The Social Impact and Sustainability Working Group-SISWG of International Asociation for Trusted Blockchain Applications-INATBA is committed to highlight the potential of blockchain and DLT in tackling social and sustainability issues such as climate change, poverty, inequality, food waste, corruption, and other areas covered by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the core, the SISWG has a primary mission to raise awareness about the potential of blockchain for social impact and sustainability. In order to achieve this, the SISWG relies on the work of organizations that develop projects and use cases that showcase the power of blockchain to address systemic issues such as inequality, poverty and climate change by rebuilding trust, empowering communities, asserting accountabilities, and re-distributing value on the global level. Some of the most interesting blockchain use cases and applications converge on the areas of financial inclusion and restorative finance- ReFi which represents a shift from the traditional financial system, as it prioritizes the health and resilience of ecosystems, communities, and the planet over financial gain.
To give visibility and promote the impact of organizations and projects working towards social impact and sustainability topics, in 2023 the SISWG in collaboration with BlockLeaders and Lisa Gibbons, is creating a series of podcasts working on ReFi and financial inclusion. The monthly episodes during 2023 will feature guest speakers from different projects worldwide.
In each episode, we’ll present a project, their use case, the challenges and opportunities that the project face, how they measure impact, and finally, how others can connect and interact with them.
This project is implemented by INATBA Social Impact and Sustainability Working Group members: Mariana de la Roche (IOTA) and Lorna Hutchman (Blockchain.com) with the support Albi Rodriguez Jaramillo (LACCHAIN – BID), the member of the INATBA Governmental Advisory Body, and in collaboration with Lisa Gibbons (BlockLeaders).
For more information or contact send us an email to social-impact-wg-cochair@inatba.org.
About BlockLeaders
Blockleaders is a publication and creative network that provides a platform for innovators and leaders in technology. We share the deeply human stories of the accomplished men and women who are risking their reputation, professions and even relationships to inspire, challenge and build the future.
About Lisa Gibbons
Lisa is a passionate storyteller with over 15 years experience. She writes for numerous publications. She has a Masters in International Tourism and is co-founder of the Irish Shebeen, the first Irish Pub in the metaverse. She has a love for all things blockchain, the metaverse and sustainability. Most recently she spoke at the Women in Technology series in London about the future impact of NFTs. She was awarded runner up in the hackernoon contributor for climate change for 2022 and worked on bringing the leading web3 projects and impact investors together to discuss the opportunities for creating a greener future. Bridging the world of Web2 to Web3 is where her interest lies.
Episodes
Podcast 1: Wadappt Innovative Nature Financing Solutions and funding global impact – African Region
Host: Lorna Hutchman (Senior Marketing Manager, Blockchain.com)
Guest: David Wood (Founder, Wadappt)
In this episode we spoke with David Wood, Founder of Wadappt, a blockchain-based smart contract platform that uses innovative financing techniques to allocate substantial amounts of capital directly into conservation efforts in Africa. We explore various biodiversity projects that Wadappt is currently supporting.
Podcast 2: EthicHub – Europe/US Region
Host: Lisa Gibbons (Writer & Advisor, Blockleaders.io)
Guest: Gabriela Chang (CSO & Co-Founder, EthicHub)
In the 2nd episode we spoke with Gabriela Chang, CSO and Co-Founder of EthicHub, a platform to connect small agricultural producers with global lenders and direct buyers. EthicHub is a passionate and ambitious project with a focus on financial inclusion. They truly understand what it is like for farmers on the ground and Gabriela gave us some insights into what it is like to be part of a growing, impactful ecosystem.
Podcast 3: Celo Foundation – US/Global
Host: Lorna Hutchman (Senior Marketing Manager, Blockchain.com)
Guest: Xochitl Cazador (Head of Ecosystem Growth, Celo Foundation)
In this episode we spoke with Xochitl Cazador, Head of Ecosystem Growth at Celo. Xochitl explains how exactly the Celo Foundation is providing a platform for inclusive finance and Regenerative Finance (ReFi) projects globally as well as how their partnership with IDEO is enabling better access in product design.
Podcast 4: Agros – Latin America
Host: Lisa Gibbons (Writer & Advisor, Blockleaders.io)
Guest: Cristian Acuna (CTO, Agros)
AGROS, an innovative company, pioneers the fusion of rural producer organizations and the digital economy through the use of Blockchain technology. With a Digital Identity securely encrypted, they bridge the gap between rural producers and the many opportunities presented by the digital economy. They give rural producers the power to demonstrate their work digitally worldwide and be proactive in the promotion of their development. What makes them unique is their direct relationship with their farming community partners, bypassing the need for technical literacy and empowering rural organisations to garner credibility on the world stage.
Podcast 5: erable° – Europe
Host: Lorna Hutchman (Senior Marketing Manager, Blockchain.com)
Guest: Vincent Katchavenda (CEO, erable°)
In this episode, we spoke with Vincent Katchavenda, Founder and CEO of erable°. Vincent explains how erable° revolutionizes future economy investments with innovative assets, reshaping traditional economic value chains by aligning interests, especially with consumers. At erable°, they provide non-dilutive financing and empower businesses in the circular economy to create a community of investor ambassadors, promoting growth and sustainability.
Podcast 6: ESCA – Africa
Host: Lisa Gibbons – Writer & Advisor at Blockleaders.io
Guest: Shalom Osiadi (Founder, ESCA)
In today’s discussion, we explore the initiatives of ESCA, an automated stablecoin savings and payments solution for businesses in emerging markets.
Join us as we discuss with Shalom Osiadi, founder @ESCA, how this technology helps businesses operating in currency volatile markets hedge and grow their revenue by autonomously transitioning portions of their revenue to currencies like the US Dollar using stable coins.
Podcast 7: Yeena Tech – Asia
Host: Lisa Gibbons (Writer & Advisor, Blockleaders.io)
Guest: Prateek Bijjam (CEO, Yeena Tech)
Yenna Tech lease excess lands from farmers and land owners for agricultural activities and finance the cost of operation, material and harvest from a community of investors. This results in increased daily income of local farmers while advising regenerative agriculture activities for food cultivation and fair share of the produce with the farmer/landowner who owns the land or a fixed amount on a yearly basis. Yenna Tech values the farming community. They allow land owners globally to borrow against their land by fractionalizing the land itself.