Community Update August 2025

Hey there, Connect Financial community! We’re excited to bring you the latest community update for you to review. It’s been a busy time here at Connect on a number of different fronts, and we’ve got a lot to share.

There’s a lot here, so Christo will be holding a mini-AMA to answer any questions you may have.

Introducing: Founder Memberships

The Connect Financial community has played a critical role in transforming our idea into a market-ready product. To honor early supporters who staked CNFI during our initial phase, we’re launching the Founder Membership program.

Background

In 2022, we built out the Connect Financial DAO that allowed decentralized governance and rewards through the $CNFD token. In the context of a shifting regulatory landscape, partner requirements and legal advice, we made the difficult decision to discontinue development of ConnectDAO.

Since then, we’ve been quietly developing an alternative way to reward both long term holders of CNFI and early adopters of the Connect Financial product suite.

Founder Membership program

Once the platform goes live, all of our customers will be able to secure a Founder Membership tier (Silver, Gold, Platinum & Black). These tiers behave in exactly the same way as our previously communicated membership tiers, with one key exception: Founder Members will share in the company’s success.

How it works:

1. Commit CNFI: Commit your CNFI into a Founder Membership tier on the Customer Platform during the eligibility window.
2. Quarterly Revenue Allocation: Every 90 days, a portion of the company’s net revenue is used to buy CNFI on the open market.
3. Prorated Disbursement: Rewards are distributed based on your CNFI commitment plus tier bonus relative to the total Founder Members pool.

Example:

• Your membership tier: Platinum
• Your commitment: 140,000 CNFI, plus 30% Platinum Bonus
• Total Weight: 182,000
• Total Founder Pool (Weighted): 10,000,000 CNFI.
• Quarterly revenue allocation: $100,000.
• CNFI Average price: $0.40.
• CNFI to be distributed: $100,000 / $0.40 = 250,000 CNFI.
• Your share: (182,000 / 10,000,000) * 250,000 = 4,550 CNFI.

Eligibility

Founder Memberships will be available to all members for the first six months from the official launch of the customer portal.

Your Founder Membership level is set at the commencement of your initial membership. This means that you can add additional CNFI to your commitment to get a higher proportion of the reward pool, but you must maintain your original founder member level to remain eligible for rewards.

Required commitment levels, withdrawing and rebalancing CNFI

Founder Memberships are set at the following levels (that we’ve used since inception) and require a minimum of a 1 year commitment:

• Silver: 5,000 CNFI, capped at a maximum of $1,500 of CNFI
• Gold: 20,000 CNFI, capped at a maximum of $7,500 of CNFI
• Platinum: 100,000 CNFI, capped at a maximum of $50,00 of CNFI
• Black: 200,000 CNFI, capped at a maximum of $250,000 of CNFI

In addition to the minimum commitment levels, you may commit additional CNFI to your Founder Membership in order to get a larger proportion of the rewards pool. You may remove excess CNFI at any point and retain your membership level.

Your quarterly rewards will be deposited into your Primary Wallet and may be recommitted, withdrawn, used to upgrade your membership.

The Founder Membership is, of course, eligible for rebalancing should the price of CNFI increase. When rebalancing, you may be able to withdraw a portion of your committed CNFI while still retaining your membership level. Note, rebalancing is a feature that will be released shortly after launch of the customer portal.

Staking Portal Updates

Daily staking rewards via the portal will end at platform launch. The portal and smart contract will remain operational, however staking CNFI there will no longer yield incentives. All withdrawal penalties will be removed at that point also.

FAQs

Q: Who is this program for?

A: The Founder Membership program has been designed as a thank you for all of our valued community members that have stayed with us while we have been developing the Connect Financial product. In addition, this program also serves as an incentive for new adopters.

Q: Who qualifies for the Founder Membership program?

A: Users who commit CNFI to a Silver-tier or higher membership within the first six months of launch. Continuous eligibility requires maintaining your Founder membership tier.

Q: I Missed the six month window… Can I still join?

A: If you’ve been a long-term CNFI holder and you’ve missed the eligibility window, contact us. Though exceptions are not expected to be granted, we will review them on a case by case basis.

Q: How are disbursements calculated?

A: Rewards are based on:

1. Quarterly revenue allocation (discretionary by the company).
2. CNFI’s market price.
3. Your weighted CNFI commitment vs. the Founder Members’ CNFI pool weighted total.

Q: Can I increase my rewards by committing more CNFI later?

A: Commitments are evaluated based on the lowest CNFI amount held during the quarter. Adding CNFI mid-period won’t boost your share in that period, but will be counted in subsequent rewards periods.

Q: How and when are rewards paid?

A: Rewards will arrive in your Primary Wallet within 30 days of each quarter’s end. Tokens are fully vested and can be:

• Re-committed and added to the Founder Membership pool.
• Used to upgrade membership.
• Transferred off-platform.

Q: I started with a Gold Founder Membership, but upgraded to a Platinum membership after 12 months. Will I continue to receive my disbursement?

A: As long as your new membership tier is higher than your original tier, you will continue to receive rewards but only on your tier accepted during the enrollment period. If you upgrade your membership outside of that window you will retain reward eligibility at the level obtained but will receive all Platform and membership benefits of the higher tier.

Q: What happens if I downgrade my Founder membership tier?

A: Continuous eligibility for Founder rewards requires you to maintain your original Founder tier membership or higher. Downgrading your membership removes you from the rewards program in its entirety.

Q: How do I manage my Founder Membership?

A: After signing up for a Founder Membership, you will be invited to a private Telegram group for Founder Members. No tools will exist on the Customer Portal to specifically track membership allocation.

