Enda Tamweel, a microfinance institution based in Tunisia, has officially teamed up with the Swiss-based non-profit The Hashgraph Association to launch a new Hedera-powered loyalty program. The initiative marks one of the very first microfinance deployments of Hedera’s distributed ledger technology (DLT) across Africa and the Middle East.
The newly introduced solution integrates directly with Enda Tamweel’s existing systems via application programming interfaces (APIs). This integration allows for a straightforward rollout while delivering a highly transparent, traceable, and scalable loyalty ecosystem where key transactions are securely recorded on the Hedera network. By leveraging Hedera’s DLT technology, the partnership aims to drive positive behavioral changes through incentives that are delivered with trustworthiness and transparency.
Driving sustainable financial inclusion
Unlike traditional loyalty platforms that rely purely on transactional rewards, the new program introduces an impact-based model. While clients are actively rewarded for making timely loan repayments, the system also uniquely encourages responsible microfinance practices by recognizing positive social and environmental behaviors.
Mohamed Zmandar, chief executive officer of Enda Tamweel, emphasized the importance of looking beyond basic credit access. He explained that the system is designed to recognize financially reliable clients alongside those demonstrating strong engagement in social and environmental impact. Zmandar noted that sustainable financial inclusion requires fostering long-term customer relationships that drive meaningful outcomes, adding that embedding transparency at the core of the system strengthens trust and reinforces microfinance as a catalyst for sustainable growth.
Scaling across the continent
Across Africa and the MENA region, microfinance serves as an essential lifeline for communities and individuals who remain excluded from the traditional financial sector, particularly rural populations and small businesses. The broader African microfinance market is currently experiencing rapid growth and is projected to surpass $300billion by 2026.
In Tunisia specifically, Enda Tamweel operates as the country’s market leader, currently serving more than 544,000 active clients and representing 79 per cent of the national microfinance market. Through the new digital loyalty program, the institution expects to attract roughly 120,000 new clients annually via a newly embedded referral feature. Ultimately, the platform is designed to benefit Enda Tamweel’s 1.3 million historical beneficiaries, who have been supported through 5.6 million loans totaling $4.2billion in disbursements.
Kamal Youssefi, president of The Hashgraph Association, highlighted the platform’s broader regional potential. He stated that supporting Enda Tamweel in building a simple and trusted loyalty solution helps transform benefits into tangible, clearer rewards. Youssefi also noted that this Hedera-powered solution possesses the potential to be actively scaled across other industry verticals throughout the African continent.