Fellow - Xiaoji Song
Xiaoji Song
Artist & Activist
Xiaoji Song (she/they) is a Berlin-based artist, activist, and researcher working to build alternative infrastructure and imaginaries concerning migration, labor, and technology.
Ambassador Project
“Shifting Power in the Informal Economy” is a research and advocacy initiative critically examining the nature and structure of informal economies in Europe. Drawing on ethnographic insights and stakeholder mappings from Berlin and Madrid, the project challenges conventional assumptions while advancing structural financial justice through open payment protocols, data sovereignty tools, and workers-led mechanisms for empowerment.
What Inspired Her Work
"It became obvious that the problem is not individual behavior but structural design."
Her work grew from witnessing migrant and informal workers doing everything “right” while still being excluded from bank accounts, contracts, and financial protections, despite their labor sustaining cities and local economies.
Vision for the Future
"I envision a financial system that recognizes the agency of those who have historically been pushed into the margins."
Her project explores how informality, migration, and platform work intersect in Europe, with the goal of influencing how technologists, funders, and policymakers understand financial inclusion and accountability.
Read her contributions
https://community.interledger.org/xiaoxiao_and_their_bahncard