Foundation Certification — Circles, Standing, and the Platform

Status: v1.0 draft. Free course open to every Member. Passing earns the Foundation badge and is the prerequisite for the Intermediate Treasurer Certification ladder.

Course at a glance

| Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Fee | Free | | Format | Self-paced; ~6 hours total study | | Modules | Six | | Assessment | 30-question multiple-choice exam | | Pass mark | 24 / 30 (80%) | | Time limit | 60 minutes | | Retake policy | After 7 days; unlimited retakes; no fee | | Open book | No — assessment is closed-book | | Certification valid for | Lifetime; refresh recommended every 3 years |

Why this course exists

Every Member should be able to answer five questions before joining their first Circle: What is a Circle? How does the platform actually hold or not hold money? What is the Standing tier, and what does it mean? What happens if something goes wrong? Who decides what?

The Foundation Certification answers those five questions in a structured way. It is the first rung on the Treasurer ladder, but it is intentionally framed for every Member — Treasurer-aspirants and ordinary Members alike. Passing it gives a Member confidence in the system they are participating in.

Module 1 — What is a Circle?

Learning outcomes. After Module 1, the Member can:

• Explain in plain language what a savings Circle is and how cycles work.
• Name three or more diaspora savings traditions the platform recognises (Pardna, Susu, Chama, Ajo, Hui, Tanda, Paluwagan, Kameti).
• Distinguish a savings Circle from a lending pool and from a regulated savings account.
• Identify the difference between a single-jurisdiction and a cross-border Circle.

Topics covered. History of rotating-savings traditions across the diaspora. The contemporary platform model. The Circle Bylaws as the constitutive document. The role of Members, the Treasurer, the Help Office. The platform's posture: enable, document, settle disputes — not custodianship of the savings tradition itself.

Module 2 — The Custody Framework

Learning outcomes. After Module 2, the Member can:

• Describe the three categories of custody (A regular contributions, B loans + CPR, C cross-border).
• Explain when Members vote on custody model and when they do not.
• State the difference between Member-to-member and escrow-held custody for Category A.
• Recognise the difference between Circlworld as platform (custodian of records) and any bank or credit union (custodian of funds).

Topics covered. The Custody Framework Charter in plain language. Why Categories B and C are escrow-only. The Member-vote requirement for Category A. The Circle Protection Reserve and how it sits in escrow. Why Circlworld never holds Member funds directly.

Module 3 — Standing and the Registrar of Records

Learning outcomes. After Module 3, the Member can:

• Explain what the Standing tier is and what it represents (a measure of reliability across community-savings contexts, on a 0–100 composite).
• Name the five Standing bands and roughly what level each indicates.
• Describe the four layers of custody for Member records (Private Registrar, Community Visibility, Shared Trust Report, Verification Link).
• State the principle that the Member owns their record and Circlworld is custodian only.

Topics covered. The Credibility Methodology. The composite calculation (participation + repayment + endorsements + governance). The Registrar of Records district. Layer-by-layer record disclosure. Why the Standing is never used by Circlworld to gate access to the platform.

Module 4 — How disputes work

Learning outcomes. After Module 4, the Member can:

• Describe the five rooms of the Dispute Settlement Centre.
• Explain mediation privilege (what is said in mediation is not used in adjudication).
• Identify when a concern should be raised in the Circle first vs. escalated.
• State the right of appeal from a Selection Committee decision to the DSC.

Topics covered. The Dispute Settlement Centre Charter. The five rooms (Concerns Desk, Mediation, Adjudication, Appeals, Lessons). The principle of mediation-as-first-response. Cultural context preservation under the Cultural Architecture Policy v2.0. The relationship between Circle Bylaws and the DSC.

Module 5 — What CirclAI is and is not

Learning outcomes. After Module 5, the Member can:

• Distinguish CirclAI from a financial adviser, lawyer, or counsellor.
• Describe the difference between Knowledge mode (default, free) and Drafting mode (paid).
• Recognise when CirclAI must disclose AI assistance (in Plaza posts, in Circle messages, in chat).
• State that CirclAI is never used to train external models on Member data.

Topics covered. The CirclAI knowledge base. The AI Assist Corrections Brief v1.0. AI-disclosure conventions. The Member's right to switch off proactive nudges.

Module 6 — What the Platform does not do

Learning outcomes. After Module 6, the Member can:

• Explain why Circlworld is not a bank, not a Money Service Business under most definitions, and not a registered investment platform.
• Identify the Stripe + bank-account custody pattern.
• Recognise that financial advice is never given by Circlworld; the platform documents and settles.
• State the consumer-protection posture: Members keep all their statutory rights.

Topics covered. The Terms of Service in plain language. Consumer rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. The non-custodial principle (Circlworld holds records, not funds). The honest disclosure principle in all surfaces. The Lender Model — Circles / federations are the lenders through their own co-operative form; Circlworld is the platform, never the lender.

