# What is Huma? Huma is the first **PayFi network** - powering real-world payment financing with T+0 on-chain settlement. Huma connects global capital to high-quality real-world payment assets such as cross-border settlements, card payments, and payroll advances. Backed by strategic partners, including **Solana, Circle, Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), Galaxy Digital**, and others - with over **$7 billion** in on-chain transactions, Huma delivers institutional-grade credit infrastructure to DeFi, making real yield instant, transparent, and permissionless. The Huma Protocol is offered in two forms: * **Huma (Permissionless)** – Launched in **April 2025**, this version is open to all, allowing **retail investors** to participate in Huma pools and join the broader PayFi movement. * **Huma Institutional** – A **permissioned** protocol designed for **institutional investors** to access curated payment financing and RWA opportunities. This enables licensed financial institutions to scale responsibly while meeting the surging demand for flexible, compliant financial infrastructure. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.huma.finance/about-huma/what-is-huma.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.