Introducing InterPass: Bridging Borders with Open Payments & Community-First Financial Access

Emmanuel Osuntuyi — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:08:10 +0000

Hello everyone my name is Emmanuel Osuntuyi, and im a senior at Bowie State University. During my time at Bowie State University, I had the opportunity to learn about Interledger and FinTech from Dr. Andrew Mangle @andrewmangle. Seeing how hard he's pushing for its advancement, I wanted to put in work to join the Interledger Impact Team and push the mission of designing and prototyping interoperable financial solutions that address real-world challenges faced by underserved communities. After researching and having connections that directly align with the mission, I started the idea and the development of InterPass.

The Problem:

Over the summer, I had an interview with a close associate named Debby, and she talked about the different key challenges that came with her trying to send money and support her family in Ghana. These challenges were:

Lack of stable banking access
Dependence on smartphones and internet connectivity
High remittance fees
No direct interoperability between systems
Dependent on intermediaries, cash pooling, and low security systems to get their money

The Solution: InterPass

InterPass is a hybrid solution combining digital wallets, USSD access, and card-based interfaces to enable cross-border transfers without requiring internet or smartphones.

The Make Up:

Sender uses a mobile/web app to fund an InterPass wallet via Rafiki (Interledger-compatible)
Receiver gets a USSD-accessible account + card
NFC/QR options and PIN security provide flexible access for different tech levels
Mocked Up with Adalo (app), Python (USSD-Simulation), and Figma (card/interface design)

InterPass uses the Interledger Protocol to move funds from a USSD-based wallet to a GHS-based one, enabling payments across digital wallets, transfers via Rafiki, and inclusive access even for offline receivers.

Current Progress/Mock Up:

Adalo Preview: https://emmanuel-osuntuyis-team.adalo.com/interpass
Code Simulation: https://github.com/eosunt/InterPass-USSD-SMS-Sim
Figma Card Mock-Up: https://www.figma.com/design/GNGOc53nP6aVnnmhgom2zF/Untitled?node-id=0-1&t=5iM7tNGofS7EYmkI-1)

Whats Next:

Next I want to continue the development of this solution, as the solution is still in its demo/mock-up phase. I want to start coding its development and testing it with small groups of people, so I can look into the future for real integration.

I want to thank Dr. Andrew Mangle @andrewmangle and the Interledger Impact Team for pushing and guiding me through this development and I am motivated to keep pushing the teams mission going forward.

The Interledger Community 🌱: Emmanuel Osuntuyi

Introducing InterPass: Bridging Borders with Open Payments & Community-First Financial Access