May Edition of the Crypto Altruists Newsletter

👋 Hello, Crypto Altruists!

We kicked off the month at Canada Crypto Week in Toronto, where we attended a variety of events including Filecoin Dev Summit, ETH Toronto, Blockchain Futurist, and more! It had a refreshingly practical focus—ecosystem interoperability, accountable & ethical AI, and shared infrastructure for public goods.

There was a shift back to foundational questions: how do we coordinate across chains, build with integrity, and apply web3 in real-world contexts?

Once again, we were reminded of the power of in-person connection. Crypto Altruists' biggest highlight was meeting builders, including some we’ve been following for a long time—like Marek from Celo—and reflecting on how regen ideas are evolving beyond early-stage experimentation. 🛠️

Ethereum came up in many of these conversations. As the base layer for much of Web3’s impact work, it remains central to our focus as well. With the Pectra upgrade now live, we’ve seen builder activity pick up again—not just in token metrics, but in renewed attention to infrastructure and usability.

For us at Crypto Altruists, this is a show of not a hype wave, but a steady building rhythm picking up. And we’re so excited to see what it brings.

Here’s what we’ve been following this month. 👇

🌱 Featured: Celebrating 200 Episodes!

Since 2021, the Crypto Altruists podcast has been sharing stories at the intersection of Web3 and real-world impact. This month, we hit a major milestone: Episode 200. 🥳

We celebrated with a special live X recording featuring reflections from past guests, community voices, and a look at how far the space has come.

We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us live and to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far. Here’s to the next 200—and more! 🚀

💡 May Impact Spotlight

Exciting developments 🚀

• Blockchain pilot boosts Colombian farmers’ incomes: Ripple, WËIA, and Mercy Corps Ventures use XRPL to support 300 smallholder farmers with traceability, fairer markets, and a “Farm Now, Pay Later” model.
• DeSciWorld launches first open fellowship program: Focused on “Opening Knowledge,” the fellowship invites participants to explore decentralized, cross-cultural, and collaborative ways of knowing—through research, pedagogy, and protocol design. Applications close on May 30.
• Octant launches Ethereum Sustainability Fund (ESF): The fund pools yield from major ecosystem players to support long-term Ethereum development, with governance led by the Dragon Council and initial backing from Golem Foundation.
• Endaoment and ResearchHub enable tax-deductible DeSci funding: In a new $25K proof-of-concept with Stanford, Endaoment and ResearchHub have launched a mechanism to fund scientific research onchain using $RSC—with donors receiving tax receipts for eligible contributions.
• Edge City explores tech-driven art at the frontier: At their unconference in Austin, Edge City spotlighted AI and mixed-media works at the cultural side of emerging tech. We love seeing how storytelling and creative tools shape how new systems are imagined—and who feels invited to build them.
• Celo expands stablecoin ecosystem with 5 new currencies: Mento Labs has launched cGBP, cCAD, cAUD, cZAR, and cGHS—bringing more localized, onchain FX options to Celo’s growing stablecoin infrastructure.
• Ethereum Foundation launches Academic Secretariat: A new EF team will focus on growing Ethereum’s academic presence through university partnerships, research funding, and conference engagement, aiming to establish Ethereum as a formal field of study.
• Karma launches Tracks for mission-driven hackathons: Karma, a platform for onchain reputation and builder funding, has introduced “Tracks”—a new format for hackathons with longer timelines, milestone-based rewards, and targeted use cases. Great to drive more experimentation!

Crypto Altruists content & updates 💚

• For National Space Day, we shared an infographic about DeSpace: From decentralized satellite data and DAO coordination to impact funding and space debris tracking, it highlights how blockchain can support open, collaborative, and sustainable space exploration.
• Episode 201 – Web3 Localism for Global Climate Action: Paul Burg on tokenized cleanups, NGO collabs, and regen hubs turning local action into global climate impact.
• Episode 202 – Algorand: Blockchain Innovations for Humanitarian Aid, Sustainability, and Scientific Integrity: Marc Vanlerberghe on how Algorand is enabling crypto aid in Afghanistan, ESG supply chains, and verifiable science in the AI age.
• Episode 203 – Privado ID: Building Trust Between Humans and AI Agents with Blockchain-Powered Decentralized Identity: Evin McMullen on using blockchain and ZK proofs to rewire digital identity for privacy, inclusion, and human–AI trust.

Recommended resources 📖

• Grassroots Economics, by Will Ruddick: A great, comprehensive resource on community currencies, regenerative finance, and local coordination, rooted in over a decade of work across Kenya. The full book is available for free as a PDF and audiobook.
• Inside the Allo Builders Fund: Crowdfunding, Coordination, and New Funding Models: In this podcast hosted by Kevin Owocki, builders from the Allo ecosystem share how they're experimenting with citizen salaries, AI-powered coordination, and dynamic equity.
• Collaborative Finance for Regen Collectives: Trinity Morphy explores how community-led lending, savings groups, and shared investment models can help regen collectives become more financially self-sustaining and locally rooted.

🌟 Project Highlight: MiniPay

We've been fans of MiniPay for a while—in fact, back in September, we covered its first birthday, where we highlighted the early lessons about real-world adoption. Now, with this month's announcement that MiniPay is available globally as a standalone app on iOS and Android, it's even more relevant than ever. 🙌

MiniPay enables stablecoin transfers in under 5 seconds and for less than $0.01—a stark contrast to traditional remittance services, which can take days and charge up to 6–7%. And with over 7 million wallets created since its launch, MiniPay is quickly becoming one of the clearest examples of how stablecoins can support real-world financial activity, quietly and at scale.

We appreciate its vision to make stablecoins usable without requiring users to become “crypto literate.” With simple onboarding, local integration, and an interface that feels familiar, it's built for practical use, not speculation.

📬 Stay Connected

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See you in the next edition! 💚