Blockchain and Software-Defined Radio Drones for Financial Inclusion: A Transaction Monitoring System in Remote Areas of Mali

This work proposes an innovative transaction monitoring system based on blockchain technology to promote financial inclusion in remote areas of Mali, with a particular focus on nomadic communities. The primary objective is to overcome connectivity barriers and provide secure financial services to underserved populations through a hybrid technological approach. Given the challenges posed by the lack of conventional telecom infrastructure, we have developed a hybrid architecture integrating blockchain and drones equipped with software-defined radios (SDRs), acting as mobile network relays. The system provides real-time transaction monitoring secured by smart contracts, resilient offline operations, and interoperability with local mobile money systems. Our methodology involves field deployments and performance measurements in real-world conditions. Experiments conducted in the Ménaka region demonstrate a 92% network availability and reveal positive socioeconomic impacts, including 68 % of previously unbanked users and a 73% reduction in transaction fees. The computational complexity of our solution is significantly lower than traditional blockchain implementations, with a 40 % reduction in latency due to our lightweight consensus protocol. This innovative approach surpasses existing solutions in terms of financial accessibility in constrained environments, paving the way for the expansion of digital financial services to the 27,700 Malian localities identified as priorities by AGEFAU.