Zimbabwe has become the birthplace of a global financial first: Ndarama, a Zimbabwean-founded fintech platform, is introducing the world’s first system that bridges programmable collateral from tokenised real-world assets directly to fiat currency via mobile money, allowing users to invest from as little as USD $1 and access USD-denominated loans without ever using cryptocurrency or digital wallets.
Ndarama operates in the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SECZIM) regulatory sandbox, where it is undergoing assessment under a Collective Investment Scheme (CIS) framework for tokenised securities.
While decentralised finance platforms pioneered programmable collateral for crypto-to-crypto lending, and traditional institutions offer fiat loans without tokenisation, no platform globally has combined regulated tokenized assets, programmable collateral, and fiat loan disbursement via mobile money — until now.
A New Category in Global Finance
Ndarama introduces a new financial primitive: programmable collateral that unlocks fiat currency.
Through blockchain automation operating behind the scenes, users can invest small amounts into tokenised real-world assets such as property, use those tokens as collateral, and receive USD loans disbursed via familiar mobile-money platforms like EcoCash and OneMoney, without interacting with cryptocurrency at any point.
“This isn’t crypto for crypto users,” said John Paul (JP) Matenga, Founder & CEO of Ndarama.
“It’s blockchain infrastructure quietly working in the background to deliver real financial utility — real dollars, real assets, real protection — through systems people already trust and understand.”
Cutting Predatory Lending Rates by More Than Half
Beyond innovation, Ndarama directly tackles one of the most damaging financial challenges in emerging markets: predatory lending.
In Zimbabwe and similar economies, informal loan sharks often charge up to 480% APR; many microfinance institutions exceed 200% APR.
By using programmable collateral and automation, Ndarama eliminates much of the overhead that forces lenders to charge exploitative rates — such as manual underwriting, branch networks, legal enforcement, and collection agencies.
As a result, Ndarama enables ethical lending at approximately 48-120% APR with no hidden fees, no penalty interest, no balloon payments, and transparent and upfront terms.
This represents a 50-65% reduction in borrowing costs, passed directly to users.
Democratising Access to Wealth-Building Assets
For decades, participation in asset-backed investments such as property has remained out of reach for most Zimbabweans, largely due to high entry costs and complex financial requirements. Ndarama changes this dynamic by enabling investment from as little as USD $1, allowing ordinary individuals to participate in asset classes that were previously the preserve of the wealthy and institutional investors.
By delivering this access through regulated structures and familiar mobile money platforms, Ndarama expands financial inclusion while maintaining institutional-grade oversight and investor protection.
Institutional-Grade Regulation from Day One
Ndarama’s regulatory positioning distinguishes it from regional and global peers.
Operating in SECZIM’s securities sandbox as a Collective Investment Scheme, Ndarama is held to institutional-grade standards that include independent custody of physical assets (Kreston Zimbabwe), securities-law investor protection, monthly and quarterly regulatory reporting, and a clear pathway to full commercial licensing following pilot completion.
While similar platforms in the region operate under lighter “blockchain platform” classifications, Ndarama deliberately chose Zimbabwe’s most rigorous securities framework from inception.
All products and features are subject to sandbox conditions, testing outcomes, and regulatory approval prior to full commercial rollout.
African Innovation, Global Impact
Unlike many tokenisation projects designed for wealthy crypto investors in developed markets, Ndarama is built for students, informal workers, small businesses, first-time investors and communities excluded from traditional collateral systems
This is African innovation solving African problems while setting a precedent the rest of the world has not yet achieved.
About Ndarama
Ndarama is a Zimbabwean fintech company building regulated, tokenised investment and lending infrastructure for emerging markets. By combining securities-law oversight, programmable collateral, and mobile-money distribution, Ndarama enables inclusive investment and ethical lending from as little as USD $1, without cryptocurrency exposure.
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