Methodology
The Regenerative Credit Curation Framework (v1.0) is the intellectual backbone of USDREFI. It is a structured, repeatable methodology for evaluating on-chain credit originators. Every lending source that feeds USDREFI yield must pass through this framework.
This is what makes USDREFI "regenerative" — not by label, but by verified standard.
Three Core Standards
Every originator is evaluated against three non-negotiable standards:
Financially Sound — The originator operates with integrity, transparency, and sustainable credit practices. Loan structures are fair, default histories are disclosed, and on-chain verifiability is present.
Socially Just — Loans reach genuinely excluded borrowers and produce measurable improvements in their lives. This means real financial inclusion, not just fintech with a green label.
Ecologically Safe — Credit flows avoid planetary harm and ideally finance regeneration. Lending sectors are evaluated against ecological ceilings and resource use impacts.
The Minimum Bar
To be included in the USDREFI basket, an originator must achieve a Bennett Average of 1.5 or above, placing it in the "Sustainable DeFi" classification at minimum. This means the originator demonstrates a genuine inclusion mission with real, measured outcomes.
Originators scoring below this threshold — or scoring 1 (Conventional) across all Bennett dimensions — are not eligible, regardless of their financial returns.
Governance & Re-evaluation
All active positions are reviewed on an annual cycle, with triggered re-evaluations for material changes such as ownership transitions, defaults, rate changes, or new impact data.
Automatic downgrade review is triggered by:
PAR 90 exceeding 25% for two consecutive quarters
Unresolved defaults
Loss of key institutional backing
New protocols must complete all gates before any allocation, with minimum documentation including audited pool data, rate disclosure, borrower profile, and originator KYB.