BessPay's Vision
Across the Global South, micro and small businesses are the heartbeat of local economies. Yet when it comes to getting paid online or expanding across borders, too many are left behind—facing high transaction fees, slow settlements, limited local currency options, and inaccessible payment systems.
There are over 440 million MSMEs in emerging economies employing billions of people, but the majority remain excluded from modern financial systems. This exclusion limits their ability to participate in global digital trade and stifles economic growth.
The BessPay Plugin is our answer—a new kind of payment solution that is open, affordable, and designed for entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Built on Interledger Open Payments and piloted through the SouthLink Marketplace, BessPay connects marketplaces to faster, cheaper, and more inclusive cross-border payments.
Our vision is simple: enable any MSME—from a craft seller in Jamaica to a freelance developer in Nairobi—to get paid instantly, in local currency, from anywhere in the world.
Our Journey to date
The first months of this journey were about establishing a strong technical and collaborative foundation. Working closely with the Interledger's tech team and Chimoney’s engineers, we refined our architecture to support secure, scalable, and currency-flexible integration.
On the technical side, backend APIs are developed and User Interface components are functional. We began sandbox integration with Chimoney's wallet infrastructure. Even with a leadership transition following our Technical Lead’s departure in July, the team adapted quickly and remains on track to deliver the MVP by September 30, 2025.
Commercially, we've formed milestone-based partnerships with Chimoney (for digital wallet and financial processing and settlements) and Journey Horizon, Sharetribe’s premier implementation partner, to support the development of the BessPay Marketplace Template. Journey Horizon, founded in 2018, has grown to a team of over 50 professionals, delivered 100+ Sharetribe-powered marketplaces, and continues to support 20+ live platforms through maintenance and enhancements. Their experience and strategic support are integral to our marketplace readiness.
We also benefit from the personal support of Juho Makkonen, CEO of Sharetribe, who continues to champion the project’s mission to provide easier. Cheaper and faster payments for MSMEs globally.
Current Stage: Research & Development
We are in the Research & Development phase, focused on validating our design choices, testing technical integrations, and grounding the BessPay Plugin in real MSME needs. Our approach combines global research with local insights from diverse markets, ensuring the MVP delivers measurable value from day one.
- Primary Research: Three targeted survey instruments for marketplace operators, MSME sellers, and buyers are currently in pilot. Early findings are already influencing MVP priorities, with a strong emphasis on currency flexibility, mobile-first UX, and escrow-based trust mechanisms.
- Secondary Research: Reports from the World Bank, ITU, GSMA, and regional development banks have shaped our understanding of digital adoption, financial inclusion gaps, and MSME readiness in the Caribbean, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
- Pilot Phase: Surveys are active across 14 countries, with a focus on ensuring at least 40% women, 40% youth, and 30% rural entrepreneurs are represented. This data is directly informing technical architecture and product design.
- Market Alignment: Phase 1 prioritizes the “People Bookings + Event Bookings” template for remote service-based MSMEs, responding to post-COVID shifts toward online freelancing and global service trade.
Team & Partnerships
Internal Team:
- 2 Ă— Junior Full Stack Engineers
- 1 Ă— Full Stack Engineer
- 1 Ă— Senior QA
- 1 Ă— Project Manager
- 1 Ă— Business Development Manager
- 1 Research Specialist
- 1 Research Intern
Technical Collaborators:
- Interledger Tech Team – Technical guidance, architecture alignment, protocol expertise
- Chimoney Technical Team – Wallet integration, settlement flows, infrastructure support
- Journey Horizon – Implementation partners; Sharetribe specialists with 50+ staff, 100+ marketplaces delivered; long-term platform support
- Juho Makkonen (Sharetribe CEO)
Progress Update
Research:
- Designed 3 targeted surveys for operators, sellers, and buyers.
- Pilot surveys underway with MSMEs across multiple countries.
- Early insights influencing MVP feature priorities, particularly around currency flexibility and mobile-first design.
Technical:
- Completed system architecture design with partner input.
- Backend API and database framework in development.
- Integrated with Chimoney’s sandbox environment.
- Initial UI components for onboarding and checkout are live.
Commercial:
- Signed agreements with Chimoney and Journey Horizon.
- Defined roadmap for the upcoming BessPay Marketplace Kit.
Key Activities & Outputs
- Completed technical architecture documentation.
- Built BessPay API endpoints.
- Deployed MSME pilot research instruments.
- Secured partner agreements to support MVP development.
Technical Artefacts
Context Diagram
Payment Flow Diagram
MVP Walkthrough
MVP Screens
Buyer Checkout
Seller Cashout
Impact & Target Audiences
BessPay supports underbanked MSMEs in the Caribbean, Africa, and Southeast Asia, who:
- Employ over 70% of the workforce
- Contribute up to 35% of GDP
Outcomes we’re targeting include:
- ≥30% reduction in transaction fees
- ≥50% faster settlement times
- Increased participation in cross-border trade
- Broader opportunity for women-led enterprises, youth, and community creators
Monitoring & Evaluation
Research & Development Phase:
- API latency & error rates
- Research participation and diversity
- Integration smoothness (time-to-first-payment)
MVP Phase:
- Transaction success rate ≥ 97%
- Checkout completion ≥ 70%
- Fee reduction ≥ 30% vs baseline
Launch Phase:
- Pilot MSMEs onboarded: 200; two-year target: 10,000
- Annual transaction growth ≥ 25%
- Marketplace expansion across multiple countries
Communications & Marketing
At the Caribbean Creators Expo 2025, BessPay's Co-Founder Douglas Davidson joined a high-impact panel titled, "How to Get Paid Globally" alongside leading voices in fintech and digital strategy:
- Uchi Uchibeke – Fintech Innovator & Inclusion Advocate (CEO, Chimoney)
- Keron Rose – Digital Strategy & E-Commerce Expert (Host, Digipreneur FM)
- Rickardo Ebanks – Chief Digital Officer & Fintech Leader (GraceKennedy Financial Group)
Moderated by Rickardo Ebanks, the 40-minute discussion delivered practical insights into:
- Real-world tools for cross-border payments
- Infrastructure innovations for creatives and entrepreneurs
- Monetization strategies for the Caribbean digital economy
- Overcoming barriers in getting paid globally
This session brought together perspectives from fintech innovators, digital economy strategists, and corporate ecosystem builders, reinforcing BessPay’s mission to connect underbanked entrepreneurs to global payment opportunities.
What's Next
Over the next quarter we plan the following activities:
- Finalize MVP integration & testing by September 30, 2025
- Complete pilot research analysis and apply findings to product design
- Onboard the initial 20 marketplaces for the MVP pilot
- Roll out marketing campaigns for early adopter marketplaces ahead of the Marketplace Kit release
Community Support / Ask
We’re looking for candidates or referrals for the Technical Lead role, with expertise in:
- Payment systems integration
- Sharetribe-based marketplaces
- API-first infrastructure
Reach out to:
- Darryl Strachan – darryl@gspen.net
- Douglas Davidson – douglas@gspen.net
Additional Comments
Thank you to the Interledger Foundation and our partners for your continued support. Community feedback, expert collaboration, and partnership alignment have kept the project focused. The coming quarter is critical, we’ll move from R&D into a fully functioning MVP and pilot phase ready to launch.
Top comments (1)
This is exciting! I'll be closely following the journey. I've been a Sharetribe fan for years (often recommending it as a low-code/no-code solution to the entrepreneurs my company would coach and educate).
Seeing how you've been able to partner with them (to tap and meaningfully advance marketplaces on their platform) is phenomenal. Thank you for sharing this work!