Imagine this: a nation of 42,000 people, scattered across 29 atolls, and the government’s solution to poverty is a stablecoin. 🏝️💸 Welcome to the Marshall Islands, where UBI is less about “universal” and more about “universally confusing.”
So, the government’s giving everyone $800 a year-because nothing says “I care” like a digital wallet that only 12 people have bothered to use. 🤷♀️ Yep, the crypto option is so popular, it’s basically a secret society for tech-savvy islanders. 🧠
- Marshall Islands now pays residents roughly $200 per quarter in UBI, funded by a US-backed trust tied to past nuclear testing. 🌍💣 (Because who doesn’t want to be compensated for being nuked?)
- Citizens can choose bank transfers, checks, or a government digital wallet using a dollar-pegged stablecoin on blockchain rails. 🏦🪙 (Because nothing says “financial inclusion” like a 1990s-style check.)
- World (ex-Worldcoin) positions its WLD token and World Chain as a separate model for biometric-gated, network-native UBI-style distributions. 🧠👁️ (Because who needs privacy when you can scan your iris for a paycheck?)
The Marshall Islands has implemented a nationwide universal basic income program offering citizens the option to receive payments via cryptocurrency, according to a report from The Guardian. 📰 (“Report” is generous-more like a press release from a crypto bro in a tiki hut.)
Under the initiative, every resident citizen is entitled to quarterly payments of approximately $200, totaling about $800 annually. The government stated the program aims to offset rising living costs and slow outward migration. 🚀 (“Slow outward migration” = “stop people from fleeing to Hawaii.”)
The first payments were distributed in late November, with recipients given the option to receive funds through bank deposits, paper checks, or a government-backed digital wallet that delivers payments on the blockchain. 📦📄🪙 (Because who doesn’t want to wait weeks for a check when you could have a 10-minute blockchain transaction?)
Finance Minister David Paul told The Guardian the scheme was designed to ensure broad inclusion rather than replace employment income. Paul stated the payments are intended to act as a social safety net and a morale boost rather than a substitute for work. 💼 (“Morale boost” = “We’re too broke to pay real wages.”)
The Marshall Islands, a Pacific nation of approximately 42,000 people located between Hawaii and Australia, faces economic and geographic challenges. Many communities are spread across remote atolls, complicating the delivery of public services and financial assistance. Officials said the cryptocurrency option was introduced to help overcome those logistical barriers. 🌊🗺️ (Because nothing says “logistical” like a blockchain that only 12 people use.)
The program is funded through a trust established under an agreement with the United States, partly aimed at compensating the Marshall Islands for decades of US nuclear testing. The fund holds more than $1.3 billion in assets, with Washington committed to contributing an additional $500 million through 2027. 🤝💣 (Because who doesn’t want to fund a UBI with nuclear reparations?)
Dr. Huy Pham, an associate professor and crypto-fintech lead at RMIT University, described the initiative as a global first. Pham stated this represents the world’s first national rollout of a UBI program, noting that the use of blockchain technology at a countrywide level is highly unusual. The crypto payments are made using a US dollar-pegged stablecoin, a choice officials said provides price stability while allowing fast, traceable transfers across hundreds of islands. 📈📉 (Because nothing says “price stability” like a coin that’s literally tied to a dollar.)
Marshall Islands stablecooin
Uptake of the digital option remains limited, according to data from the Marshall Islands Social Security Administration. Approximately 60% of the first payments were made via bank deposits, with most of the remainder issued as checks. Only around a dozen people have opted to receive their UBI through the digital wallet. 🧾 (“Only a dozen” = “We’re basically the first to try this.”)
Sam Altman’s World, originally launched as Worldcoin, has positioned its blockchain initiative as a path toward a global UBI mechanism. The project verifies each person’s unique human identity using biometric scans. The “Orb” device creates a World ID that proves a user is real and not a bot, enabling distribution of its native token, WLD. Verified users receive allocations of WLD, which some view as a form of UBI within the network. World launched World Chain, an Ethereum layer-2 blockchain, last year. The network serves its 15 million verified users with a “World ID” obtained via iris scanning. 👁️🪙 (Because nothing says “humanity” like a biometric scan.)
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2025-12-17 10:48