In a world where 2 billion people are unbanked, blockchain solutions are rewriting the rules of credit. Gluwa aims to bridge the gap: using cryptocurrency and public ledgers to connect international investors with micro-lenders in underserved markets. The problem is familiar: transactions in many emerging economies are primarily in cash, and without a local credit bureau, it's nearly impossible to establish a financial history. Gluwa asks, why can’t those people get loans at reasonable rates just because of missing paperwork?  The answer, it turns out, is an open blockchain credit system that makes lending transparent and borderless. A Decentralized Credit System Gluwa is not a lending application or a cryptocurrency exchange. It is an OpenFi platform connecting high-yielding emerging market loans with retail investors globally. Here's how: African microlenders offer stablecoin loans (1:1 backed by local currency) on the blockchain and Gluwa pools investors' USD to fund the loans. All loans and repayments are recorded on Creditcoin's public ledger so borrowers build a provable "crypto-credit" score and investors know exactly where their funds are going. This transparency is Gluwa's magic. In fact, Gluwa promises that users can earn "higher profits than traditional banks" and view every transaction in real-time. The result? The app's customers can earn high interest (often 10-20% APR on stablecoin deposits) for lending what they truly understand, while underserved borrowers are provided a chance to thrive. It's responsible DeFi: a blockchain-driven karma system in which your deposit isn't just languishing in some anonymous fund, it's actually helping a farmer buy seed or a small shop grow inventory. Nigeria’s eNaira Partnership: A Case Study in Coexistence Gluwa already has a blue-chip partner: the Nigerian central bank. In 2024, the CBN came out and said that it would be working with Gluwa to integrate the Credal blockchain with the eNaira infrastructure. The target is to address the very problem Gluwa was designed to address: provide Nigerians with a credit score even if they never traditionally banked. In an MoU, Gluwa will "interweave Credal blockchain technology with eNaira to establish credit reputation for eNaira holders" and automate loan origination, monitoring and settlement for local fintechs. That is, your landlord or local trader might one day lend you in eNaira and that repayment will be recorded on Creditcoin so that you are credited. To put this in context, fewer than 64% of Nigerian adults were banked as of 2021, leaving tens of millions effectively unscoreable by conventional systems. With Gluwa's assistance, any digital-naira wallet can get you a credit profile, not headaches. Nigeria is Africa's fintech champion but still boasts enormous financial gaps. Gluwa aims to bridge those gaps: through its linkages with the eNaira and local credit providers, it offers speedier loan pay-out and improved credit scoring to millions. The infographic above makes the argument clear: even Kenya (84% coverage factored in) and South Africa (80%) have millions on digital wallets, but Nigeria, at 64% coverage, still demonstrates the challenge. Gluwa's blockchain offering puts credit scores in a public register so that lenders "who reside in an emerging nation without the infrastructure" are able to demonstrate they're good for it. It's a win-win partnership: Nigeria receives improved loans and access to finance, and Gluwa obtains credibility and network effects, demonstrating that thoughtful technology can big win in the marketplace too. Profit And Purpose – Yes, They Can Coexist You thought charity and high finance couldn’t mix? Gluwa proves otherwise. By linking capital to credit, it makes social good a sustainable business. Investors chasing yield are happy: Gluwa’s offerings pay double-digit APRs on stablecoins – unheard of compared to bank CDs. Meanwhile, every loan is an act of inclusion. Thanks to blockchain transparency, Gluwa can market with lines like “earn high yields while doing good” instead of empty buzzwords. Even their own executives lean into it: “You can earn higher profits than traditional banks and see all the investment details in real-time using the Creditcoin Network,” says Gluwa’s team. In practice, this has led to real scale to date; Gluwa/Creditcoin has done over 4.2 million loans for roughly $80 million, each one a tiny lifeline to a borrower who would otherwise get no credit. By making user-aligned transparency part of the service, Gluwa has built a system that’s profitable because it’s purposeful. Investors get real returns and underserved borrowers get growth, a far cry from the high-fee, opaque models of old finance. (Who knew blockchain could be a credit bureau?) The result is a win-win: Gluwa’s business model makes money from both sides of the market, yet every transaction furthers financial inclusion. In short, interest is literally in the interest of everyone involved. Conclusion Gluwa’s story shows that innovation isn’t a trade-off between profit and people. By designing its tokenized lending platform and partnering with real-world institutions, Gluwa proves you don’t have to choose one or the other. Investors earn strong returns on emerging market loans, and borrowers get a formal credit history they never would have on paper. It’s a model where every interest payment writes a bit of financial inclusion into the ledger. If more crypto projects thought like this, DeFi’s reputation might finally match its hype. For now, Gluwa is the living proof that fintech can wear a cape and a calculator: making money and making a difference at the same time.

The is an opinion piece based on the author’s POV and does not necessarily reflect the views of HackerNoon.

This story contains AI-generated text. The author has used AI either for research, to generate outlines, or write the text itself. 

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Gluwa’s DeFi Model Proves Profit and Purpose Can Coexist

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