🌍 This Week in Web3forGood
Web3 for the real world
gm gm,
Lots of product news this week. The big story? Opera, the global web innovator and browser with over 100 million users in Africa alone, introduced MiniPay, a first-of-its-kind stablecoin wallet that will onboard millions of mobile users to Web3. MiniPay is built on the Celo blockchain and will allow African users to send or receive stablecoins using their existing mobile numbers. For now, it’s available in Nigeria with plans to expand to Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa soon.
Why is this a big deal? Here’s what people are saying…
“The future is mobile and projects like this emphasize the real world impact blockchains can have in opening the world to financial services!” - @cLabs
“Africa's most popular browser launches a dollar Stablecoins Wallet ... thought crypto was dead? Think again…” - @pesa_africa
“I think we can all agree that this cycle will be much more about real world usage and adoption. We’re finally seeing worlds align to make the payments use-case happen and I’m here for it” - @boqdan_
“An inclusive and easy-to-use wallet + a seamless and rewarding learning experience = taking Financial Inclusion to the next level in Africa!” - @impactmarket
In other words… it’s a real world use-case, solving a real problem for real people. No wonder it’s a big deal. Read or listen to learn more. (In Nigeria? Download MiniPay now, here).
MiniPay isn’t the only thing going on this week. Topl, the first-of-its-kind blockchain built for tracking impact, announced it will integrate with Bitcoin as an L2 (yes, Bitcoin!). The Gitcoin Citizens Round is happening now, and Climate Week NYC & associated Web3 events are about to kick off. Plus, Optimism RetroPGF Round 3 (that’s Retroactive Public Goods Funding) is just around the corner… (refresh yourself on all things RetroPGF here). And more! It’s all below in this week’s roundup.
WAGMI (we are going to make an impact!)
P.S. Happy 1 year anniversary of The Merge!
What’s Inside
📣 Latest News
📚 What We’re Thinking About
🚀 Opportunities & Events
📡 On Our Radar
✨ And one more thing
📣 Latest News
The Blockchain Law for Social Good Center publishes whitepaper: U.S. Climate Policy and Blockchain Innovation in Future Smart and Sustainable Cities
SWIFT enrolls 3 central banks in CBDC interoperability beta test, expands sandbox
Deutsche Bank To Offer Crypto Custody With Swiss Fintech Taurus
EU parliament votes overwhelmingly in support of DAC8 crypto tax reporting rule
Blockchain Association Celebrates Five-Year Anniversary and Record Member Growth
📚 What We’re Thinking About
🌍 Celo’s Rene Reinsberg on shifting crypto sentiment around the world. (CNBC)
🪙 Beyond stablecoins: “Flatcoins” are pegged to the cost of living rather than another currency, and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong thinks they’re the future. (The Block)
📃 The Giving Block, Save the Children, and Mercy Corps published an open letter in response to Senate Finance Committee’s call for input on taxing digital assets: “We believe, with crypto playing a growing role in modern philanthropy, that the present appraisal rules for charitable contributions of crypto present an onerous burden.” (The Giving Block)
🐢 Superfast is not the only pace for growth. You can still build something lasting on the internet that looks the way you want it to. (Reboot)
📣 The Future of DAOs. (Crypto Good)
🎂 The Merge one year on: Ethereum’s upgrade has bolstered the blockchain’s public image and enhanced its green credentials, but issues of centralisation and technical diversity remain. (DL News)
👩🎓 The Blockchain Law for Social Good Center at the University of San Francisco School of Law introduced their First International Affiliated Scholar Cohort, a new initiative to further blockchain education at the nexus of law and social good. (Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web)
🆔 Bhutan has decided to roll out a national digital identity system for all its citizens, the world’s first self-sovereign national digital ID. (Rest of the World)
⛪️ The idea of AI has always been deeply religious. (Vox)
⚖️ The challenges of AI regulation. (Brookings)
⛓ Understanding the technical features of MiniPay. (@JasonRogues)
🗣 “Funding your ecosystem's public goods is a sustainable competitive advantage.” (@owocki)
🥼 The World Economic Forum named the "Medical Metaverse" among its top emerging technologies of 2023. (XR Today)
🚀 Opportunities & Events:
Apply: Polygon Labs is hiring a Senior Associate, Content.
Apply: The Gitcoin Citizens Rounds aim to reward and fund those contributing to Gitcoin’s success. Learn more about Round #2 Kickoff.
Build: Signup for developer updates to #BuildforMiniPay.
Donate: Help Morocco’s earthquake relief efforts by supporting The Giving Block’s Morocco Emergency Fund.
Share: Are you building a hypercerts application or are thinking about it? Submit your project here.
IRL Events
Attend (IRL): Regens Unite is happening THIS WEEKEND September 15 and 16 in Berlin.
Attend (IRL): Climate Week NYC is happening September 17-24.
Attend (IRL): Flowcarbon’s CarbonSmart Summit is happening September 19 in NYC during Climate Week.
Attend (IRL): ReFi NYC, an official Climate Week NYC event, is happening September 21.
Attend (IRL): Panel discussion "Web3’s Scaling: Layer 2 Innovations in Focus" is happening at Epic Layer 2 Day in NYC on September 21.
Attend (IRL): The Transformative Impact Summit is happening September 22-24, alongside Climate Week NYC.
Attend (IRL): GreenPilling NYC @ETHGlobal is happening September 23.
Attend (IRL): The next FIL Dev Summit is happening September 25-26 in Iceland.
Attend (IRL) : The Africa Money and DeFi Summit is happening Oct 3-4 in Ghana.
Attend (IRL): All Tech Is Human's monthly Responsible Tech Mixer is happening October 9 in NYC.
Virtual Events
Attend (Virtual): Ensuring Responsible AI Innovation: Comparing Governance Paradigms is happening TODAY September 15
Attend (Virtual): Givepact is hosting Is Technology a Force for Equity? on #EqualPayDay September 18 on Twitter Spaces.
Attend (Virtual): Where is AI Taking Us? Exploring the Dangers and Possible Benefits with Randima Fernando, Co-Founder at Center for Humane Technology is happening September 19.
Attend (Virtual): DWeb Virtual Meetup: AI: Ethical Paths Forward is happening September 21.
Attend (Virtual): Good Tech Fest in partnership with Splunk is hosting Building Digital Resilience in the Social Sector is happening October 4.
📡 On Our Radar
UrbanChange Protocol is powered by a dual-token model and empowers organizations to create long-term behavioral change.
FractalVisions, a recipient of Optimism Public Goods Funding, is redefining the intersection of art and blockchain.
Solar Foundation funds and accelerates solar solutions in underserved communities.
✨ And one more thing…
All Tech Is Human’s Responsible Tech Job Board curates roles focused on reducing the harms of technology, diversifying the tech pipeline, and ensuring that technology is aligned with the public interest.