Make conditional cross-border payments directly to unbanked suppliers in seconds.
Know exactly where money is going, when, and why
Leapfrog is a payments and monitoring platform under development that is currently being developped on Testnet with an aim to leverage blockchain (MiCA compliant stable coins). The platform and app will enable fast, cost-effective, direct, conditional and transparent payments to both unbanked and banked users in local currencies.
Every payment to an individual or group is linked to a specific task allowing for granular real-time dynamic reporting. Conditional payments can be driven by ‘smart contracts’ or tasks defined by a project manager. By linking payment to a specific task or result, operational execution (and risks) can be tracked minutely and in real time. Like escrow accounts, smart contracts release payments when certain conditions are met – for example, if a tree is successfully planted, a geolocated photograph is uploaded to the platform as a proof that releases payment. The main users - investors (e.g. entities that pay for forest restoration) and forest stewards (e.g. IPLCs) - benefit from significant increases in efficiency and transparency.
Conversely, multiple signatories to a smart contract can raise flags and suspend payments if fraud is suspected – crucial for large sums. Leapfrog encodes grievance and whistleblowing mechanisms into its very structure. This is vastly different from current M&E and auditing approaches, which lag far behind project execution.
Our theory of change is IF investors use Leapfrog to compensate stewards and monitor progress and IF payments incentivise both individual and communal action in the immediate and long-term, THEN pro-forest incentives will become more competitive with deforestation incentives RESULTING in significant improvements in forest governance at scale RESULTING in further investments in forests governance to create a positive feedback loop.
Leapfrog can make corruption more difficult, while strengthening incentives among IPLCs, buyers and investors to support forest governance.
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Towards inclusive governance for forest carbon markets 2026-2027
REM is working with partners Transparency International (Lead) and the Basel Institute on Governance to deliver this project. Funded by the UK FCDO through the Forest Governance Markets and Climate (FGMC2) Programme, it aims to reduce the risk of corruption and enhance trust in Carbon markets in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Ghana, and Cameroon.
REM will work with Iroko Analytics in Cameroon to design and implement field testing of the Leapfrog digital platform (testnet only phase), conduct policy analysis to contextualise pilot findings, and provide user feedback to inform platform development. Field testing will be conducted within Iroko’s ASCRFC project (Augmentation des Stocks Carbones par la Reforestation des Forêts Communales), a 14,000 ha community reforestation initiative in Ndélélé and Bétaré-Oya (East Region, Cameroon), leveraging Iroko's established community partnerships and project infrastructure.
Scaling traceability to stop tropical deforestation 2026-2027
This Leapfrog project, funded by The Waterloo Foundation UK and REM led, is the bridge which enables deeper consultations with varied types of stakeholders trading with different markets, the expansion to the PIC region and the mapping of specific Leapfrog app features adapted to different commodities: Our partner NRE people will oversee consultations with Pleslain (family owned cocoa farmer, PNG), FireMountain (small cocoa producer, Cameroon) and Cora (network of small cocoa/coconut farmers, PNG) to broaden feedback.
We will address the core challenges created by new demand‑side regulations such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR): achieving full traceability to millions of smallholder farmers who supply forest‑risk commodities. Most of the world's cocoa is not traceable to the farm and marginalised smallholders, often located near intact forest landscapes, are the hardest to include. The project responds to this gap by piloting Leapfrog, a low‑cost digital solution that links plot‑level data directly to conditional payments, enabling operators to meet EUDR requirements while strengthening incentives for farmers to participate. Ultimately, the project aims to validate a model that can expand EUDR‑compliant supply chains while reducing deforestation risk.
An innovative concept matured and refined on the basis of several pilot field projects, including our Charcoal Project in Ivory Coast in 2021
Charcoal production is a major driver of deforestation throughout sub-Saharan Africa. REM t/a Gaiachain implemented a pilot project with Malebi, a women's association in Ivory Coast dedicated to the production of sustainable charcoal.
Blockchain has already proven effective in building more trustworthy supply chains for a variety of goods ranging from wine to pharmaceuticals. However, it has yet to be applied to traceability of ethical commodities which continue to rely on centralised systems that are expensive, inflexible, and subject to fraud. We tested the feasibility of applying blockchain to traceability in West Africa, using its additional experience of fraud and drivers of deforestation in producing countries to complement the technology.
Executive summary of the project
Blockchain technology for good charcoal governance in Ivory Coast (pdf FR)