Fedi will release its entire software suite as open source on January 3, completing a promise made at the 2024 launch.
The company said all Fedi software has now moved to the Affero General Public License (AGPL), following an interim period under a commercial source license.
The change makes Fedi’s code base publicly available under a copyleft license that requires derivative works to remain open, according to a Fedi spokesperson.
The date has weight in the history of Bitcoin. Jan. 3 marks the anniversary of Bitcoin’s genesis block, mined in 2009. Fedi said the timing reflects his focus on community ownership and grassroots financial infrastructure.
When Fedi launched, it said its goal was to become a “freedom technology” by returning control to users and communities. The move to open source fulfills that commitment, the company said, and eliminates the risk of vendor lock-in for groups that rely on the software.
Communities use Fedi to build local financial and social systems. Its app combines encrypted messaging, bitcoin payments, and additional services through Mini App extensions. The wallet infrastructure is powered by the Fedimint protocol, which allows groups to operate shared custody of bitcoins using federated trust models.
The AGPL license is designed to ensure that enhancements remain public, even when the software is used on hosted or networked services. Supporters say this aligns development incentives with user interests.
Fedi executives have highlighted the licensing change in recent public appearances, including a BitcoinMENA pre-show segment with CEO Obi Nwosu.
With the transition complete, Fedi joins a growing group of Bitcoin-native projects returning to fully open development as adoption extends beyond early adopters and toward community-scale use cases.
Fedi: from Chaumian electronic cash to federated bitcoin mints
Fedimint is based on ideas first proposed by cryptographer David Chaum in the early 1980s. Chaumian e-cash allows users to make transactions without revealing their identity or transaction history to the issuer. Previous versions of digital cash failed to gain adoption due to centralization, with a single mint controlling issuance and redemption. That structure created trust and censorship risks.
Bitcoin solved the double spending problem by decentralizing transaction validation across a global network of nodes. It eliminated the need for a reliable mint, but introduced trade-offs. Transactions are public and performance remains limited.
Fedimint tries to save these models. It uses Bitcoin as a reserve asset while distributing custody among a federation of independent traders, known as gatekeepers. No party controls the funds or transaction data. This structure reduces the risk of censorship while preserving user privacy.
Fedi’s goal is to allow communities to implement shared financial infrastructure without depending on banks or centralized platforms.