Introduction to Distributed Ledger Technologies for Social, Development, and Humanitarian Impact

Abstract

The humanitarian and development sectors are probably the most abused by blockchains and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) apologists in terms of SDG-washing. The DLT arena is swinging constantly from megalomania to chronic multidimensional complex of inferiority against other traditional actors such as banks, finance brokers, and money transfer systems. As DLTs struggle to prevail and become mainstream, justifying its potential to solve the most wicked challenges of our age proved to be much easier than facing the issues limiting their competition in adoption, technical improvements, and capacity to scale. This does not mean that all attempts at harnessing DLTs “for good” are coming from a bad place. As it always happens, the sector is populated by very different people motivated by countless reasons and while some only see the “unbanked” as an untapped business target, others are definitely hoping to make a difference against the cynical business model of existing financial systems.