Scaling Blockchain for Public Good by United Nations Development Programme and SciencesPo
Policymakers, development professionals, researchers, technologists, humanitarian actors, and blockchain ecosystem leaders are invited to join the second day of Scaling Blockchain for Public Good - a focused dialogue on responsible blockchain adoption for public systems and development settings - co-organized by UNDP Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab) and Sciences Po Tech & Global Affairs Innovation Hub.
The programme will surface lessons from implementation, identify persistent barriers and explore pathways for more coordinated, system-level action – both in how public institutions adopt blockchain within public systems, and in how blockchain-enabled tools deliver in fragile and conflict-affected settings where conventional financial infrastructure is unavailable or compromised.
Agenda
09:00-09:30 | Registration
09:30-09:45 | Welcome and framing remarks
09:45-11:00 | Session 1: Blockchain Adoption in Practice: Aligning Governments, Industry, and Institutions
Opening speakers
Burcu Mavis, Government Blockchain Academy Lead, UNDP AltFinLab
Nadia Filali, Director of Innovation & Business Development, Caisse des Dépôts
Panel speakers
Alex Maaza, Ecosystem & Enterprise Growth Lead, Cardano Foundation
Pierre Samaties, Chief Business Officer, DFINITY Foundation
Maria Papadaki, COO, Dubai Blockchain Centre
Nikhil Vadgama, Co-Founder, Exponential Science Foundation
Xavier Juredieu, CEO/Director, EUROPEUM-EDIC, operator of the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure
Moderator
Pierre Noro, Advisor & Associate Expert, PSIA Tech & Global Affairs Innovation Hub - Sciences Po.
11:00-11:15 | Coffee break
11:15-12:30 | Session 2: Delivering Blockchain-Based Financial Tools in Last-Mile Contexts
Moderator
Ada Vaughan, Head of DeFi, Stellar Development Foundation
Panel speakers
Jorge Fernandes - Head of Innovative Finance, Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad – WFP
Basel Asaad, Emerging Technologies Expert (Payments, AI & Digital Infrastructure), UNDP HQ
Melyn McKay, CEO, Coala Pay
Alwin Tan Hee Nam, Founder/President of Asia SolanaX Foundation
Freedom Pigott, Founder & CEO, FreedomPay Wallet
12:30-12:45 | Closing remarks
What to Expect?
Session 1: Blockchain Adoption in Practice: Aligning Governments, Industry and Institutions
This session will examine how governments are building the institutional capacity, regulatory frameworks and implementation pathways needed to adopt blockchain-based solutions within public systems.
The session will feature the launch of UNDP's Government Blockchain Academy, in partnership with the Exponential Science Foundation, a structured framework for building national digital capabilities – designed to address public-sector knowledge gaps and support responsible blockchain adoption across public institutions.
Participants will also hear directly from governments that have already deployed blockchain solutions, as well as from those now exploring or preparing their first initiatives, alongside ecosystem partners supporting real-world implementation.
Session 2: Delivering Blockchain-Based Financial Tools in Last-Mile Contexts
Where Session 1 examines the institutional and policy conditions for blockchain adoption, Session 2 looks directly at delivery on the ground: how blockchain-enabled financial tools are being used to move money to people who are unreachable through conventional systems, what actually works, and what does not.
Drawing on active deployments and broader experience from humanitarian and development actors operating in fragile and underserved settings, the session will also engage with the funding and donor dimension: what evidence is required, and how accountability mechanisms should be designed when traditional financial infrastructure is unavailable or compromised.
The objective is to produce an evidence-grounded account of where blockchain adds real value in financial inclusion contexts, and the conditions under which that value can be sustained and scaled.