The new head of innovation at the U.K. Department for International Development believes blockchain will be the next transformative technology in development and humanitarian relief, she told a crowd gathered at the Royal Society of Art on Tuesday.
Tamara Giltsoff, who joined DfID seven months ago after 20 years in the private sector, said she thinks blockchain will be most catalytic because of its cross-cutting potential. She compared the technology’s prospects to the transformative impact of mobile payments, which DfID first funded to scale in Kenya through the M-PESA platform in 2004.
“Blockchain cuts across so many different areas, whether it’s supply chain logistics, delivery of goods or tracking goods in a humanitarian context,” Giltsoff said.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.