With a long-standing focus on inclusion and integrity, Cenfri joins Mojaloop’s Global Partner Program to help shape the future of interoperable payments. Cenfri (the Centre for Financial Regulation and Inclusion) joins other members of the program, including the AfricaNenda Foundation, GLEIF, FNA, and MOSIP.
We spoke with Barry Cooper, Cenfri’s technical director, about why the partnership made sense, how our goals align, and the shared vision that will shape our collaboration going forward.
From Financial Access to Economic Inclusion
Cenfri’s work has always focused on improving lives through better engagement with financial systems. But, as Cooper explained, the organization’s focus has evolved beyond simply promoting financial inclusion.
“Having a financial account is an important first step,” he said. “But it’s also about active engagement — making sure people are really participating in the financial system in a way that improves their welfare.”
Today, Cenfri’s mission centers on enabling economic inclusion through the financial sector — which Cooper described as “the nervous system of the economy” and “the glue that holds it together.” Whether the work involves digital payments, regulatory frameworks, or risk mitigation, the goal remains the same: empowering people to interact meaningfully with financial tools and infrastructure.
While Cenfri offers a range of services to help boost economic growth and increase sustainable development in emerging markets, it’s their regulatory guidance and policy support capabilities that will be most important as the number of Mojaloop deployments increases. As part of the Partner Program, Cenfri will collaborate on strategies, regulatory frameworks, and policy guidelines that enable the successful adoption of inclusive instant payment systems. Their expertise in working with regulators, supervisors, and policymakers in low- and middle-income countries to ensure frameworks are tailored to local realities will be essential.
Shared Values and Open Collaboration
For Cooper, Mojaloop’s open-source, nonprofit model stood out immediately.
“I was intrigued by how Mojaloop is structured,” he said. “The incentives are aligned with collaboration, openness, and public good — values that match our own.”
Cenfri first became acquainted with Mojaloop while reviewing its use as the basis of a national payment system. What they saw was a system designed for flexibility — able to vet both trusted and non-trusted sources and support cross-border financial activity in practical, scalable ways.
“The ability to think beyond just national interoperability is crucial,” Cooper added. “We need to consider regional and multi-jurisdictional payment systems, where clearing cycles, foreign exchange, and data sharing become more complex. That’s where Mojaloop’s architecture really shines.”
Simplifying the Complex — Without Oversimplifying
A key focus for Cenfri is designing systems that manage complexity without becoming chaotic. Cooper distinguishes between problems that are “complicated” — and solvable with the right tools — and those that are “complex,” involving too many variables to be easily untangled.
“In cross-border payments, especially when you add illiquid or volatile currencies into the mix, it’s easy for systems to slide into real complexity,” he explained. “Our goal is to keep things manageable. With the right analytics, vetting processes, and central coordination, we can still operate in the realm of the complicated — and that’s where real progress happens.”
Cooper highlighted the recent masterplan Cenfri developed with the East African Community, which outlines a regional currency clearing and foreign exchange system that has been endorsed by eight central banks. It’s a real-world example of how thoughtful design can simplify even the most layered challenges.
Integrity, Inclusion, and Risk Management
While payments are a core area of interest, Cenfri also brings deep expertise in related areas — including risk management, anti-money laundering (AML), and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT).
“We’ve spent years working on inclusive integrity,” Cooper said. “That means designing know-your-customer (KYC) and customer due diligence (CDD) processes that don’t exclude people unnecessarily.”
He pointed to growing global interest in preemptive risk analytics — especially as more systems move toward instant or near-instant payments. “Fraud risk increases as settlement and clearing times shrink,” he said. “We need ways to embed data sharing and real-time vetting directly into the payment infrastructure. Mojaloop’s architecture supports that kind of forward-looking thinking.”
A Growing Community of Aligned Institutions
Beyond the technology, Cooper said he’s excited by the Mojaloop Foundation’s partner community — where like-minded institutions are already working on solutions that overlap with Cenfri’s interests.
“It’s not just the payments side,” he said. “We’re seeing strong thinking around AML, CFT, and risk analytics across the community. It’s refreshing to find partners who are equally focused on integrity and inclusion.”
As part of the Mojaloop Foundation’s Global Partner Program, Cenfri will continue contributing its experience, research, and policy insights — all with the aim of strengthening real-world solutions for underserved populations.
