# Bread Stacks

<!-- image not found: image 12.png -->

Savings circles are time-honored financial systems where community members pool their resources to help each other achieve financial goals. In this collaborative arrangement, participants contribute a fixed amount regularly to a communal fund, with each member taking turns to receive the full sum. Dating back centuries and practiced across diverse cultures worldwide, these systems—known variously as *tandas*, *susus*, *stokvels*, or *chit funds*—embody financial inclusion at its most grassroots level.  
   
These arrangements offer compelling advantages over traditional banking: no interest payments, minimal paperwork, and flexible terms tailored to community needs. Beyond the financial benefits, savings circles create powerful social bonds, cultivate financial discipline, and provide emergency safety nets in communities where formal banking may be inaccessible or insufficient.

  
Whether you're looking to fund a small business, manage household expenses, or save for a significant purchase, joining a savings circle offers a people-centered alternative to conventional financing **combining mutual aid with practical economic empowerment.

# Savings Circles in the Age of Crypto

Bread Cooperative has revolutionized the centuries-old concept of savings circles by bringing them onto the blockchain. Our open-source Solidity smart contracts implement the core functionality of traditional savings circles in a decentralized, transparent format accessible to anyone.

With Bread Cooperative's smart contracts, members contribute cryptocurrency at predefined intervals, with each participant taking turns to receive the pooled funds. This digital implementation preserves the community-oriented essence of traditional savings circles while adding the benefits of blockchain technology: immutable records, automated distributions, and borderless participation.

The system is elegantly simple: join a circle, contribute your agreed amount in crypto on schedule, and receive the full pool when your turn arrives. There's no middleman, no hidden fees, and complete transparency throughout the process.

https://github.com/BreadchainCoop/saving-circles

Check out our repo and feel free to use the contracts (MIT License) for your own front end application!

# Names for Savings Circles Around the World 🌐

🌍🌎🌏

1. ROSCA (Rotating Savings and Credit Association) - general term
2. Tanda - Latin America
3. Chama - Swahili-speaking East Africa
4. Kameti (کمیٹی) - Pakistan
5. Visi (વિસિ) - among Gujaratis in India
6. Equb/Ekub (እቁብ) - Ethiopia
7. Partnerhand - West Indies
8. Pardna/Pardner - West Indies
9. Cundina - Mexico
10. Hagbad - Somalia
11. Stokvel - South Africa
12. Susu/Osusu - West Africa and Caribbean
13. Hui (會) - Chinese communities
14. Hội/Hụi (會) - Vietnam
15. Paluwagan - Philippines
16. Gam'eya (جمعية) - Egypt
17. Dart (دارت) - Morocco
18. Gye (계/契) - South Korea
19. Tanomoshiko (頼母子講) - Japan
20. Mujin - pre-1945 Japan
21. Wichin Gye - Korea
22. Lamka - India
23. Committee - India
24. Chit fund - India
25. Pandeiro - Brazil
26. Cuchubál - Guatemala
27. Junta - Peru
28. Quiniela - Peru
29. Pandero - Peru
30. C.A.R. Țigănesc/Roata - Romania
31. Arisan - Indonesia
32. Lenshare (เล่นแชร์) - Thailand
33. Dhukuti/Dhikuti (धुकुटी/ढिकुटी) - Nepal
34. Gün - Turkey
35. Ménage/Menodge - Scotland
36. Seettuva - Sri Lanka
37. Likelemba - Democratic Republic of the Congo
38. Xitique - Mozambique
39. Djanggi - Cameroon
40. Sanduq (صندوق) - Sudan
41. Lawm Sum - Zomi regions in Myanmar
42. Kootu fund - Malaysia
43. Cadena - Colombia