Years of war, sanctions, and banking collapse have left millions of Syrians unable to access even basic financial services, slowing aid at the moment it is most needed. 

Through crypto enabled digital wallets built by HesabPay, humanitarian funds can move across borders that traditional finance no longer crosses. What began as an Afghan company is now supporting people rebuilding lives far beyond Afghanistan’s borders. 

Working with partners like HesabPay, Mercy Corps has used this infrastructure to deliver cash assistance in Syria, where banks avoid operating, cash is scarce, and transfer fees can erase meaningful value. For recipients, speed and reliability matter as much as the amount. 

The New York Times captures this reality through individuals like Hala Mahmoud Almahmoud, a farmer restarting her land after nearly fourteen years of conflict. She had never heard of cryptocurrency. What mattered was access. A card that worked. 

At Mercy Corps Ventures, our Venture Lab tests and validates technologies that strengthen how assistance is delivered even in highly constrained environments- in this case 96% faster and at 60% lower cost than traditional cash transfers. Working with partners like HesabPay, we support solutions designed in and for the contexts where they are needed most. 

This is not about just experimenting with new technology. It is about restoring agency, reducing risk, and making humanitarian finance and payments function where systems have broken down.

Read full coverage from The New York Times 👉 here 

Excited to share our op/ed feature in Philanthropy Impact Magazine on how web3 is rewiring humanitarian aid and financial services in emerging markets. 

Regular readers of this newsletter will recognize some of the examples – flip through to see all the other great stuff in the issue. 

Many thanks to the team at PIM for highlighting our experience and voice.

Another London trip! In October, we were in London to speak about the role of crypto at the UK Parliament. Ken just got back from another trip where he keynoted the Crypto for Good Conference, a full-day conference dedicated to showcasing how blockchain and digital assets can drive meaningful social impact, improve transparency, and power new philanthropic and mission-driven business models.

Yesterday we hosted a Crypto for Good conference at CMS UK. A whole day of brilliant speakers on all the ways crypto is doing good, from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Mercy Corps, Philanthropy... | Erica Stanford | 43 comments

Yesterday we hosted a Crypto for Good conference at CMS UK. A whole day of brilliant speakers on all the ways crypto is doing good, from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Mercy Corps, Philanthropy Impact, GSR, Launchnodes, Kraken and Zumo, to name just a few. How is crypto doing good?

https://www.linkedin.com

For the third year running, we’ll be at Paris Blockchain Week in April. We’d love to meet up if you’re around.  

If you’re interested in applying for the Startup Pitch Competition, apply here for a fast-tracked application and a special discount! 

• An Unlikely Source of Crypto Innovation | The New York Times 

• Liquidity Will Find a Way | Lava VC 

• Sorted Wallet Integrates with Kotani Pay 

• Open Forest Protocol’s crowdfunder

Years of war, sanctions, and banking collapse have left millions of Syrians unable to access even basic financial services, slowing aid at the moment it is most needed. 

Through crypto enabled digital wallets built by HesabPay, humanitarian funds can move across borders that traditional finance no longer crosses. What began as an Afghan company is now supporting people rebuilding lives far beyond Afghanistan’s borders. 

Working with partners like HesabPay, Mercy Corps has used this infrastructure to deliver cash assistance in Syria, where banks avoid operating, cash is scarce, and transfer fees can erase meaningful value. For recipients, speed and reliability matter as much as the amount. 

The New York Times captures this reality through individuals like Hala Mahmoud Almahmoud, a farmer restarting her land after nearly fourteen years of conflict. She had never heard of cryptocurrency. What mattered was access. A card that worked. 

At Mercy Corps Ventures, our Venture Lab tests and validates technologies that strengthen how assistance is delivered even in highly constrained environments- in this case 96% faster and at 60% lower cost than traditional cash transfers. Working with partners like HesabPay, we support solutions designed in and for the contexts where they are needed most. 

This is not about just experimenting with new technology. It is about restoring agency, reducing risk, and making humanitarian finance and payments function where systems have broken down.

Read full coverage from The New York Times 👉 here 

Excited to share our op/ed feature in Philanthropy Impact Magazine on how web3 is rewiring humanitarian aid and financial services in emerging markets. 

Regular readers of this newsletter will recognize some of the examples – flip through to see all the other great stuff in the issue. 

Many thanks to the team at PIM for highlighting our experience and voice.

Another London trip! In October, we were in London to speak about the role of crypto at the UK Parliament. Ken just got back from another trip where he keynoted the Crypto for Good Conference, a full-day conference dedicated to showcasing how blockchain and digital assets can drive meaningful social impact, improve transparency, and power new philanthropic and mission-driven business models.

Yesterday we hosted a Crypto for Good conference at CMS UK. A whole day of brilliant speakers on all the ways crypto is doing good, from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Mercy Corps, Philanthropy... | Erica Stanford | 43 comments

Yesterday we hosted a Crypto for Good conference at CMS UK. A whole day of brilliant speakers on all the ways crypto is doing good, from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Mercy Corps, Philanthropy Impact, GSR, Launchnodes, Kraken and Zumo, to name just a few. How is crypto doing good?

https://www.linkedin.com

For the third year running, we’ll be at Paris Blockchain Week in April. We’d love to meet up if you’re around.  

If you’re interested in applying for the Startup Pitch Competition, apply here for a fast-tracked application and a special discount! 

• An Unlikely Source of Crypto Innovation | The New York Times 

• Liquidity Will Find a Way | Lava VC 

• Sorted Wallet Integrates with Kotani Pay 

• Open Forest Protocol’s crowdfunder