We’re rapidly moving into a digital-first world, which requires a different set of skills. That creates a real risk that certain groups of people will be left behind. Those with weaker socio-economic backgrounds, in vulnerable personal circumstances – old, sick, incapacitated, homeless – or are already marginalized, like certain minorities, refugees, or internally displaced.

The Social Wallet project specifically supports these vulnerable people.

• An easy-to-use application to receive benefits that they can exchange for goods or services. These are powerful incentives to actually use the application and in doing so learn essential digital skills.
• The privacy-preserving characteristics of SSI-technology will help these groups to overcome distrust of sharing data with authorities. It will help those who have difficulties in expressing their needs, skills and experience. It will improve inclusiveness and their data privacy.
• The solution will provide authorities and sponsors with an efficient digital platform to request required information from the user – in a privacy-preserving manner – and to issue benefits.
• The authorities and sponsors will be incentivized by the cost savings of using a digital platform versus the labor-intensive process of managing these programs. It also gives them trust that the benefits are indeed used by the intended participants and purpose.
• Suppliers will be incentivized by additional sales, the efficient process, and immediate financial settlement by the authorities or sponsors for goods and services delivered.
• We will be using green ISPs and (d)POS EVM (Ethereum/Polygon) blockchains.

These incentives have been proven to work in practice at the municipality of Weert (NL) and this project will enable the Social Wallet to scale. During the whole project we’ll cooperate closely with the municipality of Weert (NL) who will provide input, feedback, and access to citizens from the relevant socio-economic groups, as well as other stakeholders.