YEM in Practice — From a Hotel in Lusaka to a Bank in Berlin

The question crypto never answers

Bitcoin has been around since 2009. Ethereum since 2015. Thousands of altcoins have emerged since then. And yet, almost no one pays for their coffee, hotel room, or money transfer with a cryptocurrency.

This isn’t due to a lack of interest. It’s because most crypto projects were built for trading — not for payments. Bitcoin’s volatility makes it unusable as a means of payment. Stablecoins replicate the dollar, but do not solve the problem of fees and exclusion. And most DeFi tokens exist only within their own protocols.

YEM takes a different approach: A digital currency built for real-world transactions. Not a trading asset. Not a speculative token. But a means of payment that can be used directly in everyday life via the YEMPay app — theoretically anywhere a smartphone works.

But does it really work? Let’s look at four scenarios.

Use Case 1: Margaret in Lusaka — the hotel without a bank account

Lusaka, Zambia

Hotel payment via the YEMPay app

Margaret is standing at the front desk of a hotel in Lusaka. No credit card, not enough cash. Instead, she opens the YEMPay app on her smartphone, scans a QR code — and the payment is completed in seconds.

What makes this scenario remarkable is not the technology — QR code payments have been around for a long time. What is remarkable is the context:

• No bank account required — neither for the payer nor for the recipient. In a country where, according to the World Bank, only about 45% of adults have a bank account, this is no small matter.
• Zero transaction fees — no interchange fees, no network fees, no percentage for a payment service provider.
• “In a matter of seconds” — according to the report, the transaction is confirmed immediately. No waiting for block confirmations like with Bitcoin.

According to community reports, more merchants in Lusaka are accepting YEM — from restaurants to service providers. Adoption is not driven by traditional marketing, but by word-of-mouth within the local community.

Use Case 2: Klaus in Berlin — the bank branch that was amazed

Berlin, Germany

Bank transaction via YEMPay

Klaus, a Berlin-based entrepreneur, uses YEMPay for a banking transaction. The bank teller is unfamiliar with the system — so Klaus explains it to her.

The scene sounds mundane, but it has a deeper meaning. What Klaus explains to the bank teller is, at its core, the design principle of YEM:

“Asset-backed value designed for transactional stability.” — paraphrased from the conversation, as reported by Steve Hodgkiss

Translated: YEM is not a speculative investment, but a digital currency with a value anchor — designed for stable transactions, not for price gains.

For Klaus, this means in concrete terms: Reduced transfer costs compared to traditional SWIFT transfers or credit card payments. In a country where banks routinely charge 15–45 euros for international transfers, this is a tangible cost advantage.

The bank employees’ reaction—curiosity rather than rejection—may also indicate that the narrative “crypto is a scam” is losing ground, at least in parts of the financial world. Not because crypto has suddenly become trustworthy, but because the costs of the traditional system are becoming increasingly difficult to justify.

Use Case 3: Ivory Coast — Buying Flowers with YEM

Ivory Coast

Everyday payment at a flower shop

A florist in the Ivory Coast accepts YEM for a completely ordinary sale. No high-tech environment, no e-commerce — just a flower shop.

This use case is important because it shows where YEM adoption is actually taking place: not in the tech hubs of Silicon Valley or London, but in the informal sector of West African countries.

Ivory Coast has one of the fastest growing economies in West Africa — but a large portion of economic activity takes place outside the formal banking system. Mobile money services like Orange Money and MTN MoMo have already demonstrated here that smartphone-based payments work. YEM builds on the same infrastructure — without relying on a telecommunications provider.

The flower shop is specifically mentioned as a scenario: It’s not about large sums or complex transactions, but about proving that YEM can work in everyday life —even where neither Visa nor Mastercard are accepted.

Use Case 4: Uganda — Financial Inclusion in Practice

Uganda

Small business owners use YEM

Small business owners in Uganda use YEM to accept payments and pay for goods—without ever having opened a bank account.

Uganda is one of the countries with the lowest banking penetration rates worldwide. According to the World Bank (Global Findex 2021), only about 66% of adults have access to a financial account at all—and many of them only through mobile money services, not through traditional banks.

For small business owners, this means: Every payment that isn’t made in cash requires an intermediary—with corresponding fees and wait times. YEM offers an alternative here: peer-to-peer payments without a bank account, without fees, without wait times.

What is happening in Uganda is what the crypto industry has been promising for years but rarely delivers: grassroots adoption . Not driven by venture capital or stock market listings, but by people who want to solve a concrete problem: How do I pay for goods if I don’t have a bank?

The local economy benefits because digital payments reduce transaction costs and increase speed. A market vendor who accepts YEM doesn’t need to keep change on hand. A supplier paid in YEM can put the money to use immediately. It’s not a revolutionary concept—it’s simply functional digital money .

The Numbers: 90+ Countries, + Wallets

The four use cases above are individual scenarios. But they do not stand alone. According to its own information, YEM can be used in over 90 countries and territories — including some of the world’s largest markets.

What’s Next: YEMPay 2026

The use cases to date demonstrate what is already possible today. The next phase of the YEM ecosystem focuses on expanding the payment infrastructure — specifically: a revised version of YEMPay.

Conclusion: Not a white paper—a tool

The four use cases in this article do not show a perfect system. They show a system in use . Margaret in Lusaka doesn’t need a banking system. Klaus in Berlin doesn’t need SWIFT fees. The flower vendor in Ivory Coast doesn’t need a Visa terminal. The small business owner in Uganda doesn’t need a loan application.

That is the point. It is not the technology that is revolutionary—QR code payments and blockchain transfers have been around for a long time. What sets YEM apart is the combination of price stability, zero fees , and global availability . No other crypto project currently offers all three features at the same time.

Whether YEM will deliver on the promises of these scenarios in the long term remains to be seen. The challenges are real: regulation, scalability, and mainstream acceptance. But the question is no longer “Does this work in theory?” — but “How far can it scale?”

YEM is not a theoretical concept. It is already being used — by people who have no alternative and by people who are looking for a better alternative.