🌍 This Week in Web3forGood

stablecoins, but make it ReFi

gm gm,

Friend of the newsletter civilmonkey tipped us off about a cool project launching today called Azos. Backed by carbon credits and other real-world impact assets (instead of just U.S. treasuries), Azos experiments with a new kind of value backing that channels capital directly into climate action and other regenerative projects.

Just when stablecoins were starting to feel like a copy-paste game, someone flipped the script. Azos is proof there’s still room for innovation in this (still very new) space. Can’t wait to see where this goes.

Know of a project we should be watching? Let us know. We love a good tip.

WAGMI (we are going to make an impact!)

xx Abeera & Sam

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What’s Inside

• 📣 Latest News

• 📚 What We’re Thinking About

• 🔈 Podcasts & Spaces

• 🚀 Opportunities & Calls to Act

• 🎪 Events

• 📡 On Our Radar

• ✨ And one more thing

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📣 Latest News

• Chainlink, Mastercard partner to allow 3 billion cardholders to buy crypto

• Polymarket Nails NYC Democratic Mayoral Primary Upset, Nears $1B Unicorn Valuation

• Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac ordered to consider crypto as an asset when buying mortgages

Global Policy, Regulation, and Adoption News

• LatAm energy giant executes landmark $75M oil and gas deal via blockchain tokenization

• Indian politician calls for Bitcoin reserve pilot as US embraces BTC

• Vietnam Passes Landmark Law Recognizing Crypto Assets

• France eyes Bitcoin mining to cut energy waste and boost grid stability

• Pakistan building Bitcoin ‘super team’ with Michael Saylor joining CZ on crypto council

• Kazakhstan launches Central Asia’s first Solana Economic Zone to boost crypto hub ambitions

• European Commission to ease rules on foreign stablecoins despite ECB opposition

• Wyoming Stable Token Commission targets Aug. 20 for WYST stablecoin mainnet launch

• Arizona House Clears Bitcoin Reserve Bill Funded by Seized Crypto

• Texas Joins Growing List of US States With Bitcoin Reserves

Stablecoin News

• Payments Giant Fiserv to Roll Out ‘Bank-Friendly’ Stablecoin on Solana

• China’s JD Eyes Global Stablecoin Licenses to Slash Payment Costs

• Hong Kong reveals new stablecoin rules and tokenized bond plans

• Rain, Toku debut stablecoin payroll platforms and allow employers to pay workers in USDC, RLUSD, and USDG globally

• South Korean banks plan won-pegged stablecoin launch by 2026

Reports & Project Updates

• Decentralizing AI: Towards a More Equitable, Safe and Transparent Future

• Breaking Down the Octant Epoch 7 Climate Solutions Funding Round

• Celo Mexico - H1 2025 Progress Report

• MiniPay Update Q2 2025

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📚 What We’re Thinking About

• 🤖 If AI Doesn’t Kill Us, It Might Be Great

  • Not long ago, one of us was sent this article that essentially outlines exactly how AI could actually kill us all within the next several years (AI 2027). We read a lot of AI articles, but this one hit differently, like live your life like everything’s about to disappear kind of different. Look, we’re not all doom and gloom on AI; without getting into too much detail here, generally we have enough faith in the value of human consciousness that we don't think we're going anywhere. But we’re not naive. The world will look different, soon, and these two AI-related links are giving us real positive hope for the future this week.

  • First: Our friend Deepa put together this awesome guide for AI for social good (Accelerating Good). It's full of useful tools and links, and we encourage anyone working in the changemaker space to check it out.

  • Second: This article on five jobs humans might still have in an AI-dominated future. “Rather than asking what will humans do for meaning, ask what meaningful work remains valuable. Making systems work, discovering the unknown, creating beauty, building community, taking responsibility. The work that survives is work we need and want other humans to do, not just work that AI can't yet do” (Working Theorys). Honestly? We’d love to live in a world where these roles exist

  • So look, when it comes to AI, it might not be all rainbows and butterflies, but there is something to be optimistic about. AI could actually be a great thing for humanity (if it doesn’t kill us 😄)

• 🌱 A Bitcoin Economy in Kibera

  • In Nairobi’s Kibera settlement, one of the largest informal economies in Africa, Bitcoin is quietly becoming part of daily life (AP). With limited access to banks and rising inflation, residents are turning to crypto to store value, pay for essentials, and transact across borders. This grassroots adoption challenges assumptions about who crypto is for and where it’s actually gaining traction (Forbes). In Kibera, Bitcoin isn’t a buzzword. It’s a financial tool meeting real-world needs.

