Testnet faucets provide liquidity for builders to use as they create novel applications, leveraging a blockchain’s unique advantages and tooling infrastructure to bring their ideas to life. When Celo was integrating with Farcaster Wallet, developers throughout the ecosystem were invited to bring their ideas to life––but a faucet was not yet natively available. 

Gabe Temtsen, an open-source developer and active contributor to the Celo ecosystem, saw this as an opportunity to build “Bank of Celo,” a Farcaster Mini App where users can easily claim CELO and start building or exploring Celo’s 12+ Mini App ecosystem on Farcaster. During the building process, Gabe recognized that without proper infrastructure in place, bots could potentially drain available liquidity, and individuals could “game the system” by withdrawing the funds despite having no intentions of building or transacting on the Celo blockchain. 

This is why Gabe integrated Self’s proof of humanity and identity verification solution directly into Bank of Celo, making it easy for users to prove their unique personhood to claim CELO. By doing so, Gabe ensured that only real, verified humans were claiming the available tokens to support the longevity of the app.

The Self team caught up with Gabe to discuss the inspiration behind the project, why Self’s identity layer was an important component of the long-term roadmap, and how he plans to scale his project. Read his Q&A below: 

What inspired you to build Bank of Celo?

When I first heard Celo was launching on the Farcaster wallet, I got excited and wanted to create something to help users get deeper into the Celo ecosystem. Testnet faucets make it easier to build and experiment on networks, so I decided to build Bank of Celo to help Farcaster users who might not know about Celo or struggle to get funds. The main idea is simple: OGs donate CELO, and newbies can claim 0.5 CELO to get started using Celo Mini Apps on Farcaster.

When did you decide identity verification was a core pillar?

When I considered rewarding users for being active in the Celo ecosystem, I realized that identity verification was important. It helps reduce bots and people trying to game the system, so I made ID verification a key part of the project.

Why did you choose Self for the identity layer?

After quickly reviewing the documentation, I found Self was easy to implement. By implementing the Self protocol, I could also bring rewards to the Mini App, ensuring its future sustainability.

What’s your vision for the future of your project?

It’s growing fast! We have already added a daily Jackpot feature, which has attracted strong interest from players. Looking ahead, I want Bank of Celo to become the central DeFi hub for Celo Mini Apps on Farcaster, adding more bank-like and decentralized features like savings, pools, and more.

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