BFC Bulletins Monthly News Digest
Tags Blockchain eGovernment HR Identification Regulation Startups
The Immigration Service of Finland has begun providing refugees with prepaid Mastercards rather than cash, allowing refugees to enter the blockchain-based system of unique digital identification information. This serves to benefit both refugees and the Immigration Service. For refugees, it allows for the identification of an individual, better facilitating employment opportunities. Refugees can also use the card to receive direct deposits and pay bills until they can open a normal bank account. For the Immigration Service, it provides improved monitoring capabilities as all transactions are fixed in a blockchain. This means that the Service can easily control where refugees spend their money, something becoming increasingly important as the number of refugees has sharply risen the last few years.
Finland’s adoption of blockchain technology to help refugees provides an example of how blockchain technology can be used to give people access to the benefits of the digital economy as well as how it can be used by governments to provide social services.
