UN Identity Tech Partner Integrates Blockchain Into Payments Platform

A technology company involved in the UN's blockchain trials has expanded its work with the tech through its aid-focused payments platform.

As reported by CoinDesk, IrisGuard's technology was utilized by the UN to verify the identity of refugees in Jordan who, as part of the test, were awarded financial aid through an ethereum-based payment platform. Late last month, IrisGuard announced that its EyePay platform, aimed at facilitating trusted payments, had been upgraded to interface with blockchain-based networks more easily like the one deployed in the Jordan test.

According to a release from IrisGuard, the company has helped the UN enroll over 2.3 million refugees from Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and Syria using EyePay.

Imad Malhas, the company's founder and CEO, said in a statement:

"IrisGuard is proud of its partnerships with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), The United Nations Children's Fund, International Organization for Migration and all UN agencies and NGO's trying to make a sustainable difference in the lives of impoverished, undocumented and defenseless refugees. We hope to continue doing our part in realizing a fair and dignified distribution system for the world's unbanked populations."

As previously reported by CoinDesk, Jordan has served as a testing ground for the UN's work with blockchain, though the international organization has launched other technology-driven initiatives in the region, including others with IrisGuard itself.

According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of 2016, there are 720,812 refugees and asylum seekers in the country.

Image Credit: ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com