Mandla Money at Apex Developer Conference in Las Vegas

The 2022 edition of the Apex Developer Summit took place in Las Vegas between 6 & 8 September 2022. The event, hosted by Ripple and the XRPL Foundation, is the premier XRPL developer conference that brings together enthusiasts, developers and innovators to showcase and celebrate all things XRP Ledger.

At the event, Julian Kanjere had the privilege of giving a talk titled “Transacting in Low-Tech Environments”. In the talk, Julian showcased how the Mandla Money SMS Wallet enables financial inclusion as it allows transfer of value in low-tech environments (environments without reliable internet and/or smartphones). As blockchain-based wallets and payment solutions take hold, there is an opportunity to advance financial inclusion by adapting the technology from the onset for the low-tech segment of the market — something that the Mandla Money SMS wallet seeks to achieve.

According to the World Bank, there are 2 billion unbanked adults in the world, and there is no reason why this should remain so given we have the building blocks — mobile devices are becoming cheaper and more accessible, blockchain rails are becoming the next iteration of payment rails, and SMS technology has proven to be robust and stood the test of time. The Mandla Money SMS Wallet combines these to offer a solution that can be deployed in any emerging market worldwide. 

By leveraging the XRP Ledger, the wallet offers low transaction fees, fast transaction times, and access to a variety of xrpl-issued digital assets, making it an ideal solution for individuals to receive, transact and store value with ease, where previously they had no access.