Presentation Questions

Question 1

What is an ALE (Automated Legal Entity)?

Answer 1

An Automated Legal Entity (ALE) is a legal structure that pools investor funds into a single company, allowing more than 100 people to indirectly own shares while complying with OHADA’s shareholder cap.

Question 2

What is COSUMAF?

Answer 2

COSUMAF stands for Commission de Surveillance du Marché Financier de l’Afrique Centrale. It is the financial market regulator for CEMAC member states, overseeing stock market operations.

Question 3

What is CEMAC?

Answer 3

CEMAC stands for the Central African Economic and Monetary Community. It is a regional bloc that includes countries like Cameroon, Chad, and Gabon, with a shared currency and financial regulations.

Question 4

Which regulators should be engaged for this platform?

Answer 4

COSUMAF for stock market oversight, and CEMAC for regional financial integration. Engaging both ensures compliance with OHADA and regional investment laws.

Question 5

What is the difference between an application and a platform?

Answer 5

An application is a single-purpose tool, while a platform offers a broader ecosystem of features and integrations, supporting multiple use cases and user interactions.

Question 6

Why did you choose this particular project topic?

Answer 6

Because it addresses financial exclusion in Cameroon by enabling ordinary citizens to invest in stocks using mobile money and fractional shares.

Question 7

How is this different from MTN MoMo or Orange Money?

Answer 7

Those services are for basic money transfers and payments. My platform enables investment in the stock market with pooled and fractional shares.

Question 8

Why is fractional stock trading important for Cameroon?

Answer 8

It lowers the barrier to entry, allowing people with limited funds to invest and grow wealth gradually, increasing financial inclusion.

Question 9

Why is the 100-shareholder cap such a big issue under OHADA law?

Answer 9

It limits broad public participation in company ownership. Without workarounds like ALEs, mass investment would be legally restricted.

Question 10

How does your platform comply with OHADA regulations?

Answer 10

By using pooled investment structures through ALEs to avoid exceeding the 100-shareholder limit in any single legal entity.

Question 11

What are the legal risks of using ALEs?

Answer 11

They must be carefully designed to avoid violating corporate governance rules. That’s why early regulatory engagement is critical.

Question 12

What if COSUMAF or CEMAC rejects your ALE model?

Answer 12

Then alternative pooling methods or new legal interpretations would need to be proposed. The system would have to adapt or operate in a limited simulation environment.

Question 13

How is share ownership tracked when using ALEs?

Answer 13

Each investor’s contribution is recorded digitally, and the ALE holds the official shares, while the platform tracks internal ownership rights among participants.

Question 14

Is the ALE model currently legal or only proposed?

Answer 14

It is compliant under current OHADA structures if properly managed, but formal validation from COSUMAF is recommended for live deployment.

Question 15

Why did you use the MERN stack?

Answer 15

It’s open-source, scalable, and allows full-stack development with JavaScript, which reduced complexity and made integration easier.

Question 16

What are the risks of using MongoDB for financial data?

Answer 16

It is document-based and may not handle relational integrity like SQL databases, but it’s fast, scalable, and suitable for MVP development.

Question 17

How do you handle real-time stock updates?

Answer 17

Using Socket.IO to push live data from the backend to the frontend, simulating real-time market updates.

Question 18

Why use Socket.IO and not raw WebSockets?

Answer 18

Socket.IO simplifies connection management, fallback handling, and broadcasting, making real-time updates more reliable.

Question 19

Why did you choose the Waterfall model?

Answer 19

Because it allowed me to plan and execute each phase sequentially, which suited my solo development setup and fixed project timeline.

Question 20

Can this platform be extended outside Cameroon?

Answer 20

Yes, with regulatory adaptation, it can scale to other CEMAC countries sharing similar legal frameworks and financial systems.

Question 21

How does mobile money integration with Fapshi work?

Answer 21

The platform connects to Fapshi’s API to initiate deposits and withdrawals, using secure tokens and transaction confirmations.

Question 22

How did you ensure transaction security?

Answer 22

Through JWT authentication, secure HTTPS requests, and planned encryption of sensitive data like wallet balances.

Question 23

Did you implement encryption or tokenization?

Answer 23

Yes, JWTs are used for session security. Further encryption can be added during deployment, especially for financial data.

Question 24

How did you test KYC and stock trading features?

Answer 24

Using Postman for API tests, and testing-library tools on the frontend with custom test scripts for critical features.

Question 25

How scalable is your current setup?

Answer 25

It's scalable to an extent, but migrating to AWS/GCP with load balancing and autoscaling is recommended for thousands of users.

Question 26

How did you make the platform user-friendly?

Answer 26

By designing intuitive interfaces in Figma, focusing on simplicity, and planning for translations and tooltips.

Question 27

Why is localization into French and Pidgin needed?

Answer 27

To make the platform accessible to the majority of Cameroonians who may not speak English fluently.

Question 28

What educational tools are planned?

Answer 28

In-app guides, tooltips, and chatbot support to explain investment concepts and guide users step by step.

Question 29

What does the MVP currently support?

Answer 29

User registration, login, wallet deposits/withdrawals, simulated stock buying/selling, and pooling logic.

Question 30

Which features are still under development?

Answer 30

Real stock market integration, full KYC automation, live order matching, and regulatory reporting.

Question 31

What was the biggest technical challenge?

Answer 31

Integrating mobile money APIs and simulating real-time stock transactions reliably.

Question 32

What would you do differently with more time?

Answer 32

Implement real trading logic, full legal verification with COSUMAF, and deploy to a production-grade server.

Question 33

Is blockchain integration realistic?

Answer 33

Not yet in Cameroon’s regulated environment, but it’s a promising area for long-term decentralization.

Question 34

Can tokenized shares comply with current laws?

Answer 34

Only with approval from COSUMAF and legal backing, otherwise they may violate securities regulations.

Question 35

What are the challenges of regional expansion?

Answer 35

Each CEMAC country has slight regulatory variations. KYC/AML harmonization and licensing are required.

Question 36

Can AI-based trading suggestions be trusted?

Answer 36

They must be carefully trained and monitored to avoid overexposure or promoting risky behavior.

Question 37

Can you explain pooling simply?

Answer 37

It's like many people putting money into one pot (ALE), which then buys shares on their behalf, with digital tracking of each person’s portion.

Question 38

What makes your platform unique?

Answer 38

It combines fractional investing, regulatory compliance, mobile money, and localized UI into one accessible system.

Question 39

What is the difference between simulating and real trading?

Answer 39

Simulation mimics real market behavior without actual transactions, useful for testing and education.

Question 40

What if many users sell at once—how is liquidity handled?

Answer 40

Initially, trades are simulated, but in a real setup, liquidity would depend on pooling volume and market-maker logic.