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Acre — Privacy-Preserving Income Verification for Gig Workers

Typing SVG

ACRE LIVE: https://acre-web-three.vercel.app

DEMO: https://youtu.be/Ih3T59cOI_I

APP_ID: 758797725 (Algorand Testnet)

Table of Contents

  1. Problem Statement
  2. Solution Overview
  3. High-Level Architecture
  4. System Components
  5. User Journey
  6. Screenshots
  7. Why Algorand
  8. Privacy & Compliance
  9. Smart Contract Logic
  10. Project Structure
  11. Tech Stack
  12. Live Demo & Deployment
  13. Installation & Setup
  14. Use Cases
  15. Roadmap
  16. References
  17. Team
  18. Track Alignment

The Problem We're Solving


India's 1.2 crore gig workers — Uber drivers, Swiggy delivery partners, Upwork freelancers — earn consistently.
Yet they remain credit-invisible to formal lenders and face a false choice:
Financial Access OR Data Privacy


The Core Challenge

Challenge Impact
Raw bank statements shared with lenders Privacy violations & DPDP breaches
Platform earnings exposed openly Aggregation & misuse risks
Centralized data storage Single point of failure
No formal employment records Instant rejection by traditional lenders

The Scale

  • ~1.2 crore gig workers in India (growing ecosystem)
  • ~40% of informal earners credit-constrained (World Bank)
  • 10.9 crore loans by fintechs (FY24-25) — yet gig workers excluded

How Acre Solves It

Acre is a privacy-preserving income verification protocol that allows gig workers to cryptographically prove their earning capacity — without exposing any raw financial data.

What Workers Prove (Without Revealing)

Provable Hidden
✓ monthly_income > ₹40,000 ❌ Exact amounts
✓ income_consistent_for_6_months ❌ Transactions
✓ income_band = tier_2 ❌ Platform names
✓ Credit eligible ❌ Account balance

How It Works (In One Line)

Worker connects income → ZK proof generated locally → proof submitted to Algorand → verified eligibility → loans issued

3. High-Level Architecture

flowchart LR
    subgraph User
        W[Worker]
    end

    subgraph "Acre Application"
        FE[Frontend]
        BE[Backend]
    end

    subgraph "Reclaim Protocol"
        RA[Attestors + zk-TLS]
        ZKC[Noir ZK Circuit]
    end

    subgraph Blockchain
        ASC["Acre Smart Contract<br/>on Algorand"]
    end

    L[Lender / Fintech]

    W --> FE
    FE --> RA
    RA --> ZKC
    ZKC --> FE
    FE --> BE
    BE --> ASC
    L --> ASC
Loading

4. System Components

Component Tech Stack Responsibility
Frontend React 18 + TypeScript + Vite + Tailwind UI, Wallet (Pera), Reclaim SDK, Opt-in
Backend Node.js + Express Proof verification, tier calculation, chain submission
Reclaim Protocol zk-TLS + Attestor Network Secure data attestation & ZK proof generation
Smart Contract PyTeal (ARC-4) Immutable eligibility storage & queries
Blockchain Algorand Testnet Finality, low fees, atomicity

5. User Journey Architecture

sequenceDiagram
    participant W as Gig Worker
    participant F as acre-web
    participant R as Reclaim
    participant B as Backend
    participant SC as Smart Contract
    participant L as Lender

    W->>F: Connect Wallet + Verify Income
    F->>R: Create QR Session
    W->>R: Scan QR & Login to Uber
    R->>W: Generate ZK Proof
    W->>F: Proof Received
    F->>B: POST /verify-proof
    B->>B: Verify ECDSA + Calculate Tier
    B->>SC: verify_income()
    SC-->>B: Confirmed
    B-->>F: Success (Tier 2, ₹25,000)
    F-->>W: Verification Complete
    L->>SC: get_eligibility(wallet)
    SC-->>L: Credit Limit
Loading

6. Screenshots

1. Product Feature Overview

Features

2. Protocol Flow / How Acre Works

How It Works

3. User Dashboard

User Dashboard

4. Proof Generation Workspace

proof generation

5. Reclaim QR Scan Step

qr-scan

6. Data Source Connected (Uber)

uber-connected

7. Verification In Progress

in-process

8. Proof Successfully Generated

proof-generated

9. Lender Verification Dashboard

verification

Why Algorand

Property Why It Matters for Acre
⚡ Sub-3s Finality Workers get loan confirmation near-instantly
💰 ~0.001 ALGO/tx Microloan issuance economically viable at any size
🔗 Atomic Transfers Collateral + disbursement in single transaction
🎯 ASA Support Native stablecoin support (USDC, INR-pegged)
🏛️ Deterministic Execution Credit rules behave identically every time
🗂️ ARC-4 ABI Clean SDK integration for fintech partners
📊 Indexer Audit trails for RBI / regulatory reporting

Privacy & Compliance (DPDP Act)

Built from the ground up to align with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

DPDP Principle Acre Implementation
Data Minimization Only income predicates revealed — never raw transactions
Purpose Limitation Data used exclusively for credit eligibility
Storage Limitation Zero raw financial data stored anywhere
Consent-based Worker explicitly approves proof generation
Verifiability Cryptographic proofs provide audit trails
Right to Erasure On-chain state nullifiable; off-chain data never stored

Regulatory Audit Trail

  • ✓ Algorand Indexer provides immutable event logs
  • ✓ Logs contain only proof hashes & eligibility outcomes (no PII)
  • ✓ Suitable for RBI / fintech regulator reporting

9. Smart Contract Logic

App ID (Testnet): 758797725

Key Features:

  • Local state per user (~70 bytes)
  • Only designated verifier can write
  • Permissionless read methods (get_eligibility, get_full_profile, etc.)
  • Replay protection via proof hash
  • Timestamp freshness checks

See CONTRACT.md for full specification.

