It’s been a year since Huobi announced its partnership with the Office of Innovation of UNICEF. In 2021, Huobi pledged US$1 million to UNICEF to help resolve challenges faced by children and those living in poverty, risk, and social disadvantage using blockchain technology, and became a partner of the UNICEF Venture Fund and CryptoFund.
Earlier this year, Huobi completed a second tranche of its commitment. The first contribution was made when Huobi donated BTC to the UNICEF CryptoFund, marking the first extensive institutional Bitcoin donation accepted by UNICEF.
Launched in 2016, UNICEF’s Venture Fund is a pooled fund investing in early-stage Open-Source frontier technology solutions with the potential to impact the lives of children on a global scale. It is the first venture capital vehicle in the United Nations. The Venture Fund aims to scale successful digital solutions into digital public goods to ensure fair, equitable, and open access to these new tools globally.
By building a trusted network of partners, the UNICEF Venture Fund aims to bridge the gap between global solutions and local problems. To date, the Fund has made 124 investments in 69 countries, covering 55 UNICEF Country Office initiatives and 58 startup companies. As Huobi approaches the third year of UNICEF support and prepares another US$250,000 installment for this program, here is a recap of some of the UNICEF Venture Fund’s accomplishments.
Leaf Global Fintech (Rwanda)
- Leaf is developing a virtual bank for refugees and vulnerable populations, allowing for storage and transfer of assets across borders without the need for a smartphone. They have deployed an open source foreign exchange rate calculator in the Leaf Wallet, allowing customers to quickly check exchange rates in real time, and completed development of an open source lending application.
- They have reached 40,000 users to date and scaled their solution across four different countries in Africa.
- Leaf has been acquired by IDT Corporation, a global provider of FinTech and cloud communications services, which will boost Leaf to serve even more refugees, migrants, traders, and unbanked people.
KotaniPay (Kenya)
- KotaniPay is a technology stack that enables Blockchain protocols, dapps and Blockchain FinTech companies to integrate seamlessly to local payment channels in Africa.
- KotaniPay is developing a platform for transfers, remittances, savings, withdrawals, loans, and payments, and integrating solutions for users to easily interact with crypto, without the need for internet connectivity or a bank account.
- They have processed over 23,000 transactions for 3,000 unique customers, and have integrated their solution with mobile wallet providers, gig work services, and universal basic income and humanitarian organizations.
Rumsan (Nepal)
- Rumsan is developing a digital cash & voucher assistance management system, leveraging mobile-based blockchain tokens for emergency response and recovery programs.
- The company has been conducting pilots for their aid agency dashboard, reaching over 3,000 beneficiaries.
StaTwig (India)
- StaTwig leverages blockchain technology to improve food and vaccine distribution systems, making them more efficient and transparent, with a layer of accountability.
- StaTwig has designed and developed two products, VaccineLedger and BabyBoo, that track the journey of vaccines from manufacturer to children.
- During the investment period, StaTwig piloted its blockchain-based app by partnering with the Government of Telangana, India to track and improve the visibility, delivery, and traceability of rice and support their effort to secure food for millions living in poverty – a need amplified by the onset of COVID-19.
- The company received Bridge Funding from the UNICEF Venture Fund to deploy its platform on different blockchain protocols and pilot with additional partners.
Working closely with UNICEF, Huobi Charity aims to impact the lives of the most vulnerable children. Commenting on the donation, Huobi Co-Founder Du Jun stated, “We are excited to use blockchain technology to improve transparency, security, efficiency, and digital innovation around the world, and to improve people’s lives. We believe that crypto should not be limited to the privileged but should also be used to advance financial inclusion and the public good. As global crypto adoption continues to increase, more governments, companies, and institutions will be able to leverage the underlying blockchain technology to better manage crisis and governance challenges. ”
As a world leading blockchain company and crypto asset exchange, Huobi’s overarching goals include pushing for greater blockchain adoption across industries and countries around the world. In alignment with UNICEF’s mandate, Huobi hopes to foster ecosystems for emerging technology that are both large enough to be globally inclusive and localized enough to meet the needs and challenges unique to each individual region.
To connect with Huobi Charity, e-mail us at charity@huobi.com.
