Overview
- UNDP and the Stellar Development Foundation agreed to extend their partnership through 2027 to move blockchain payment pilots into wider operational use across UNDP country offices.
- Sixteen months of pilots reported large cost cuts and strong reliability, with transaction fees falling from about 10% to 2% and near‑perfect on‑chain delivery in low‑connectivity settings.
- Field cases showed the system kept payments flowing during a cellular outage in Haiti and delivered cash‑for‑work stipends in Aleppo despite minimal internet access.
- UNDP launched a 26‑member Blockchain Advisory Group that includes SDF to set governance, best practices and safeguards for humanitarian blockchain payments.
- Parallel industry moves — MoneyGram issuing an MGUSD stablecoin on Stellar and DTCC planning tokenization services with SDF — are building custody and token infrastructure that could help scale transfers while raising regulatory and integration challenges.