Sozu Pay

Sozu begins in Phase 1 as a non-custodial disbursement and savings layer for NGOs distributing microcredit and aid in Latin America. Stellar is not just our settlement rail: it is the foundation that makes this model viable. NGOs fund programs in USDC, which is distributed directly to recipient wallets built using the Stellar Wallet Kit with Passkeys, removing seed phrase friction while preserving self-custody and simple, identity based recovery methods. Because USDC natively lives on Stellar, transfers settle in seconds at negligible cost, making small-ticket disbursements economically feasible.

Once funds reach recipients, idle balances can be allocated into low-risk yield strategies through Blend and Defindex, all within the same onchain environment and with no lockup periods. Stellar’s composability allows us to connect disbursement, custody, yield, and transparent tracking without relying on banks or custodians.

Every transaction is verifiable onchain, giving NGOs real-time visibility into capital flows and repayment behavior. Working first with NGOs allows us to validate wallet usability, retention, balance stability, and yield participation in a controlled environment before expanding into broader payment rails.

In this phase, Stellar is essential because it combines native USDC support, low-cost programmable transactions, integrated ecosystem primitives (Blend, Defindex), and user-friendly wallet tooling, enabling us to build a modular financial stack that can later evolve into a full payment infrastructure, but grounded first in trusted, real-world disbursement flows.

Phase 1 (0–12 months): NGOs and Microcredit Recipients

Primary customers (who pay): • NGOs managing microcredit programs • Foundations distributing USD-denominated aid • Organizations seeking transparent disbursement and repayment tracking

End users: • Microcredit recipients in Argentina • Unbanked or underbanked individuals • Beneficiaries receiving USDC on Stellar • Users needing clear visibility into repayment cycles

Goal of Phase 1: Onboard large user cohorts through existing NGO networks while delivering transparent microcredit tracking infrastructure.

Phase 2 (12–24 months): Emerging Micro-Merchants from the Ecosystem

As recipients stabilize and formalize income-generating activities, a subset evolves into: • Small informal businesses • Early-stage micro-entrepreneurs • Sole proprietors already using Sozu Wallet • Users with onchain financial history and repayment data

At this stage, Sozu expands to support: • Merchant USDC settlement • Revenue analytics • Access to working capital based on behavioral data

This phase builds naturally on the financial activity generated in Phase 1.

Phase 3 (24+ months): Formal SMBs and Broader Merchant Network

With infrastructure and data maturity, Sozu targets: • Dollar-exposed SMBs in Latin America • Merchants seeking faster settlement and lower fees • Businesses needing revenue-based credit access • Ecosystem-native merchants preferring stablecoin rails

This phase includes: • Merchant acceptance expansion • Fiat bridge aggregation • Preparation toward anchor status