United Nations turns to Stellar, Internet Computer, and Algorand for blockchain public goods push

The United Nations is quietly ramping up its use of blockchain – and it’s not just theory anymore. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a new Blockchain Advisory Group that brings together major blockchain ecosystems like Stellar (XLM), Internet Computer (ICP), and Algorand (ALGO) to explore how this tech can power real-world public goods.

What the UNDP’s Blockchain Advisory Group is

The UNDP has created the Blockchain Advisory Group (BAG) to answer a simple question: how can blockchain meaningfully improve public systems and development outcomes for people and the planet?

Launched on 3 June 2026 in Paris during the Proof of Talk 2026 event, the group brings together senior leaders from across the blockchain space and the development world. It is chaired by the UNDP Associate Administrator and is designed to be a practical forum, not just a talking shop.

The inaugural meeting focused on financial inclusion and digital finance, looking at how blockchain can help people who are currently excluded from the global financial system or underserved by traditional banks.

The problems the UN wants blockchain to solve

At its first session, the Blockchain Advisory Group zoomed in on some of the biggest barriers to financial inclusion and efficient public services:

• Fragmented payment systems – Cross-border and even domestic payments are often slow, expensive, and siloed.

• Weak or missing digital identity – Many people lack reliable IDs, making it hard to access banking, welfare, or public services.

• Interoperability challenges – Existing systems don’t talk to each other, creating friction and inefficiency.

• Institutional readiness – Governments and agencies often lack the tools and knowledge to deploy new technology safely and effectively.

The UNDP’s view is that blockchain isn’t a silver bullet, but it can complement existing infrastructure to expand access, cut costs, and improve transparency in public systems.

Where the UNDP is already using blockchain

The UNDP isn’t starting from scratch. It has already been experimenting with blockchain across multiple regions, including Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia, and Asia-Pacific.

Current and planned use cases include:

• Digital payments and financial inclusion – Using blockchain rails to move money faster and more cheaply, especially in crisis or low-infrastructure environments.

• Climate finance – Tracking climate-related funding and carbon-related initiatives more transparently.

• Digital identity – Providing secure, verifiable identities that can unlock access to services.

• Traceability – Tracking goods along supply chains so buyers know where products come from and producers get fairer treatment.

• Public procurement and service delivery – Making government spending and services more transparent and auditable.

This work is being documented in UNDP publications on blockchains for sustainable development and digital public infrastructure, and the new advisory group is meant to scale these pilots into larger, repeatable solutions.

Real-world example: tracking Indian spices on-chain

One of the clearest examples of blockchain in action comes from India, where UNDP teams started a pilot to put spices on-chain for traceability.

The idea is simple: use blockchain to record where spices like cinnamon or chili are grown and how they move through the supply chain. That way, buyers can verify the origin and authenticity of what they’re purchasing, and farmers can prove the quality and source of their products.

The pilot started with around 150 farmers. After proving successful, it scaled up to roughly 2,000 farmers – and now there is interest from the Ministry of Agriculture to expand it to around 200,000 farmers. Because blockchain systems are inherently scalable, once the basic infrastructure is in place, expanding from hundreds to thousands (or more) of users becomes much easier.

For a world where roughly half the population still depends on agriculture, transparent supply chains and fairer market access can be a big deal.

Key ecosystems involved: Stellar, Internet Computer, and Algorand

The Blockchain Advisory Group includes 27 members, among them some familiar names to crypto users:

• Stellar Development Foundation – The non-profit behind the Stellar (XLM) network, long focused on cross-border payments and financial inclusion.

• Dfinity Foundation – The team behind Internet Computer (ICP), which aims to run scalable, decentralized applications and services directly on-chain.

• Algorand Foundation – Supporting the Algorand (ALGO) ecosystem, known for its low-cost, fast, and environmentally friendly blockchain.

These projects already have a track record of working with the UNDP and other public-sector partners. For example, Stellar has been used in multiple UN-related initiatives involving stablecoins and digital payments, and Algorand has been involved in training and digital payment pilots.

If you’re following Stellar closely, this development sits alongside the network’s growing on-chain activity, even when price action looks weak, as explored in this deeper look at Stellar’s on-chain growth.

