Fedi will release its complete software stack as open source on January 3, completing the promise it made during its 2024 launch.
The company said all Fedi software has transitioned to the Affero General Public License (AGPL) after an interim period under the Business Source License.
A Fedi spokesperson said the changes require Fedi’s codebase to be released under a copyleft license and derivative works to remain open.
This date is significant in Bitcoin’s history. January 3rd marks the anniversary of the Bitcoin Genesis block, which was mined in 2009. Fedi said the timing reflects a focus on community ownership and grassroots financial infrastructure.
When Fedi launched, it said it aimed to become “the technology of freedom” by giving back control to users and communities. The company said the move to open source delivers on that promise and removes the risk of vendor lock-in for groups that rely on the software.
Fedi is used by communities to build local financial and social systems. Its app combines encrypted messaging, Bitcoin payments, and additional services via mini-app extensions. The wallet infrastructure is powered by the Fedimint protocol, which allows groups to operate shared Bitcoin custody using a federated trust model.
The AGPL license is designed to ensure that improvements remain publicly available even when the software is used in a hosted or networked service. Proponents argue that this aligns development incentives with user interests.
Fedi executives have highlighted the licensing changes in recent public appearances, including a BitcoinMENA pre-show segment featuring CEO Obi Nwosu.
With the transition complete, Fedi joins a growing group of Bitcoin-native projects returning to fully open development as adoption expands beyond early adopters to community-wide use cases.
Fedi: From Chaumian Electronic Cash to the Federal Bitcoin Mint
Fedimint is built on an idea first proposed by cryptographer David Chaum in the early 1980s. Chaumian e-cash allows users to conduct transactions without revealing their identity or transaction history to the issuer. Previous versions of digital cash were not adopted due to centralization, as a single mint controlled issuance and redemption. That structure created trust and censorship risks.
Bitcoin solved the double-spend problem by decentralizing transaction validation across a global network of nodes. This eliminated the need for reliable mints, but it created a trade-off. Transactions are public and throughput remains limited.
Fedimint attempts to bridge these models. It uses Bitcoin as a reserve asset and distributes custody rights across a federation of independent operators known as guardians. No single party controls funds or transaction data. This structure reduces the risk of censorship while protecting user privacy.
Fedi’s goal is to enable communities to deploy shared financial infrastructure without relying on banks or centralized platforms.
The post Fedi goes open source on Bitcoin Genesis Day This post first appeared in Bitcoin Magazine and was written by Micah Zimmerman.