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Humanitarian Lab Astrid Insignares Humanitarian Lab Astrid Insignares

Pilot Insights | Stablecoin Payments Cut Costs, Increase Safety in Afghanistan  

How did stablecoin based aid perform in one of the most challenging environments for humanitarian delivery? This endline report shares the results of a digital cash pilot in eastern Afghanistan, where families used offline cards linked to stablecoin wallets for the first time. It outlines what worked, including cost reductions, faster delivery, and strong user preference, along with key operational lessons, gender barriers, and what these findings mean for scaling digital payments in low connectivity and high risk settings.

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Humanitarian Lab Astrid Insignares Humanitarian Lab Astrid Insignares

Pilot Insights | How Stablecoins Transformed Aid in Syria—96% Faster, 60% Cheaper

How can stablecoins improve the way aid reaches people in crisis? This piece explores a humanitarian cash pilot in Northeast Syria, where farmers received digital payments via stablecoin rails for the first time. You'll find how it worked in practice—from speed and cost gains to vendor hesitancy—plus firsthand insights from local participants, implementation lessons, and what this means for future aid delivery at scale.

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Humanitarian Lab Andrew Leon Hanna Humanitarian Lab Andrew Leon Hanna

Pilot Insights | How Stablecoins Have Transformed Aid Delivery

In a conflict-affected region, Mercy Corps Ventures piloted stablecoin-based humanitarian aid transfers, achieving a 62% reduction in delivery time and 10.8% cost savings. The pilot demonstrated improved transparency, security, and reach—enabling 12% more recipients to be served. While challenges remain around off-ramping and scalability, the results show strong potential for using digital currencies to modernize aid delivery in complex settings.

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