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Disberse

@Disberse

We are building a new kind of financial institution for international aid. We envision a world where money flows for the greatest impact.

 Global
disberse.com
Joined December 2012
  • Tweets657
  • Following1.6K
  • Followers985
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Replying to @paulcurrion
@paulcurrion eloquently summarises our thoughts on the role of #blockchain in@#aid. 4 years of learning summarised into a Twitter feed yesterday, and blog post today paulcurrion.medium.com/can-w…
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In 2019/20, we partnered with @DFID_UK / @FCDOGovUK & @UNOCHA. The pilot was organised as a series of sprints, during which we conducted research and analysis of Country Based Pooled Funds in Iraq & the Occupied Palestinian Territories. (1/6)
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The pilot culminated in a Simulation Exercise based on historical transactions worth over $140 million, with the planned next step of carrying out live transactions on our platform. (2/6)
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In 2018 we delivered our alpha pilots in partnership with the @StartNetwork + its NGO members. These pilots validated our model of distributing funds faster, cheaper and more transparently. Our learning notes can be found in the Resources section of disberse.com (1/3)
Image from Disberse (@Disberse)
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Following these, we joined a consortium to launch the 121 Project. We were responsible for setting up channels between individual donors in the Netherlands & UK and individual recipients via banks in Ethiopia & Malawi. The pilot was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (2/3)
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Our existence was based on solving a complex financial challenge for the aid industry. The global financial system is slow, expensive and opaque. Banks weren’t built to meet the needs of the aid industry. (1/5)
Image from Disberse (@Disberse)
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Transparency: Funds cannot be traced from end-to-end, creating potential for mismanagement, and decreasing accountability (2/5)
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In 2016, we set out on a journey to build a new type of financial institution for #aid. We made a lot of progress - but we didn’t achieve our biggest ambition (1/4)
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Disberse will close in the next few months, and although we’re sad to say goodbye, we wanted to encourage anybody who’s thinking to start their own moonshot project (2/4)
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We ran a Simulation with DFID and OCHA, and you won't believe what we found! by @paulcurrion and @NumiOstlund link.medium.com/k0KSilR5z7
Simulation’s what you need!

Simulation’s what you need!

If you’ve read our previous posts about this pilot, you’ll know that we’ve been asking what people need, discussing what transparency…

link.medium.com
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This is exactly the use case that we built for, but the fragmentation is just one part of the complexity of aid flows. Fast-changing environments, many-to-many contract relationships, multi-year funding cycles, etc, all make this sector incredibly complex.
The New Humanitarian (@newhumanitarian) profile pictureThe New Humanitarian
@newhumanitarian4 Jun 2020
Trying to track COVID-19 aid funding shows the fragmentation in aid spending and data. thenewhumanitarian.org/news/…

Keeping track of COVID-19 aid

All the different COVID-19 aid funding streams, and how to miscount them.

thenewhumanitarian.org
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It is possible to track aid but it requires two things: better technology (we've done that ✅) but *more importantly* a paradigm shift in how the sector manages finance more broadly. And that needs a long-term ambition!
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Here's what our @NumiOstlund and @paulcurrion found when they went digging into the financial transaction data behind country based pooled funds...
Francisco Riera (@franriera7) profile pictureFrancisco Riera@franriera714 Apr 2020
Recommended article to start this Mon.. Tuesday. @Paulcurrion from @Disberse explains how innovative financial technology, built on a distributed ledger platform, can improve the efficiency and transparency of aid transactions🤓 link.medium.com/kWtQm0OOF5
Digging into the Data behind “Business as Usual”

Digging into the Data behind “Business as Usual”

Every idea needs a Medium

link.medium.com
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Aid disbursements + Banking statistics = Controversy! ftalphaville.ft.com/2020/02/…
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And a cached version of the article (if you don't have an FT subscription) webcache.googleusercontent.c…
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Since we started Disberse, we've had a lot of discussions about transparency - but our pilot with @innovateDFID is changing the way we approach transparency... link.medium.com/k6jKAT6xR3 (by @paulcurrion)
What does transparency look like?

What does transparency look like?

Every idea needs a Medium

link.medium.com
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TL;DR - the transparency discussion often starts from a definition, and is developed from there - but maybe that just generates confusion, when that definition is understood differently by different stakeholders?
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Great to be #digitalimpactsummit @fintechww .. looking forward to sharing our work and exploring the role of digital technology in addressing #financialinclusion
Image from Disberse (@Disberse)
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We've just finished the first Sprint in our project with @DFID_UK, working closely with @UNOCHA to research the financial challenges faced by stakeholders working with Country Based Pooled Funds. Read all about it at medium.com/frontier-technolo…
The First Step to Tracking UK Aid on the Blockchain

The First Step to Tracking UK Aid on the Blockchain

“Do people really need this?”

medium.com
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Thanks to @franriera7 at @IMCWorldwide and @AsadRahman at @hellobrink for their support in the process!
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Fascinating but disappointing to hear the challenges faces by NGOs across the globe related to bank derisking. The reality is that the banks weren’t built to meet the needs of #aid organisations. They view the sector as high risk, low margin. That’s why we’re building @Disberse
Image from Disberse (@Disberse)
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Great to be at #WHAF2019 in #Istanbul to share our work and explore the challenges for the #aid industry in managing and moving funds across the globe to respond to humanitarian crisis
Image from Disberse (@Disberse)
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Great to bring half the team together in #London for dinner and celebrate winning @Payexpo
Image from Disberse (@Disberse)
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We’re super chuffed to have been selected at the top #startup at @PayExpo 2019. Thanks for the love and the certificate!
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🙌
Ben Joakim (@BenJoakim) profile pictureBen Joakim@BenJoakim9 Oct 2019
Replying to @Disberse
@Disberse was just selected as the best startup at @payexpo 🎉
Image from Ben Joakim (@BenJoakim)
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Great to welcome David Woolcock to the team fxweek.com/people/4325011/da…
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‘Investing in new solutions to aid’. We’re pleased to have @comicrelief on board as a strategic investor, as we build a new financial system for aid comicrelief.com/news/redshed…

REDSHED: INVESTING IN NEW SOLUTIONS TO AID

How aid flows and the speeds in which it reaches disaster zones and impoverished areas is a critical lifeline for communities across the world. The current system of aid flows - whilst playing an...

comicrelief.com
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We’ve been working hard over the last few months at @Disberse as we continue to build and test a new kind of financial institution for aid. It’s great to be able to share an update via @Forbes. Thanks to @nicholasgfearn for the feature. —> forbes.com/sites/nicholasfea…
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