• 🪙 Crypto is today’s emerging market

  • Amid Iran-Israel tensions, the dollar missed its safe-haven moment as DXY hit 97.50, the lowest since 2022. Bitcoin rebounded post-ceasefire to $107K (Cointelegraph). Capital’s moving where the energy is, and it’s not fiat.

• 💸 Digital giving thrives in uncertainty

  • Economic volatility isn’t killing donations—it’s shifting them (The NonProfit Times). Crypto donors, often tax-savvy and values-driven, still hold major gains despite downturns. Nonprofits with clear missions and crypto options outperform. The playbook? Stay visible, educate donors, and lead with impact. Preparation beats panic.

Plus:

• 🕵️ Zero-knowledge proofs, explained. (Cointelegraph)

• 🏞️ Celo Localism in Action: Launching a MiniApps Accelerator Pilot in Chapada Diamantina. (CeLatam)

• 💣 Could Stablecoins Threaten Emerging Markets? One IMF Official Says Yes. (Unchained)

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🔈 Watch & Listen

Editor’s note: “Watch & Listen” is our new name for the “Podcasts & Other Recordings” section. Content remains the same.

• Crypto Altruists Podcast - Episode 208 - growthepie – Scaling Ethereum: L2 Ecosystem Growth, Public Goods Funding, and the Path to Ethereum Alignment

• Oslo Freedom Forum - Announcing the Global Bitcoin Adoption Index | Presentation

• Tereza Bízková - Solarpunk Needs Better Stories, Not Just Better Tech

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🚀 Opportunities & Calls to Act

• Apply: The Devconnect Scholars Program will welcome 100 leaders who are expanding Ethereum's reach by connecting it to new communities, industries, and ideas. Scholars will co-learn and co-create, building bridges between Ethereum and other worlds. The 2025 cohort will include five categories: (1) Ethereum Community Organizers, (2) Legal & Public Sector Professionals, (3) Journalists, (4) Artists, and (5) Developers & Other Builders of any kind. Applications are now open, until Monday, June 30th.

• Share: Your EV charging experience with DeCharge for a chance to win a share of a $2,000 reward pool.

• Hack: PL_Genesis: Modular Worlds, a global hackathon from Protocol Labs to accelerate breakthroughs in the foundational layers of the internet, is happening now.

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🎪 Events

🆕= New to the roundup this week

Virtual

• How Can Data Cooperatives Help Build a Fair Data Economy is happening July 9. 🆕

• Aguadulce - Launching a Habitat Bank for Latin America is happening July 10. 🆕

IRL

• Impact Evaluator Research Retreat is happening June 26-July 10 in Iceland.

• Ethereum Community Conference is happening June 30 - July 3 in Cannes.

• ReFi Breakout: Fishbowl Panels @ EthCC is happening July 1 in Cannes 🆕

• The Ethereum Research Funding Forum is happening July 1 in Cannes. 🆕

• Social Capital by Mantle is happening July 2 in Cannes.🆕

• DeFi 4 Nature: Mediterranean ReFi Solutions Lab is happening July 2 in Cannes.🆕

• ETHGlobal Cannes is happening July 4-6 in Cannes, France.

• DAO Berkeley 2025 is happening August 3 in Berkeley, California.

• ETHSafari 2025 is happening September 7-14 in Nairobi.

• Progress Conference 2025 is happening October 16-19 in Berkeley.

• Devconnect 2025 is happening November 17-22 in Argentina.

Recurring

• Monthly Earth Day is a global event that happens on the 22nd every month, not just once a year. Get involved on July 22 and share on X to @HighlyArtistic with the hashtag #MonthlyEarthDay.

Hosting an event that you’d like to see listed? Reply here or send us a DM.

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📡 On Our Radar

• Azos is a stablecoin for the regenerative economy. $AZUSD is over-collateralized by climate-finance assets (RWAs) that have a real market value.

• Mento’s rebrand: The Place for Onchain FX.

• Creator Coins are now on Zora

• The Global Bitcoin Adoption Index (GBAI) will be the most in-depth study yet on how and why people turn to Bitcoin to escape financial repression. The early results are profound: by the GBAI’s surveys, hundreds of millions of people either use or have used Bitcoin and stablecoins, with a clear increase in usage in countries suffering under authoritarian governments.

• Empowa is on a mission to build a decentralized financing platform for affordable housing in Africa.

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✨ And One More Thing

• The GENIUS Act Summarized via TFTC21

  

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