Q: What happened to the ConnectDAO snapshot?

A: Sometime ago, a snapshot was taken of all CNFI holders for the purpose of a planned ConnectDAO airdrop. This program replaces the ConnectDAO concept and the snapshot is not being considered in the Founder Members program.

Q: Will staking rewards continue after Founder Membership launches?

A: No. The Staking Portal’s daily CNFI rewards stop at platform launch. Remaining staked CNFI will not generate returns.

Q: When will the first Founder Membership period begin?

A: The first quarter will commence at the beginning of the first calendar quarter following the expiration of the six month eligibility period (unless eligibility ends at the beginning of a quarter). This allows the platform to be fully launched, with users onboarded and using our products and all founder levels locked into place.

For example:

If we open enrollment October 1st, the eligibility period will close April 1st, and the first counted quarter would be Q2 since April 1 is the start of a quarter. If we open enrollment November 1st, May 1st would be the end and Q3 would be the first counted quarter.

Q: Will the Founder Members program change over time?

A: Although it is our intention that the Founder Members program will be a fruitful and enduring rewards program, Connect Financial reserves the right to modify the eligibility, duration and CNFI distribution schedule at any time.

Beta Phase — Exclusive Access to Core Features

Our initial step towards the official platform launch will involve launching a beta access phase for select users. This controlled rollout will provide early access to essential functions, including digital asset-custody, trading and membership acquisition. By limiting participation, we aim to ensure a seamless and secure experience, allowing us to obtain feedback and refine features ahead of a broader release.

1. Digital asset custody will be available for deposit and withdrawal of a select number of blue-chip digital assets on select networks.
2. Trading will be available for major asset pairs, including USD. Most trade sizes will be able to be accommodated, however for very large trades, you’ll be able to contact us for a custom quote through the OTC concierge. While banking will not be available via the portal at launch, we can facilitate USD withdrawals and deposits on application.
3. The ability to obtain and register for membership within the Connect Financial ecosystem will enable the purchase and commitment of CNFI to secure a Founder Membership. CNFI will be able to be purchased over-the-counter with zero fees for the purpose of securing a membership. Note, CNFI will not be available to trade on the platform, however you will be able to transfer excess CNFI (including your Founder rewards) off the platform at your discretion.

All of these features will be iteratively improved over time, including the ability to rebalance memberships, schedule auto-buys and so on.

Card launch

Our flagship product, the Connect Financial credit card, will be rolled out in the weeks following the initial release described above.

The first stage of cards rollout will be limited to virtual cards only. These cards are designed to bridge the gap between digital assets and everyday transactions, offering secure and convenient ways of spending digital assets in real world scenarios. By starting with virtual cards, we get an opportunity to test, evaluate and enhance performance of operations, and ensure this feature works seamlessly.

You’ll be able to use your card in a totally unrestricted manner by adding it to Apple Wallet or Google Pay, or using card details to make online purchases. Physical cards will be released as a future enhancement to the platform, at this stage targeting Q1 2026. Some features are only available with physical cards, for example, ATM withdrawals.

During this period, we will be focusing on purchases, billing and interest/fee processing. Reward Points and platform perks will be released over time, although we may decide to retroactively pay a discretionary portion of reward points based on your usage at a later stage. Of course, you will be able to take advantage of the full suite of Visa Platinum, Signature and Infinite benefits from day one based on your card/membership tier.

Community Feedback — Shaping the Future Together

Your input is and always has been invaluable to us. During the beta phase, we will conduct structured feedback rounds to gather insights from participants. This process will allow us to understand what resonates, identify areas for improvement, and implement enhancements that align with your needs.

Whether it’s refining the trading interface or enhancing custody features, your feedback will directly influence the platform’s development. That’s quite exciting for us, as we know our long-standing community will have a lot of valuable feedback for us, but it’s also exciting for us to begin bringing our community into the Connect Financial world — we know you’ve waited for this, so we equally can’t wait to bring you aboard!

Our commitment to iteration ensures that Connect Financial evolves in response to your experiences. We view this as a collaborative effort, where your voice plays a central role in shaping a platform that is both intuitive and impactful.

A Phased Rollout

The launch will follow a phased approach, with full functionality introduced incrementally. Going this route allows us to prioritize quality and stability, and deliver features in stages to ensure each is thoroughly tested and optimized for final roll out. As outlined above, the beta phase involves a focus on core offerings, with additional features such as access to rewards programs to be introduced in subsequent iterations.

Through this measured approach, we aim to construct a robust and comprehensive platform. Each phase aims to build upon the previous, ensuring that each new feature enhances the overall experience. We appreciate the patience of our community while we work toward the final and fully realized vision of Connect Financial.

How to Get Involved

For those interested in participating in the beta phase, we will share details via our community channels on how to apply.

Participants will be selected to represent a cross-section of our community, ensuring diverse perspectives inform our development process. For all others, we will be providing regular updates to keep you informed as we approach the broader launch.

Thank you for your continued support and trust in Connect Financial. We are excited to embark on this journey together and look forward to delivering a platform that reflects our shared vision. Should you have questions or suggestions, please reach out — we always value your perspective.

A Vision for the Future

This update from our point of view represents more than a technical milestone; it is an invitation to join us in redefining financial empowerment. The beta phase is the first step in a broader journey, one that we are eager to share with our community. We are committed to building a platform that not only meets your needs but also inspires confidence and trust.

Keep a close eye on things as we get things moving!

As always, stay safe, look after each other and stay hydrated!

Connect Financial