NiaRelais
NiaRelais is a savings accountability platform designed to help individuals and communities stay committed to their financial goals.
The platform provides two products:
- Personal Goals — save toward a personal objective with optional custodian verification.
- Savings Circles (SUSU) — community-based rotating savings groups.
The mission of NiaRelais is simple:
Help people keep the promises they make to themselves.
Core Concepts
Personal Goal
A user creates a savings goal and contributes toward it on a recurring basis.
Examples:
- Emergency Fund
- Business Capital
- Hajj Fund
- New Car
- School Tuition
An optional custodian can verify deposits to create additional accountability.
Savings Circle (SUSU)
A circle administrator creates a savings group and adds members.
Members contribute periodically.
The collected amount is paid out to a designated member each round until every member has received a payout.
Product Vision
NiaRelais is not a bank.
NiaRelais is not an investment platform.
NiaRelais is an accountability platform.
The product focuses on:
- Commitment
- Consistency
- Transparency
- Community Accountability
System Architecture
Multi-Tenant Architecture
Every activity occurs inside a RelaisGroup.
A RelaisGroup acts as a tenant boundary.
Examples:
- Hamza Personal Savings
- Family SUSU 2026
- Friends Savings Circle
All goals, deposits, members, and contributions belong to a RelaisGroup.
Main Entities
User
Represents a person using the platform.
RelaisGroup
Represents a private savings space.
GroupMember
Represents membership inside a RelaisGroup.
PersonalGoal
Represents a personal savings objective.
Deposit
Represents a contribution toward a PersonalGoal.
SavingsCircle
Represents a SUSU group.
CircleMember
Represents participation inside a SavingsCircle.
Contribution
Represents a member contribution during a payout round.
PayoutRound
Represents a payout cycle inside a SavingsCircle.
Personal Goal Workflow
Create Goal
→ Record Deposit
→ Custodian Approval (optional)
→ Goal Progress Updates
→ Goal Completed
→ Goal Archived
Goal States
ACTIVE
→ COMPLETED
→ ARCHIVED
Deposit States
PENDING
→ APPROVED
PENDING
→ REJECTED
Savings Circle Workflow
Create Circle
→ Add Members
→ Generate Member IDs
→ Start Circle
→ Members Contribute
→ Payout Round Completes
→ Next Round Begins
→ Circle Completed
Circle States
DRAFT
→ ACTIVE
→ COMPLETED
or
DRAFT
→ ACTIVE
→ CANCELLED
Contribution States
DUE
→ PAID
DUE
→ MISSED
Authentication
Personal Goal Users
Login using:
Savings Circle Members
For MVP:
Circle administrators create members and distribute credentials.
Technology Stack
Frontend
- Next.js
- React
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
Backend
- Next.js Route Handlers
- TypeScript
Database
Authentication
Validation
Forms
Emails
Development Philosophy
Before writing code:
- Define the business problem.
- Define the workflow.
- Discover entities.
- Define entity states.
- Design services.
- Implement code.
Business first.
Code second.
MVP Roadmap
Phase 1
- User Registration
- Authentication
- Personal Goal Creation
- Goal Dashboard
- Deposit Recording
Phase 2
- Custodian Verification
- Goal Completion
- Goal History
Phase 3
- Savings Circle Creation
- Member ID Generation
- Contributions
- Payout Rounds
Phase 4
- Notifications
- Reporting
- Mobile Application
Author
Built by Hamza Mare
NiaRelais — Helping people stay committed to their goals.
