Tyknit for diaspora circles
One circle. One ledger. Any country.
Most chama and stokvel apps assume every member is in one country on one payment rail. Tyknit assumes the opposite: your cousin in London pays by bank transfer, your sister in Nairobi by M-Pesa, your classmate in São Paulo by Pix — and all three appear in the same treasury, in the circle’s home currency, on the same schedule. Tyknit never moves the money itself; licensed partners do, and the ledger records what landed.
The rails Tyknit records
Each member pays the circle on whatever they already use. Tyknit is the ledger; it never holds or converts funds.
| Rail | Where | How it posts |
|---|---|---|
| M-Pesa | Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Mozambique | Paybill or till in the circle’s name; contributions post with the M-Pesa reference. |
| Bank transfer / EFT | Everywhere | Treasurer confirms from the statement, or a read-only bank feed posts it automatically (US circles via Plaid). |
| Cards via Paystack | Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa + international cards | Members abroad pay the circle by card; settlement goes to the circle’s Paystack-linked account. |
| UPI | India | Recorded by reference; ideal for alumni funds and family circles with members in India. |
| Pix | Brazil | Instant, recorded by reference. |
| SEPA | Eurozone | Standing orders from members in Europe land on the same schedule as everyone else. |
| Venmo / Zelle | United States | Recorded by reference and confirmed by the treasurer. |
| Cash | At the table | Counted aloud, entered before the meeting closes, witnessed in the minutes. |
What changes when the circle crosses a border
Home currency, member rails
The circle sets its currency once. A member’s contribution is recorded in what landed, with the rail reference, so a KES 5,000 pledge paid as GBP 30 is reconciled against the statement, not against a guess.
Time zones and reminders
Reminders reach each member at a sensible local hour. Meetings can be attended by vote and by chat when half the circle is asleep.
Vouching still applies
A member abroad joins the same way: nomination, endorsement, vetting, secret ballot, probation. Distance changes nothing about who is answerable for whom.
Fundraisers reach everyone
A school-fees or medical campaign is one link. A member in Toronto contributes by card; the treasurer in Kisumu sees it in the ledger within the hour.
Privacy across jurisdictions
Tyknit honours the data-protection law that applies to each member — GDPR in Europe, Kenya’s Data Protection Act, and similar law elsewhere. Side chats are end-to-end encrypted on every device.
What we do not do
Tyknit does not convert currency, hold balances or act as a remittance service. Where a circle wants a licensed corridor (GBP→KES, USD→INR), Tyknit records what the partner settled.
Typical diaspora circles on Tyknit
- • A Kenyan family chama with members in Nairobi, Dallas and Doha paying school fees together.
- • A South African alumni stokvel with half the class in London, saving for a reunion and a bursary.
- • A Ghanaian susu rotating between Accra and New York, drawn monthly.
- • An Indian alumni fund taking UPI at home and SEPA from members in Germany.
New to the terms? Read what a chama is, what a stokvel is, or how ROSCAs work everywhere.