How Blockchain Is Saving the World-One Billion at a Time (With a Chuckle)

Circle Foundation teams up with UN agencies to overhaul a staggering $38 billion aid system using blockchain and stablecoins-because why not save 20% while you’re at it?

In what can only be described as a plot twist nobody saw coming, Circle Foundation has decided to work with the UN. Yes, the same folks who famously take ages to process aid, are now embracing blockchain faster than you can say “digital revolution”. Blockchain helping aid

Old Systems Are Draining Aid Faster Than Your Water Bill

The humanitarian aid globe is dumping $38 billion into the old-money pit, which is about as efficient as trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it. Traditional banking systems are so sluggish, they make dial-up internet look snappy. But wait, blockchain to the rescue! Pilot programs by UNHCR since 2022 show this tech actually speeds things up, shocker.

Stablecoins-think of them as digital cash with a suit and tie-could slash aid transfer costs by 20%. Plus, they bring transparency and accountability to help prevent aid from vanishing into a Bermuda Triangle of bureaucracy. Elisabeth Carpenter, the big boss at Circle Foundation, insists that upgrading DHoTS (Digital Hub of Treasury Solutions) will make aid faster, saving billions, and possibly stopping aid workers from pulling their hair out.

UN Refugee Agency is Basically Digital Pioneers

Back in 2021, UNHCR introduced their shiny new Digital Hub of Treasury Solutions, joining forces with 15 UN agencies-think of it as the Avengers of aid. These include UNDP, IOM, and WMO, with backup from OECD and ICAO. UNHCR’s head honcho, Barham Salih, praised them for jumping on the blockchain bandwagon early, and claims the upgrade will help UN agencies do their jobs faster, cheaper, and with less paper cuts.

Remember Ukraine? When aid payments started flowing in USDC (that’s stablecoin talk), the game changed. Now, the same digital wizardry could make all aid easier for everyone-if you’re into that sort of thing.

Stablecoins: Faster Than You Can Say “Cross-Border Transfer”

With this grant, infrastructure is getting a turbo boost-say goodbye to slow international banking and hello to near-instant money transfers. Local currencies are blending in more seamlessly with banks, and mobile-money apps are spreading like wildfire.

Manual reporting? Automated. It’s like having a robot assistant, but less creepy. Alexander De Croo from the UN Development Programme points out that these digital coins are not only cost-effective but also lock down your data and keep governments happy.

Circle Foundation, born from an investment by Circle Internet Group and managed by Fidelity Charitable, is on a mission. Their goal: sprinkle financial health and inclusion across the globe, one digital dollar at a time. Because who doesn’t want a little more magic in humanitarian aid?

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2026-01-22 16:03