# Mojaloop

Mojaloop is an open-source software project of the Mojaloop Foundation. The project is a reference model for creating interoperable payments platforms for digital financial providers intended to reduce the technical barrier of financial inclusion efforts. It was created and released by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Level One Project in 2017. Moja is a Swahili word meaning "one".
Mojaloop is a collection of Node.js microservices. There are multiple components for routing, clearing, and settling payments between digital financial service providers. It uses the Interledger Protocol for facilitating payments.

## History

The earliest mention of Mojaloop by commercial entities was the announcement in 2018 by Orange Telecom Group and MTN to establish a new joint venture called Mowali which would implement the Mojaloop technology. The joint venture was closed down in November 2022 due to lack of required approvals by the Central Bank.
In 2019, Forbes covered the efforts to build a solution in Tanzania.
The Mojaloop project was cited part of the Tanzania Instant Payment System (TIPS) which went began testing in June 2021 and was continuing with a close group test in early 2023. The Central Bank of Tanzania mentions TIPS in 2020.
In June 2022, Mojaloop announced the creation of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Center of Excellence in Singapore.
Mojaloop implements payments in a flow including verification and lookup of destination account, quote, payments push and done via RESTful APis. Design documents provide documentation to implementing entities.
The Mojaloop Foundation is a US based charity, headquartered in Massachusetts, with expenses of $2.2 million in 2020.
Grants from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to Mojaloop include $4.7M in 2020 and $8.5M in 2023.

## Citations

* ↑ "Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Releases Open-Source Software to Support Efforts that Expand Access to Financial Services in Developing Countries". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
* ↑ Nickelsburg, Monica (October 16, 2017). "Gates Foundation's new open-source software helps impoverished communities around the world access financial services". GeekWire. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
* ↑ "Tools and Technologies | Mojaloop Documentation". docs.mojaloop.io. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
* ↑ "How It Works". Mojaloop. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
* ↑ "FAQs". Mojaloop. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
* ↑ "Orange and MTN launch pan-African mobile money interoperability | MTN.com". www.mtn.com. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
* ↑ "MTN and Orange end Mowali JV due to lack of central bank approval". africabusinessplus.com. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
* ↑ Groenfeldt, Tom. "Gates Foundation's Mojaloop Finance Code Gains in Africa And Asia". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
* ↑ "Mojaloop Foundation's Walk the Loop Event in Tanzania Shows Path to Financial Inclusion – Desire Kachenje - Payments Afrika". 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
* ↑ "Central Bank of Tanzania". www.bot.go.tz. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
* ↑ "Mojaloop Foundation Launches the Mojaloop CBDC Center of Excellence in Singapore" (Press release). Business Wire. 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
* ↑ "API Catalog | Mojaloop Documentation". docs.mojaloop.io. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
* ↑ "Mojaloop Foundation Inc - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
* ↑ https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/committed-grants/2020/10/inv001359
* ↑ https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/committed-grants/2023/11/inv-059287

## General and cited references

* Morris, David Z. (6 May 2020). "Google and Gates Foundation join forces to promote digital payments in the developing world". Fortune. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
* Galeon, Dom (20 October 2017). "The Gates Foundation just launched a blockchain-powered mobile payment system". Futurism. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
* "Digital payments in developing countries set for major boost". New Vision. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
* "Software to fix financial interoperability". New Vision. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2023.