10. Project Structure

This is a multi-repo project:

  • acre-web → Frontend (React + Vite) → Link
  • acre → Node.js Express server
  • acre-contract → PyTeal smart contract → Link

🛠️ Tech Stack

Layer Technology
Blockchain Algorand AVM, PyTeal Smart Contracts
Privacy Reclaim Protocol (zk-TLS), Noir ZK Circuits
Frontend React 18 + TypeScript + Vite + Tailwind CSS
Backend Node.js + Express + Algorand SDK
Proof Verification ECDSA signature validation
Compliance DPDP Act 2023 aligned

11. Live Demo & Deployment

Environment Variables

Variable Required Description
VITE_RECLAIM_APP_ID Yes Reclaim app ID
VITE_RECLAIM_APP_SECRET Yes Reclaim secret
VITE_RECLAIM_PROVIDER_ID Yes Reclaim provider ID
VITE_BACKEND_VERIFY_URL Yes Backend verify endpoint
VITE_ALGORAND_APP_ID Yes Target Algorand app ID
VITE_ALGOD_SERVER Yes Algod RPC URL
VITE_ALGOD_TOKEN No Algod token (if required)

⚙️ Installation & Local Setup

Get Acre running locally in 5 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Node.js v18+
  • Pera or Defly Wallet
  • Testnet ALGO in two accounts (Verifier + Testing)

1. Clone Repositories

git clone https://github.com/somehowliving/acre-web.git
git clone https://github.com/somehowliving/acre.git

2. Frontend (acre-web)

cd acre-web
npm install
cp .env.example .env

Configure .env:

VITE_RECLAIM_APP_ID=your_app_id
VITE_RECLAIM_APP_SECRET=your_secret
VITE_RECLAIM_PROVIDER_ID=uber_provider_id
VITE_BACKEND_VERIFY_URL=http://localhost:3001/verify-proof
VITE_ALGORAND_APP_ID=758797725
VITE_ALGOD_SERVER=https://testnet-api.algonode.cloud

Run:

npm run dev

3. Backend (acre-backend)

cd ../acre
npm install
cp .env.example .env

Configure .env:

APP_ID=758797725
ALGOD_SERVER=https://testnet-api.algonode.cloud
VERIFIER_MNEMONIC=your_25_word_mnemonic_here
ADMIN_MNEMONIC=your_admin_mnemonic_here

Run:

npm start

Quick Start Summary

  1. Start Backend (npm start)
  2. Start Frontend (npm run dev)
  3. Open http://localhost:8080
  4. Connect wallet → Verify Income → Scan QR with phone

Live Demo: acre-web-three.vercel.app

💡 Real-World Use Cases

🛵 Gig Worker Microloans

Swiggy delivery partner with 8 months of ₹35,000/month → ZK proof → ₹25,000 working capital loan (no bank statement required)

💼 Freelancer Credit Lines

Upwork freelancer proves income consistency → access rolling credit line for equipment purchases

🛒 Privacy-Preserving BNPL

Fintech integrates Acre SDK → offer BNPL at checkout → eligibility verified in seconds

🏦 Decentralized Lending Pools

DeFi protocols on Algorand use verified income signal as undercollateralized loan indicator

🗺️ Roadmap

Phase Timeline Milestone
Phase 1 Current Bank AA connector, Noir circuit, Algorand contract
Phase 2 Month 1–2 Uber, Swiggy, Razorpay connectors; SDK alpha
Phase 3 Month 3–4 NBFC/fintech pilot; 100 test users
Phase 4 Month 5–6 DeFi lending pool; reputation scoring; RBI sandbox
Phase 5 Month 7–12 Multi-chain support; insurance; credit bureau integration

15. References

  1. NITI Aayog — India's Booming Gig and Platform Economy (2022)
  2. World Bank — SME Finance Overview: Credit Constraints in Emerging Markets
  3. MSME Annual Report 2024–25 — Ministry of MSME, Government of India
  4. SIDBI — MSME Sector Report 2024–25
  5. RBI — Account Aggregator Framework Documentation
  6. Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 — Ministry of Electronics and IT
  7. TLSNotary — Privacy-Preserving Data Provenance from Web2 Sources, tlsnotary.org
  8. Noir Language Documentation — noir-lang.org
  9. Algorand Developer Documentation — developer.algorand.org
  10. LiveMint / Economic Survey coverage — Gig worker credit access (2025–26)

👥 Team

zkFarmers — Building Privacy for Millions

Member Role
Nidhi Prajapati [https://github.com/somehowliving] Blockchain & ZK Engineer

🎯 Track Alignment

Track How Acre Fits
Future of Finance Privacy-preserving lending infrastructure for India's gig economy
DPDP & RegTech Built-in DPDP Act compliance via data minimization & ZK proofs

✨ Acre doesn't ask gig workers to choose between privacy and financial access.
It proves they never had to. ✨

Built with ♥ for India's 1.2 crore gig workers

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