ILF Ambassador Gavin Chait envisions a federated, community-led e-commerce model through Hop Sauna that empowers creators with autonomy, inclusivity, and interoperable payments—reimagining online commerce and social media as decentralized and equitable spaces.
Interledger Ambassador Caroline Sinders warns that harmful or manipulative design patterns in digital finance can exploit vulnerable users and undermine trust, calling for transparent, user-centered, and inclusive design standards to ensure ethical financial technology.
The article highlights how friction in design can harm users when misused but also enhance safety, consent, and reflection when applied thoughtfully. Used well, it becomes a valuable tool for protecting user agency and trust, especially in financial and sensitive digital products.
At the 2025 UN Internet Governance Forum, the Interledger Foundation helped launch a Policy Blueprint advocating for open, interoperable, and inclusive digital payment systems.
Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs)—community-based financial groups rooted in trust and mutual support—are evolving through digital innovation, particularly with Open Payments technology. Once hyper-local and informal, ROSCAs are now being modernized with tools like blockchain, agentic AI, and the Interledger Protocol to facilitate secure, transparent, and low-cost cross-border transactions.
The Interledger Foundation joined global leaders at UN Open Source Week 2025 in New York to explore how open-source ecosystems can power inclusive digital public infrastructure.
Julaire Hall, a Program Officer at the Interledger Foundation, is advancing global digital financial inclusion by championing open, interoperable financial systems.
Ayden Férdeline, now leading Public Policy at the Interledger Foundation, is advancing digital financial inclusion by combining technology with policy engagement. His work focuses on regulation, collaboration with policymakers, and strategic grants to build inclusive, adaptable financial ecosystems that empower underserved communities.
For most of us, access to financial services is as simple as opening an app on our phone. But this basic necessity remains elusive for millions of displaced people without government-recognized identification. Often caught on the margins of societies, they face multiple barriers to participating in the formal financial system, which perpetuates cycles of poverty and exclusion.
As digital finance becomes central to daily life, ensuring equitable access to financial services is crucial for dignity, autonomy, and inclusion—making digital financial inclusion a key enabler of human rights in the modern world.
Community-driven financial systems like village banking, SACCOs, and stokvels are transforming financial inclusion, especially for women. Supported by the Interledger Foundation, the Sikhula Sonke project highlights how storytelling, community engagement, and technology enhance transparency and access.
Digital currencies are reshaping global finance, but interoperability remains a major challenge. The Interledger Protocol offers a solution by enabling cross-network payments. Achieving interoperability is crucial for unlocking the full potential of digital currencies, fostering financial inclusion, and building a truly connected global economy.
