Podcast artwork
Citadel Dispatch
CD205: JASON - TANDO - SPEND BITCOIN ANYWHERE IN KENYA
ODELL • Investing, Business, Technology
ODELL • Investing, Business, Technology
And so what we did is we took their API, and we took the Lightning Network, we merged the two, and so now you basically have a…

Episode Summary

Jason joins to discuss Tando, a Bitcoin payments app in Kenya that connects Lightning to M-PESA. We get into why M-PESA dominates Kenyan payments, how Tando lets Bitcoiners spend sats anywhere M-PESA is accepted, and why pragmatic fiat bridges help bootstrap real Bitcoin circular economies. Then we discuss phone numbers as financial identities, Lightning addresses for Kenyan phone numbers, KYC-free Bitcoin flows, merchant adoption, AI-assisted development, upcoming Kenya Bitcoin events, and the changing regulatory environment.Tando: https://tando.me/Tando on X: https://x.com/tando_meTando on Nostr: https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqs97ekh6cxykm34l0m5ddrlymhj9rxrys3jemtf90psy3nysum0lkcvrgxmd Bitcoin Kenya: https://bitcoin.co.keEPISODE: 205BLOCK: 952989PRICE: 1640 sats per dollarmore info on the show: https://citadeldispatch.comlearn more about me: https://odell.xyzmonitor the situation: https://citadelwire.comten31: https://ten31.xyzopensats: https://opensats.org
... Show More

Transcript

Chapters

  • Jason from Tando in Kenya
  • Kenya's M-Pesa rails explained: methods and limits
  • Cash vs mobile money and agent networks
  • CBDC fears vs private digital rails and censorship risks
  • From PayPal debanking to bitcoin motivation
  • How Tando works: Lightning to M-Pesa flow
  • Comparisons: Money Badger, South Africa, and QR ecosystems
  • Phone number lightning addresses in Kenya
  • Access without smartphones
  • Pragmatic tools and US analogies with Venmo and Cash App
  • Platform risk with M-Pesa and alignment incentives
  • Business model: fees, trust, and partner integrations
  • Deep dive on phone numbers as de facto digital IDs
  • Alternatives and identity: email, VoIP, and keys
  • Nostr, multiple identities, and app-layer pragmatism
  • Open protocols meet AI: donation flows and LNURL
  • Tandos simplicity and API requests
  • Challengers vs incumbents: Cash App, Venmo, Strike
  • Circular economies: merchants, Tando as the clutch
  • POS tweaks, receipts, and grassroots
  • Whats next: youth, AI, and bitcoin events
  • Kenyas evolving crypto regulation and realities
  • Scale dynamics, big tech analogies, and AI politics
  • Tando adoption numbers and closing thoughts

    • Clips

    • And so what we did is we took their API, and we took the Lightning Network, we merged the two, and so now you basically have a…
    • So I already I if I obvious, like, I'm let's say I'm Kenyan, I already have a phone number. If I'm not a Bitcoiner, any…