Lomalo Citizen Wallet

Expanding Financial Access

The Lomalo wallet is designed to expand financial access and improve financial inclusion. It is an approved method through which eligible citizens may elect to receive quarterly ENRA distributions.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands occupies an ocean area the size of Mexico, with citizens living and working across more than two dozen inhabited atolls. The country’s geography has created structural barriers to financial access, which has been exacerbated by the retreat of correspondent banking infrastructure across the Pacific – leading to measurable reductions in service delivery, higher costs for citizens, and reduced participation in the formal financial system. These issues are felt most acutely by citizens living outside of Majuro and Ebeye.

The Lomalo wallet is designed for the needs and context of the citizens of the Marshall Islands.

Key Facts

• Use of Lomalo is entirely voluntary. Citizens may join, use, decline or leave Lomalo at any time without penalty.
• Citizens using Lomalo can opt-in to receive quarterly benefit disbursements in USDM1, which is redeemable at par ($1) in U.S. dollars. USDM1 is a digital financial instrument issued by the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Each unit is backed one-to-one by U.S. Treasuries.
• Lomalo is operated by Lomalo Labs, an independent technology contractor authorized by the Ministry of Finance to work with government agencies including MISSA. Lomalo does not create persistent identity records. Citizen data is never monetized or repurposed.
• Lomalo is not a national identification system, a generalized payment system or a bank account. It is designed to work alongside bank accounts, rather than replacing them. Citizens may use Lomalo together with existing accounts at RMI-regulated banks.
• The Republic of the Marshall Islands retains control over benefit delivery infrastructure without the ability to access personal activity data. Lomalo is being developed iteratively, with capabilities expanded as performance is validated.

Phased Rollout of Digital ENRA Disbursement

Cabinet authorized a progressive, phased rollout of digital ENRA disbursements utilizing Lomalo and USDM1 for qualified citizens who opted in to participate, consistent with established practices utilized in U.S. federal program product launches and across international social program delivery. Phases are intentionally limited in scope and are evaluated against operational, program governance and citizen-protection benchmarks.