{"id":266658,"date":"2024-12-13T18:14:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T18:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/13\/tando-was-all-the-rage-at-this-years-africa-bitcoin-conference\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:10:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:10:03","slug":"tando-was-all-the-rage-at-this-years-africa-bitcoin-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/13\/tando-was-all-the-rage-at-this-years-africa-bitcoin-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Tando Was All The Rage At This Year\u2019s Africa Bitcoin Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Follow Frank on X<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before I even arrived at this year\u2019s Africa Bitcoin Conference<\/a>, I saw attendees posting about Tando<\/a>, a new Kenya-based payments app that allows users to spend their sats with merchants who don\u2019t accept bitcoin.<\/p>\n

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Just arrived in Nairobi \ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddea\ud83d\udeec & the 1st thing I see as I exit is the @tando_me<\/a> sign <\/p>\n

LET\u2019S GO @AfroBitcoinOrg<\/a> \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffe pic.twitter.com\/zhPSP2dTH8<\/a><\/p>\n

— OKIN | Nikolai Tjongarero (@OKIN_17) December 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cHow is this possible?\u201d, you might ask. Well, let me explain.<\/p>\n

To use Tando, you simply download the app and prepare to pay any merchant who accepts payments via M-PESA<\/a>, Kenya\u2019s mobile money service. (Notice I didn\u2019t say you had to go through a set up or KYC process, as neither are necessary \u2014 Tando doesn\u2019t collect any identifying information from its users.)<\/p>\n

When the merchant presents you with your bill, you simply click on the \u201cSend Money\u201d square on the app\u2019s home screen. From there, you enter the mobile number tied to the M-PESA account to which you\u2019re sending money and then input the amount of Kenyan shillings you want to send.<\/p>\n

The app automatically calculates the amount of sats it will take to cover the shilling amount you\u2019ve input. You then click on the green \u201cCreate Invoice\u201d button to obtain a Lightning invoice. After that, you copy the invoice and pay it via your preferred Lightning wallet. Tando receives the sats and then settles the bill in shillings with the merchant within seconds.<\/p>\n

I can barely count how many times I\u2019ve watched Bitcoiners use Tando to pay restaurant bills or taxi fares since I\u2019ve been here. (I\u2019ve been to a lot of restaurants and have ridden in a lot of taxis since I\u2019ve arrived.)<\/p>\n

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: Tando interfaces with a fiat payment system, which means it should be excommunicated from the Church of Bitcoin.<\/p>\n

But before you allow yourself to entertain that kind of thinking, please consider the following notions:<\/p>\n

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  1. You\u2019re a loser.<\/li>\n
  2. Here in Kenya, much like in other parts of Africa, people actually use bitcoin for payments.<\/li>\n
  3. When you show someone how to use Tando, it provides you with an opportunity to show the merchant what Bitcoin is as you show them how the app works. (I watched Gorilla Sats<\/a>\u2019 Brindon Mwiine<\/a> masterfully do this for a waitress at a conference after party.)<\/li>\n
  4. M-PESA requires that its users KYC and some Kenyan citizens don\u2019t have the proper documentation to do so, which means they\u2019re excluded from the system. Using Tando, they can be included in Kenya\u2019s broader monetary system.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The excitement around Tando at the conference was part of the broader enthusiasm around apps that make bitcoin easier to use across the African continent \u2014 apps like Bitsacco<\/a>, Machankura<\/a>, Fedi<\/a> and Bitnob<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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    Massive shout out to the devs making #Bitcoin<\/a> wallets easier to use.@bitsacco<\/a> @Machankura8333<\/a> @fedibtc<\/a> @tando_me<\/a> @Loicbtc<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/UhVw5bnBxO<\/a><\/p>\n

    — Frank Corva (@frankcorva) December 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    African Bitcoiners are far ahead of their counterparts in the United States when it comes to using bitcoin as it is intended to be used \u2014 as peer-to-peer electronic cash.<\/p>\n

    And while many Africans are working tirelessly to onboard as many merchants as they can to Bitcoin, Tando is an excellent intermediary step that allows Bitcoiners to spend their sats even if the merchants with whom they\u2019re spending don\u2019t yet accept bitcoin payments.<\/p>\n