Stellar’s role in UN-linked payment and tokenization projects

Stellar has been a recurring presence in UNDP documentation and pilots, particularly where cross-border payments and tokenization are involved.

Examples highlighted in UN materials include:

• USDC on Stellar – Using stablecoins on the Stellar network to move value quickly and cheaply.

• Stellar-based tokenization – Projects in countries like Haiti and Liberia that leverage the Stellar blockchain for tokenized assets and financial tools.

Stellar’s design – optimized for fast, low-cost transfers and asset issuance – makes it a natural fit for humanitarian payments, remittances, and local financial infrastructure in emerging markets.

Algorand and the UNDP’s blockchain academy

Beyond live pilots, the UNDP is also investing in education. One of its major initiatives is a “blockchain academy” designed to train UN staff and partners on what blockchain is, when it makes sense to use it, and when it doesn’t.

The first iteration of this academy was built in collaboration with Algorand. The beta phase has been completed, and the UNDP is now opening the academy to other blockchain organizations such as Solana and Polygon to broaden the curriculum.

The plan is to roll out the new version of the academy to:

• All UN employees (over 120,000 people)

• Non-governmental organizations and social entrepreneurs that work with the UN

The goal isn’t just to share information, but to surface concrete ideas that can be turned into real-world pilots – whether in digital payments, NFTs, digital identity, or other use cases. From there, successful pilots can be replicated and scaled across countries.

Algorand-powered digital payments in difficult environments

Another area where Algorand is being used is digital payments in fragile or conflict-affected countries. In many of these places, banking systems are weak, inaccessible, or simply don’t exist for large parts of the population.

The UNDP has highlighted a company in Afghanistan that uses Algorand-based infrastructure to power digital payments. A key advantage is that these payments don’t have to rely on smartphones – they can work over basic text messages, which is crucial in regions where smartphone penetration is still low.

The UNDP now wants to replicate this model in several more countries, particularly in the Arab world and other crisis-affected regions. If successful, this could open up basic financial services to people who have never had access before.

Internet Computer’s role via the Dfinity Foundation

The Dfinity Foundation, which develops Internet Computer (ICP), is also part of the Blockchain Advisory Group. Representatives from Dfinity have already participated in panels and discussions with the UNDP team in Paris.

While specific ICP-based UN pilots were not detailed in the transcript, Internet Computer’s focus on running scalable, decentralized applications directly on-chain makes it a candidate for more complex public-sector systems – such as digital public services, data registries, or governance tools that need to be transparent and tamper-resistant.

From pilots to global-scale public infrastructure

Looking ahead, the Blockchain Advisory Group will meet twice a year to focus on specific themes and turn discussion into action. Planned focus areas include:

• Public trust and digital governance – How to build transparent, accountable digital systems.

• Inclusive society and legal identity – Ensuring people have secure, recognized identities.

• Financial inclusion and digital financial services – Expanding access to payments, savings, and credit.

• Sustainable climate and responsible supply chains – Tracking environmental impact and ethical sourcing.

• Digital labor and the future of work – Exploring how blockchain can support new forms of work and income.

Each convening will take one of these themes and bring together UNDP teams and blockchain ecosystem leaders to identify concrete collaboration opportunities. The aim is to move from isolated pilots to scalable, repeatable solutions that can be deployed across multiple countries.

For crypto investors and builders, this is another sign that public institutions are increasingly treating blockchain as a serious tool for infrastructure, not just speculation. Just as some tokenized assets are moving to chains that better fit their needs – for example, the shift discussed in this analysis of tokenized assets migrating from Ethereum to XRP – the UNDP is selectively working with networks whose features align with real-world requirements like low fees, scalability, and reliability.

Why this matters for the broader crypto ecosystem

The UNDP’s work with Stellar, Internet Computer, Algorand, and other chains is a strong signal that blockchain is moving deeper into the realm of public infrastructure. If these pilots and programs succeed, they could:

• Bring millions of unbanked or underbanked people into digital finance.

• Make supply chains more transparent and fair for producers like smallholder farmers.

• Improve how governments deliver services and track spending.

• Showcase practical, non-speculative uses of crypto networks at scale.

For now, the key takeaway is that major global institutions are no longer asking whether blockchain has value – they’re asking where, how, and with which networks it can deliver the most public good.