How Regini Works

Regini is a digital savings platform that lets you save in US dollars, starting from 350 KES, using nothing but your M-Pesa and your national ID. Your KES goes in, converts to USDC, earns interest, and can come back to your M-Pesa whenever you need it.

Here's exactly how it works, step by step.

Step 1: Download the App and Create Your Account

Download Regini from the App Store or Google Play. Sign up with your phone number and create a PIN.

To verify your identity, you'll need your national ID or passport. That's it. The identity check is automatic for most people and takes a few minutes. This step is required by Kenyan financial regulations and is how we keep the platform secure.

Step 2: Make Your First Deposit via M-Pesa

Once your account is active, tap Deposit and enter how much you want to save in KES. The minimum is 350 KES, about $2.50 at current rates.

You'll receive an M-Pesa payment prompt on your phone. Confirm it the same way you'd pay any merchant. Your deposit reflects in your Regini account within seconds, automatically converted to USDC at the live exchange rate.

You'll see your balance in USD from that point forward.

Step 3: Your Savings Start Earning Interest

From the moment your deposit lands, it begins earning interest. Regini places your savings into USDC yield protocols (trusted DeFi lending platforms) and passes the earned interest back to you.

Interest accrues daily and is credited to your account every day. The current variable rate is approximately 5% per year. That's significantly more than a typical Kenyan savings account, which often pays 2–3% or less.

This rate is variable, not guaranteed. It can change based on market conditions.

Step 4: Withdraw to M-Pesa Whenever You Need

There are no lock-up periods. If you need your money, tap Withdraw, enter the amount in USD, and Regini converts it back to KES at the current exchange rate and sends it directly to your M-Pesa. This usually completes within a few minutes.

The minimum withdrawal is 150 KES. There's no lock-up period and no penalty for withdrawing early.

What Happens to Your Money Behind the Scenes

It's worth being straightforward about this. When you deposit KES, it's converted to USDC, a US dollar stablecoin issued by Circle. That USDC is held in a digital wallet assigned to your account and deployed into yield-generating protocols. The interest from those protocols is what you receive.

Regini is not a bank. Your savings are not covered by a deposit protection scheme. The yield is variable. You should only save what you can afford to keep in the platform, and you should read our General Risk Warning before you start.

A Realistic Example

Suppose you deposit KES 2,000 every month right after salary, before any other spending. At today's rates that's roughly $14.50 a month. Over 12 months you'd have deposited around $174. With approximately 5% annual interest, you'd earn roughly $7–9 in yield that year. The yield itself is modest. What matters more is that your savings are sitting in a currency that holds its value better than KES, and you've built a habit that compounds over time.

Questions? Reach us at hello@regini.finance or chat with us on WhatsApp.

Ready to open your account? Join the waitlist and be among the first to save in US dollars via M-Pesa. Get started →

If you run an organisation and want to offer dollar savings to your team or community, see how Regini works for businesses →