UNDP’s Alternative Finance Lab pioneers new ways to fund sustainable development at the intersection of innovation, technology, and finance.
Joined December 2025
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UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
It's official once again. The UNDP × BGA Cybersecurity Programme is live.
Two years.
Three channels: the SDG Blockchain Accelerator, the Government Blockchain Academy, and dedicated training for UNDP Country Offices and government partners.
Focus: data protection, secure digital payments, security of public digital services.
Let's do this 🌐
Full announcement from our partners at @UNDP_AltFinLab/@UNDP:
🔗 innovation.eurasia.undp.org/…
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
Digital transformation is one of three enablers in the UNDP's strategic plan through 2029.
Ali Theyab Al-Zuhairi's team surveyed community organizations in countries with limited digital access. 86% had no digital platform or application of their own, despite having clear digital needs when you ask them. 68% are women-led. 98% were still at pilot or prototype stage.
That is the opportunity he wants to move on: the need is already articulated, and the people doing the work are already there.
@AliATheyab @UNDP
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
Circle Foundation is supporting two initiatives led by @UNDP and @WFP to advance digital payments and financial infrastructure for development and humanitarian action.
circle.com/pressroom/circle-…
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
How can digital payments help development and humanitarian support reach people faster and at lower cost?
With support from @circle Foundation, @UNDP and @WFP are exploring new approaches, including regulated stablecoins.
go.undp.org/N2b
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
One week left for UN teams to submit a development challenge to the 2026 SDG Blockchain Accelerator. 🌐
We've partnered with @UNDP_AltFinLab and @ChainforGood to connect those challenges with solution-makers who can address them.
Apply now: innovation.eurasia.undp.org/…
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
La Academia acercará a funcionarios públicos a conocimiento especializado, expertos internacionales y casos prácticos para explorar el potencial de #Blockchain en áreas como identidad y pagos digitales, inclusión financiera, gobernanza, acción climática e innovación pública.
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
"The question every government asks now is how to keep meaningful resilience around their national data."
AI is changing how software gets built and how services reach people, and countries are choosing the infrastructure they will run on in the middle of it.
Ali Theyab Al-Zuhairi shared his thoughts on what the UNDP brings to that choice: trust. He calls it the real currency.
@AliATheyab @UNDP
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
Thank you to everybody who joined us today for the Internet Computer for Nations session here on X.
In case you missed it, please check out the recording here: xitter.cf/i/spaces/1aKbdEqdAvqJX…
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
X Space: Internet Computer for Nations
Sunday 20 September
1:00 PM CEST · 3:00 PM GST · 4:00 PM PKT · 7:00 AM EDT
xitter.cf/i/spaces/1aKbdEqdAvqJX…
Hear the latest on:
• Pakistan, the first country operating a Sovereign Cloud Engine, using Caffeine.ai to build and deploy government apps directly onto its own infrastructure
• The pilot of a sovereign messaging app for Pakistan
• The @UNDP and DFINITY collaboration to bring sovereign digital technology to other nations and institutions, capitalizing on the progress driven by the Pakistan Digital Authority (@digitalauthpk)
• The Internet Computer as a new tech stack for AIware that empowers agentic nations
With:
Dr. Sohail Munir, Chairperson, Pakistan Digital Authority (@sohailmunir)
Ali Theyab Al-Zuhairi, Digital Economies Lead, UNDP (@AliATheyab)
Pierre Samaties, Chief Business Officer, DFINITY Foundation (@PierreSamaties)
Matt Grogan, Co-founder, OpenChat (@Grogan73)
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
1/4
As Cohort 3 of the SDG Blockchain Accelerator gets underway, we wanted to share a little more context on how Cardano’s involvement has evolved, and what’s different this time.
The Cardano community helped establish our involvement in @UNDP_AltFinLab's SDG Blockchain Accelerator.
Through Project Catalyst Fund 13, ada holders approved 890,400 ada to support Cohorts 1 and 2, enabling Cardano ecosystem teams to work with UN development programmes.
For Cohort 3, we’re building on that community-backed investment directly. The Cardano Foundation is funding a dedicated Cardano track, with up to four ecosystem solution makers to be matched with UN development challenges.
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology (ODET), convened a briefing at the United Nations Headquarters on the opportunities and policy challenges associated with digital assets, blockchain, tokenization and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) for sustainable development.
Held at the UN headquarters, the briefing brought together Member States, UN entities and experts from the public and private sectors to exchange perspectives on the rapidly evolving digital financial landscape and examine how emerging technologies can contribute to financial inclusion, efficient payments and remittances, investment, capital mobilization, digital identity, public services and sustainable development.
The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Bilal Bin Saqib, Minister of State and Chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), who outlined Pakistan’s experience in developing a regulatory framework for digital assets.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan, welcomed the guests and made concluding remarks.
