Case Study

The Onchain Effect - How Decaf is revolutionizing local economies

Industry

Remittances, On and Off-Ramps

Location

Latin America

On and off-ramps

Wallets

About

This is Decaf

Decaf is a non-custodial wallet that allows users to easily send money and designed for seamless entry into decentralized finance, enabling easy on and off-ramps between fiat and crypto in nearly 200 countries.

Challenge

It's hard to use crypto

Decaf is changing that. “The Onchain Effect,” tells the real world story of crypto and blockchain making a positive impact and giving people control of their everyday financial lives. Journey with us to the mountains of San Francisco, Colombia to hear one of those stories. When the lack of traditional financial infrastructure and the dangerous reality of carrying large amounts of cash left an entrepreneur struggling for a solution to meet payroll, Decaf and Stellar stepped in with a solution.

The important thing for us was finding a blockchain that had really good ramps. What does that mean? We want USDC to be able to convert to cash because that’s accessible everywhere. And there is only one blockchain where that’s possible, Stellar.

Rick Martin, Co-founder of Decaf

Empowerment

Meet the women of San Francisco, Colombia

Employed and with the tools to save for the first time, the Decaf app, built on the Stellar network, is changing how they think about the future. Introducing crypto and blockchain technology creates the onchain effect, unlocking the opportunity to save, reinvest, and empower their small village community.

Building Better

Wallets for the Real World

The absence of seamless on and off-ramps and the prevalence of high fees required a reimagining of financial transactions.

The Decaf team’s experiences living in Latin America led them to create a solution to remedy these pain points and redefine how Latin Americans engaged with remittances and payments. A portmanteau of “decentralized” and “café” (or coffee in Spanish), Decaf is a payments platform that places a special emphasis on user experience. Decaf is meant to be so easy and convenient to use that a user could use its virtual non-custodial wallet to send and receive money across borders without paying exorbitant fees, hold Circle's USDC on the Stellar network to protect against inflation, and cash out into local currency when needed, or simply purchase a cup of coffee. On the flip side, a merchant can use Decaf’s point-of-sale system to accept payments in crypto.

By leveraging the Stellar network, Decaf reinforced its commitment to providing a secure and accessible platform for its users. The Stellar network’s reputation for efficiency, fast speeds, and low costs was a natural fit for Decaf's mission. And by integrating with MoneyGram Access™, Decaf enables their retail users to on-ramp their fiat into Circle’s USDC on the Stellar network and off-ramp back out into fiat at any participating MoneyGram location.

Building a wallet is easier than ever

Try Out the Wallet SDK

Building a Stellar-enabled wallet or application is faster and easier than ever. Implement the Wallet SDK to offer innovative payment services powered by the Stellar blockchain’s global network of on and off-ramps.

Results

Results

Addressing a critical challenge, Decaf has given thousands of Latin Americans the ability to navigate effortlessly between crypto and fiat without having to worry about borders, all on the Stellar network.

To Decaf, blockchain represents affordability and accessibility to the financial system for people all over the world. As Decaf continues to build on its current offerings and beyond, its ultimate goal remains the same: to provide financial services previously only found in traditional financial systems to people who can’t even open bank accounts.

$200K

Worth of USDC on the Stellar network off-ramped per week

6

Continents where Decaf users use MoneyGram Access

Contact The Experts

Want to know more?

Contact us today to learn how your business can use the Stellar network to enable frictionless cross-border payment services and how the Stellar Development Foundation can help.

Loading form...

Next Steps

More for you to explore

Wallet SDK

Building a Stellar-enabled wallet or application is faster and easier than ever. Implement the Wallet SDK to offer innovative payment services…

View

MoneyGram Access

Now your wallet or application can enable users to convert their physical cash into digital dollars and back – even if users don’t have a bank…

View

UNHCR and Stellar Aid Assist

UNHCR launched Stellar Aid Assist in Ukraine, unlocking bulk payments on the Stellar network and advancing our mission for financial access.

Learn More