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- Stellar Aid Assist (SAA) is leveraging blockchain technology to disburse bulk aid payments to recipients.
- The initiative is being successfully used to deploy aid to recipients in Ukraine, thanks to the combination of MoneyGram Access and the Stellar Disbursement Platform.
Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize humanitarian aid delivery, and Stellar Aid Assist (SAA) is an excellent example of how blockchain can be used for humanitarian causes. SAA was launched in December, with multiple aid organizations leveraging blockchain technology to disburse bulk aid payments to aid recipients. At SDF, the team is experts in payments and knows how to use Stellar to facilitate fast, affordable, and secure transactions.
However, to understand when blockchain could be most useful to humanitarian organizations, the team needed to work with experts in humanitarian aid delivery.
Blockchain can help solve challenges in the aid delivery system, which can range from safety concerns to fraud. By leveraging MoneyGram Access and the Stellar Disbursement Platform, SAA has been used to deploy aid to recipients in Ukraine. MoneyGram Access connects digital wallets to cash-in-and-out on/off ramps in more than 180 countries, while the Stellar Disbursement Platform allows organizations to make bulk payments and view transaction records all in one place.
Open-Source Platform for Bulk Payments
Stellar Disbursement Platform is being made open-source by the end of the third quarter, and anyone can use it. Members of the Stellar ecosystem are already figuring out creative ways to leverage these tools, either on their own or together, to bring their particular use cases to fruition. Developers and entrepreneurs looking to explore on/off ramps or bulk payments can also leverage the platform.
Blockchain Meets Real-World Use
It’s an immense privilege to work with these aid organizations and learn from them how to best provide financial access to the populations that need it most. Reflecting back on Consensus, it’s exciting to see that what SDF has been saying all along is becoming a reality: when blockchain meets real-world use, it can truly change the world for the better.
Blockchain has the potential to change the way humanitarian aid is delivered and how recipients receive aid. By leveraging the benefits of blockchain technology and working with experts in their respective fields, organizations like SAA are paving the way for innovative solutions in the humanitarian aid space. The open-source platform for bulk payments will make it easier for developers and entrepreneurs to create new use cases for the technology.