Mojaloop Speakers Bureau Members

Simeon Oriko — Sun, 28 May 2023 07:39:20 +0000

Excited to announce the 2023 Mojaloop Foundation Speakers Bureau!

These are Mojaloop community members that will take on public speaking engagements to share their experiences and expertise with new audiences. The goal of this group is to promote the #opensource Mojaloop project within the #financialinclusion space and with the public at large.

The members of the 2023 Mojaloop Speakers Bureau are:

Ny Nyien Aye
Paul Baker - @paulbaker
Pedro Sousa Barreto - @pedro
Amanda Brock
Warren D. Carew - @wcarew
Greg McCormick - @gmac0101
Michael Mbuthia
Lesley-Ann McClean
Sridevi Miriyala
Elijah Okello - @elijahokello
Michael Richards - @mjbrichards
Jane Stroucken - @janes

To book these stellar community members for your event, please email speakersbureau@mojaloop.io.

Many thanks to the Mojaloop Community Council for creating this program and Steven Haley - @stevehaley for instigating it.

Apply to join the Mojaloop Foundation Speakers Bureau!

Simeon Oriko — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:27:24 +0000

Dear Mojaloop Community Member,

We are excited to announce the launch of the Mojaloop Foundation Speakers Bureau, an initiative aimed at empowering our members to share their Mojaloop expertise, experiences, and insights with a wider audience.

We are looking for community members who can articulate the value of the Mojaloop Open Source Software and their Mojaloop Foundation membership to key audiences across various geographies and market segments, including Fintech, Financial Inclusion, Open Source Technology, and beyond. Apply today to join the team of speakers who represent the Mojaloop Foundation at industry events around the globe!

We are accepting applications now through April 16, 2023.
APPLY NOW

This is a great opportunity for our community members to help promote awareness, generate interest, and expand the community’s reach throughout the financial inclusion space. Don’t miss this chance to contribute to Mojaloop’s growth and development!

Apply now and become a driving force in the community’s success. More details about the application process, approval, and speaking opportunities are available in our recent blog.

Thank you for your combined support and dedication to the Mojaloop Foundation.