The approach
Starting from an understanding of the field context
Kaern analyses payment systems as hybrid sets of value circulation, organised around flows, constraints and available tools. Before recommending a technology, one must understand what actually circulates, between whom and under what constraints — and where a digital asset genuinely improves the situation rather than weighing it down. It is this reading of the field that grounds every engagement.
The model
Three dimensions to cross-reference
It is how they interact that reveals where a digital asset creates value, and which one.
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01
Flows
Payments, transfers, savings: what circulates, between whom, in which direction.
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02
Constraints
Liquidity, cash-out, regulation, accessibility, trust: what limits or steers these flows.
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03
Tools
Bitcoin, stablecoins, mobile money, cash: the means actually available, and the trade-offs between them.
The proprietary method
Making value measurable
Two tools translate the reading into comparable elements, engagement after engagement. It is the capital Kaern builds over time.
Kaern Value Framework
Value becomes testable: each setup is assessed across seven dimensions.
- Economics
- Access
- Performance
- Resilience
- Security
- Adoption
- Institutional impact
Kaern Digital Money Readiness Index
A corridor-by-corridor reading. Each engagement enriches the base.
- Regulation
- Dollar access
- Liquidity
- Cash-out cost
- Resilience
The scoring grids and the data remain specific to each engagement.
What follows
From reading to engagement
This grid translates into four engagements: diagnostic, feasibility and risks, pilot design, independent oversight. Each can be run on its own or lead into the next.
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