Assessment — sample MCQ bank

Below are 15 sample questions of the type that appear on the live assessment. The live exam draws 30 questions from a larger bank with the same difficulty distribution.

Q1. A Member joins a Pardna in London with eight other Members all resident in the UK. The Members vote to have the Treasurer hold contributions in a designated bank account in their own name. Under the Custody Framework, which category applies?

A. Category A — Member-vote chose Member-to-member custody, permitted because single-jurisdiction. B. Category B — any Member-to-member custody is treated as a loan account. C. Category C — escrow-only required because Pardna is a diaspora tradition. D. None of the above — Circlworld holds the funds.

Correct: A. Rationale: Category A applies to regular cycle contributions in a single-jurisdiction Circle, where the Member vote determines whether custody is Member-to-member or escrow-held. Category B is for loans + CPR (escrow-only). Category C is for cross-border (escrow-only). Circlworld never holds funds directly.

Q2. The Standing tier system goes from 0 to 100. The "Building" band is roughly:

A. 0–24 B. 25–49 C. 50–74 D. 75–100

Correct: C. Rationale: The five bands are roughly 0–24 (Newcomer / Probationary), 25–49 (Emerging), 50–74 (Building), 75–89 (Established), 90–100 (Pillar). The exact thresholds are in the Credibility Methodology.

Q3. A Member's Layer 1 (Private Registrar) record includes their full participation history, every endorsement received, governance actions, community service, and dispute touchpoints. Who can ever see Layer 1 without the Member's consent?

A. Anyone in the Member's Circle. B. Any partner institution the Member has authorised for previous shares. C. Circlworld staff for any operational reason. D. Nobody — except as required by law, by platform governance and dispute resolution, or with the Member's explicit consent.

Correct: D. Rationale: Layer 1 is the Member's private record. Circlworld is custodian; the Member is owner. Disclosure is limited to the three exceptions listed.

Q4. A Circle has a difficult cycle — a Member misses two contributions in a row. The Member's circumstances are personal and they have not explained the missed contributions. What is the first appropriate response under Treasurer Code of Conduct Pillar 5 (mediation as first response)?

A. Open a formal Adjudication proceeding in the DSC. B. Demote the Member's Standing tier immediately. C. Reach out privately to the Member with care, offer a Mediation session, understand what is happening before escalating. D. Inform the other Members of the Circle that the Member is in default.

Correct: C. Rationale: The Code of Conduct's Pillar 5 commits the Treasurer to mediation as the first response. Adjudication is escalation. The Treasurer should not unilaterally adjust Standing (it is computed mechanically, not by Treasurer judgment) and should not breach the missed-contributor Member's privacy by broadcasting the default.

Q5. The Cultural Architecture Policy v2.0 retired which earlier layer of platform decision-making?

A. The Dispute Settlement Centre. B. The Cultural Advisor authority layer. C. The Help Office. D. The Treasurer Earnings Programme.

Correct: B. Rationale: Policy v2.0 retired the Cultural Advisor authority — cultural decisioning is now Member-led through Circle Bylaws, Town Hall, and the Dispute Settlement Centre (case-by-case context handling).

Q6. The Circle Protection Reserve (CPR) is held in:

A. The Treasurer's personal bank account (never permitted under any model). B. A multi-signature escrow account at a regulated bank or credit union. C. A Circlworld custody account. D. A Stripe Connect ledger.

Correct: B. Rationale: CPR is a Category B fund — escrow-only, multi-signature, at a regulated bank or credit union. Never Member-to-member. Never in any Circlworld-controlled account.

Q7. A Member uses CirclAI to draft a private message to another Member. The Drafting mode is activated. Which of the following is the platform's policy?

A. The draft is sent automatically. B. The Member is told the AI assisted the draft; the Member must review and edit before sending; the recipient is shown an AI-disclosure marker on the message. C. The AI's response is treated as the Member's response. D. The recipient receives the draft without any AI marker.

Correct: B. Rationale: AI disclosure conventions require the Member to know AI assisted, the Member to retain editorial control, and the recipient to see the AI marker.

Q8. Which of the following best describes Circlworld's relationship to a Circle's funds?

A. Circlworld holds the funds in trust for the Members. B. Circlworld is the lender of last resort for Circle defaults. C. Circlworld is the platform: it documents the Circle's activity, provides the Standing system, settles disputes; the funds themselves are held by the Treasurer (Category A by vote), or at an escrow bank account (Categories B + C, always; Category A by vote). Circlworld never holds the funds. D. Circlworld is a Money Service Business under the FCA.

Correct: C. Rationale: This is the constitutional position. The platform is non-custodial as to funds; custodial as to records.

Q9. The Five Operating Principles of the platform include all but which one of the following?