Mr. Robert Opp, Chief Digital Officer of UNDP, Mr. Juan José Martinez Badillo, Chief of UNCTAD’s New York Office and Mr. Quintin Chou-Lambert, Deputy to the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology shared their perspectives on the occasion. The main presentations were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Muhammad Faheem, Second Secretary of the Pakistan Mission.
A quick recap of the briefing below
@robert_opp
@UNDP
@UNCTAD
@UNTechEnvoy
@PakistanPR_UN
@Asimiahmad
@Bilalbinsaqib
@PakistanVARA
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
Sovereign AI ultimately comes down to control.
Where does your data go? Who can access it? Can you keep running if the infrastructure you rely on goes offline?
If the answer depends on foreign centralised providers, it's not your AI.
Governments and institutions aren’t chasing another frontier model. They need AI infrastructure that is robust, built for their needs, and under their own control.
Robert Pasicko, Team Leader at @UNDP_AltFinLab, shared his view with our Head of EMEA, @TiffanyWang98, in the latest episode of What the FLock.
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
How can #blockchain and digital assets support #SustainableDevelopment?
At today’s discussion, @UNDP joined governments, the UN and technology actors to explore responsible pathways from innovation to implementation, with public value at the centre.
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
Blockchain and AI often make headlines for hype and huge investments.
But beyond the speculation, they are widening access to financial resources and innovation for underserved communities in developing economies.
That’s exactly why we’ve worked with @UNDP_AltFinLab as the AI partner for the UNDP SDG Blockchain Accelerator, from Cohort 2 and now into Cohort 3, applying decentralised AI to tackle real-world problems across climate finance, supply chain, digital sovereignty, data governance, and more.
In the newest episode of What the FLock, our Head of EMEA, @TiffanyWang98, speaks with Robert Pasicko (@RPasicko), Team Leader at UNDP AltFinLab, for a candid and unfiltered look at the work happening behind the scenes and what it takes to turn new tech into measurable outcomes.
Full episode 👇
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
The EU owns only ~20% of its digital stack today. By 2030? Maybe 12%.
Our Head of EMEA, Tiffany Wang (@TiffanyWang98), sat down with Robert Pasicko (@RPasicko), Team Leader at @UNDP_AltFinLab, to talk about AI sovereignty and why decentralised AI could go from “nice to have” to necessary by 2027.
Full episode soon.
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
📣 Applications are open for the 2026 SDG Blockchain Accelerator.
The Cardano Foundation is partnering with @UNDP_AltFinLab, @ChainforGood and other technology organizations on the global initiative, which pairs UN teams experiencing concrete development challenges with innovators and solution-makers who can help address them.
Apply by 30 September 👇
innovation.eurasia.undp.org/…
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
Digital payments have proven they can reach people that conventional systems often cannot.
We’re announcing the extension of our partnership with @UNDPEurasia and @UNDP_AltFinLab to help make blockchain-based payments a regular part of program delivery.
innovation.eurasia.undp.org/…
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
How do we ensure AI agents are accountable, verifiable, and trustworthy?
Join our founder & CEO @0x7SUN tomorrow at UN Blockchain Talk #9 with @UNDP_AltFinLab, @UN_Innovation, @NEARWEEK, and @MasumiNetwork for a discussion on AI agents, federated learning, and what blockchain can help verify.
Link to join👇
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
Just back from Paris 🇫🇷 after two great days with the @UNDP team and the Blockchain Advisory Group.
One perspective I shared: while token ledgers have driven the first wave of blockchain use cases, the real impact of the technology for public good will come from compute.
The combination of sovereign cloud infrastructure and AI is where things become transformative.
AI is becoming both the most powerful builder and the most capable attacker. At the same time, critical digital infrastructure is often dependent on foreign providers, with growing concerns around control, resilience, and data sovereignty.
Cloud Engines address this directly by enabling tamperproof, always-on, sovereign environments where AI can build and operate software. This is already taking shape with forward-looking governments like Pakistan @digitalauthpk and upcoming offering from the @swisssubnet Cloud Engines.
For governments, NGOs, and enterprises, this is not just an upgrade. It is a new foundation to secure an important lifeline of modern economies: compute.
Appreciation to the @UNDP_AltFinLab for convening and driving these important discussions at the intersection of governments, NGOs, and technology companies.
Looking forward to strengthening the collaboration with the UNDP team as well as contributing to the Advisory Group.
Stay tuned!
UNDP AltFinLab retweeted
Pleasure to co-host the dialogue on #ScalingBlockchainForPublicGood w/@sciencespo.
Responsible public sector adoption starts w/trust, stronger institutions, better governance & interoperability. Long-term partnerships are🔑to bridging innovation➕implementation. @UNDP_AltFinLab
