How a Bitcoin savings circle would work

Start with the people and the rules

Before a savings circle needs software, it needs an agreement. Who is participating? What will each person contribute? Who receives the next contribution—and what happens if somebody misses one?

CoinHearted is being designed to help people who already know and trust one another keep that agreement and its record understandable. Its intended role is coordination. Each member would choose a wallet and approve their own payments.

A receiving turn belongs to the order the group agrees on. It is not a referral reward, and the example below does not depend on recruiting more people. The participants and all payment states are fictional.

Four people. Four receiving turns.

Ana, Ben, Cora and Dev agree to four turns, in that order. For this example only, each of the three non-receiving members sends 10,000 satoshis per turn directly to the receiving member. The receiver does not send to themselves. Network fees are excluded.

These are teaching assumptions, not finalized CoinHearted rules or an amount recommendation. The example neither connects a wallet nor sends money.

Illustrative agreement4 people · 4 turns

Choose a receiving turn

Ana’s receiving turn

Ben → Ana10,000 sats recorded
Cora → Ana10,000 sats recorded
Dev → Ana10,000 sats recorded

30,000 sats recorded · 3 of 3 contributions

Show one missed contribution

All three example contributions are recorded. Select another turn to explore the agreed receiving order.

The first turn is shown above. Turn 2 receives at Ben, turn 3 at Cora and turn 4 at Dev. With one missed contribution, the receiver would have 20,000 rather than 30,000 sats recorded. Enable JavaScript to explore the controls.

Across the complete example, each person sends three contributions and receives three contributions, before fees. Rotating the receiving turn does not create extra Bitcoin. It changes when a member receives the other members’ contributions.

The display uses “recorded” as a fictional teaching state. A future product would need to distinguish what is scheduled from what was sent and what has been verified. This illustration does not query the Bitcoin network or prove a payment.

A record cannot make somebody pay

Switch on the missed-contribution example. The receiving member now has two recorded contributions instead of three. A clear interface can make the gap visible; it cannot fill the gap or guarantee that the missing payment will arrive.

The group would need to agree on delays, leaving the circle and disputes before beginning. Those decisions belong in the agreement. The software should not silently invent a new receiving order or present an incomplete turn as complete.

CoinHearted cannot guarantee repayment or that a cycle will finish. Understanding the mechanism is only the start; deciding whether to enter an actual arrangement calls for care about the people, rules and risks involved.

Before the first contribution

Use this discussion guide to identify what your group would need to talk through. Checking an item means “we discussed this,” not that a circle is safe or ready to launch. The checks stay on this page and are not submitted or saved.

Topics to discuss People and expectationsWho takes part, and what does each person understand about the arrangement? Amounts, timing and feesWhat is due, when is it due, and how would fees be handled? Receiving orderWhat is the finite order, and what would count as completing a turn? Wallets and recordsWho approves each payment, and how would the group check its shared record? Delays, exit and disputesWhat happens if a payment is late, someone leaves, or members disagree? Privacy and consentWhat information should members see, and what should stay private?

Mark topics you have discussed.

This is an educational prompt list. It creates no account, agreement, circle or eligibility. A real product would need more design, testing and clear participant expectations.

What CoinHearted would add

The planned tools focus on making a shared agreement easier to follow: what is due, what has been recorded, and whose receiving turn comes next. Reminders and clear records could support an organizer without giving the software control over members’ funds.

Those circle tools remain design previews. Today you can explore the concept and join the research waitlist. Read what wallet responsibility means or the current build note before deciding whether to follow the project.

Keep exploring

All three guides Join the waitlist