Federations and Communities in Action: Real-World Use Cases

Across the world, people are already using Fedi to move money without banks, build local economies, support family funds, power co-ops, and deliver aid where institutions have failed. And this isn’t theory — it’s happening right now. In this article, you’ll see real examples of how communities are using Fedi on the ground.

Understanding the Foundation – Federations vs Communities

Before we dive into the use cases, let's quickly recap the basics:

Federation = Your Community Bank

This is where you can:

• Handle your money and financial transactions.

• Manage your Bitcoin and Stable Balance wallets.

• Enables payments within your community via Lightning, on-chain, and e-cash.

Community = Your Town Square

This is where you can:

• Connect with people within the community.

• Share announcements and have group messages.

• Host community mini apps for various services that your community can use.

You can use any Federation wallet within any Community. This means that your social spaces (Community) and wallet (Federation) can work together seamlessly while staying clearly separated.

Now, let's see how this works in practice.

Bitcoin Meetups & Education

Bitcoin Meetup Community

Bitcoin meetup organizers around the globe need convenient spaces to educate people about bitcoin. Meetup organizers can create a Community where they curate mini apps like Mi Primer Bitcoin for educational content and Bitrefill for purchasing services and products with bitcoin. 

The Community becomes an onboarding hub where newcomers learn about bitcoin through educational videos, access the meetup website for event information, and receive important announcements.

Community Building & Circular Economies

Local Bitcoin Circular Economy

Money flows out when community members work in distant cities and send remittances home. When leaders create a Federation for local transactions, businesses accept bitcoin payments, residents receive wages in bitcoin, and spend locally. 

The Federation becomes the community's own bank managed by trusted members, with fees benefiting the community. Offline payments work even with expensive internet — transactions sync when connected to Wi-Fi. As adoption grows, value stays local.

Bitcoin provides the rails for this local economy, but Fedi provides the tools to make bitcoin adoption possible.

Community Social Hub

Members of the circular economy need ways to stay informed about local events and connect with each other to stay up-to-date about activities. Community leaders can create a Community for social connection for this purpose. They can access educational content about bitcoin and local payments through mini apps. 

Family & Personal Finance

Maria's family lives across the U.S., Mexico, and El Salvador. International transfers cost $15–30 and take days, draining their savings in fees. With a family Federation, funds move to each other instantly with no transfer costs, and the stable balance feature protects their savings from volatility.

The Family Hub

Maria's mother in El Salvador doesn't have a bank account and struggles to convert the bitcoin she receives into local currency to pay for everyday expenses. The local money exchangers charge high fees and the process is complicated. 

By creating a Community, Maria can set up mini apps that make it easy for her mother and other family members to access bitcoin on and off-ramps, converting their bitcoin to local currency when needed. 

Agriculture & Rural Development

Agricultural Microlending

Small-scale farmers in rural Togo need planting season funds but lack collateral and documentation for bank loans. Community leaders create a Federation for agricultural micro-financing where farmers receive and repay loans transparently. With agriculture employing over 60% of Africa's workforce, access to micro-credit to improve their harvest. 

Agricultural Cooperative Savings & International Access

Another use case is a Federation for the farming cooperative that struggles to receive payments from international buyers who want to purchase directly from the source.  An agricultural cooperative can create a Federation to receive payments directly from European and American buyers in bitcoin, converting to local currency as needed. 

The same Federation can also serve as a cooperative savings system where members contribute regularly toward retirement or emergency funds, which will provide them with financial security. 

The Farming Network

Farmers need crucial information like weather forecasts, pest control strategies, and market prices for their crops, but this information isn't always readily available and accessible. 

Community agricultural extension workers can create a farming Community on Fedi where they share weather forecasts, pest warnings, and agricultural best practices through mini apps that farmers can access. Knowledge about pest control can prevent crop failure. 

Small Business & Commerce

Local Merchant Federation

Street vendors selling everything from clothing to electronics struggle with expensive transaction fees (2-5% per transaction), lack access to international payment options, and operate mostly in cash. 

A merchant can create a Federation to accept customer payments — processing transactions at minimal cost while gaining access to international payments from diaspora customers. They can also earn additional income by providing bitcoin on-ramp and off-ramp service to others.

Community for the Local Business

A coffee shop in New York wants customer loyalty but can't afford the cost of building an app for their shop. By creating a Community with a QR code for customers to join, they share daily specials, behind-the-scenes videos, and host their menu as a mini app. They run polls on new drinks and dishes while customers pay with any Federation wallet.

Associations & Groups

Firefighter or Veteran Association

A firefighters' association or veterans' group wants to manage member dues, emergency funds, and mutual aid but struggles with expensive banking fees and lacks transparency in fund management. Federation members contribute dues and build emergency funds that any member can access during hardship such as job loss, medical emergencies, or family crises. 

The costs of running the Federation are shared among members, and everyone can see exactly how funds are managed. The association creates a Community where members stay connected, share job opportunities, coordinate events, and access resources—keeping both the financial and social aspects of their brotherhood strong.

Humanitarian and Human Rights Aid & Development

Direct Cash Assistance & Emergency Response

Organizations often face challenges delivering funds. Banking infrastructure collapses in conflict zones, and bureaucratic requirements exclude the people who need help most—individuals without documentation, disaster survivors without bank accounts, displaced persons without addresses.

Such organizations can establish a Federation for aid distribution. Refugees and victims of natural disasters can spend this money at local shops through mini apps. The stable balance feature protects recipients' purchasing power while they decide how to use funds.

Receiving Donations

A humanitarian organization works with refugees who fled conflict in their home country. These families desperately need financial assistance for food, shelter, and medicine. But they don't have bank accounts.

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