A. Non-custodial as to funds. B. Cultural integrity. C. Communication isolation. D. Maximum engagement metrics.

Correct: D. Rationale: The Five Operating Principles are: non-custodial, cultural integrity, communication isolation, additive development, Member protection. Engagement-maximisation is explicitly NOT a platform principle.

Q10. A Member receives a Shared Trust Report from another Member. The Report shows Standing tier, participation history, and dispute history. Under what circumstance can the receiving Member share that Report with a third party?

A. Anytime — Standing data is public. B. Only with the originating Member's explicit consent. C. Anytime, provided the third party is also a Member. D. Anytime, provided the recipient is a regulated institution.

Correct: B. Rationale: The Layer 3 Shared Trust Report is a bounded disclosure. The originating Member controls re-sharing. Any further sharing requires their explicit consent.

Q11. An Endorsement on the platform should:

A. Be paid for. B. Be earned through gameable behaviour (likes, streaks). C. Be a genuine attestation of trust, written by a Member who has firsthand experience with the Member being endorsed. D. Be automatically generated based on participation metrics.

Correct: C. Rationale: Endorsements are first-party attestations. The platform never auto-generates them, never sells them, never gates them behind streaks or other gameable behaviour.

Q12. The Pulse is:

A. A trading desk for Circle shares. B. A live ticker of activity across the platform — Circle cycles, dispute resolutions, Treasurer milestones, governance proposals — surfaced as ambient awareness. C. A leaderboard of Members by Standing. D. A Subreddit for diaspora savings.

Correct: B. Rationale: The Pulse is the ambient awareness layer. Not a leaderboard, not a marketplace, not a forum.

Q13. A Treasurer in a single-jurisdiction Circle wants to move to escrow-held custody mid-cycle. What is required?

A. The Treasurer can switch unilaterally. B. A 75% supermajority Member vote. C. A simple majority Member vote. D. Circlworld permission.

Correct: B. Rationale: Under the Custody Framework, mid-life changes to the custody model require a 75% supermajority Member vote (per §5 Multi-custody Circles and §6.2).

Q14. The right of appeal from a Selection Committee decision is to:

A. The Treasurer Council. B. The Town Hall. C. The Dispute Settlement Centre. D. The Member Agreement Schedules.

Correct: C. Rationale: Per the Selection Committee Charter, appeals route to the DSC. Council Charter §10 also references this.

Q15. The Treasurer Earnings Programme (TEP) compensates Treasurers in the form of:

A. A salary paid by Circlworld. B. Fees billed to Circlworld through Treasurer-issued invoices, in their capacity as independent contractors. C. A share of Member contributions. D. A bonus tied to Member Standing changes.

Correct: B. Rationale: TEP fees are platform fees, billed by the Treasurer as an independent contractor (not employment). Treasurer compensation is never sourced from Member contributions.

Assessment policy

Pass mark and grading

Pass mark is 24 out of 30 (80%). The platform displays only pass / fail — no granular percentage.

Time limit

60 minutes for 30 questions. The clock starts when the Member opens the assessment; pausing is not supported.

Retake policy

A failed first attempt may be retaken after 7 days, with no fee for the Foundation Certification (this is the only course with unlimited free retakes). Any later attempt re-tries from a fresh question bank — no memorisation of prior questions.

Identity verification

The Member is identified by their platform login session. KYC level need not exceed Level 1 for Foundation.

Open vs. closed book

The assessment is closed-book. No reference materials, no AI assistance, no community help during the timed assessment.

Continuing development

Foundation Certification is valid for lifetime. Refresh at 3-year intervals is recommended but not required; if the Member retakes and passes after 3 years, the badge timestamp updates.

Recognition

Members who pass receive:

• The Foundation Certification badge in their Standing surface (Layer 2 visibility).
• A verifiable certification entry visible on their public Trust Profile (Layer 2 surfaces).
• An optional Community Participation log entry (counts toward Standing under the Credibility Methodology).
• A SHA-256-signed certification record verifiable at /verify/cert/[id].

Cross-references

• Custody Framework Charter v1.0 — Module 2 source.
• Credibility Methodology — Module 3 source.
• Dispute Settlement Centre Charter — Module 4 source.
• CirclAI Knowledge Base v1.0 + AI Assist Corrections Brief v1.0 — Module 5 source.
• Terms of Service, Statement of Operating Principles, Cultural Architecture Policy v2.0 — Module 6 source.

— End of the Foundation Certification —

Version history

| Version | Date | Change | Process | |---|---|---|---| | v1.0 | 2026-06-03 | Initial draft | Drafted 2026-06-03; counsel + Pedagogy Council review required before publication |

Plain-language one-line summary

The free Foundation Certification — six modules, 30 MCQs, 60 minutes — gives every Member a confident understanding of Circles, the Custody Framework, the Standing tier system, dispute resolution, AI use, and what the platform does and does not do. Prerequisite for the Intermediate Treasurer Certification.