Brief Project Description
The Open Payments Innovation Lab (aka Future of Open Payments: Bridging Finance, Technology and Law for Financial Inclusion) is a 5-ECTS interdisciplinary lab at The Hague University of Applied Sciences where law and finance students design real-world solutions to global payment challenges using open payment technologies. Working in interdisciplinary teams, students address actual financial inclusion problems of their choice while learning about the Interledger Protocol and navigating economic and regulatory challenges. The lab features 8 weekly interactive workshops, followed by independent work on capstone projects with 3 coaching sessions for feedback. Students present their solutions to a panel of industry experts at a final pitch event.
Project Update
The Open Payments Innovation Lab is now live and accepting student applications for our March 2026 launch. The response has been very good: within 4 days, we received 40 student registrations and the number is still growing.
The course infrastructure is now operational. We have designed a dedicated website www.openpaymentslab.com, which now serves as the central hub for course information and registration. The complete 12-week course structure has been finalized and published, including all session topics, capstone deliverable requirements, and evaluation criteria. Institutional approval for 5 ECTS extracurricular credits has been obtained, formalizing the lab as an official study component at The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
Recruitment is ongoing through multiple channels. Student ambassadors from the LAW programme and ILSA student association promoted the lab through peer networks, which proved particularly effective. We reached program managers directly in International & European Law, International Financial Management & Control, and International Business, and distributed information through both the Blockchain minor and Tax, Banking and Financial Regulation minor. Students are registering from both law and finance backgrounds, creating the interdisciplinary mix the lab was designed for.
Current work focuses on three priorities. First, finalizing learning materials for the eight weekly sessions, including a pre-course survey to establish baseline knowledge and running the workshops. Second, coordinating with external experts for (co-)leading different workshops. Third, planning the final pitch event and assembling the panel of experts to evaluate the final capstone projects and selecting the winner. The first introductory workshop will run on March 20, 2026.
The challenges we have encountered so far have been related to internal processes. Embedding the Open Payments Innovation Lab into two existing minors, Blockchain and Tax, Banking and Financial Regulation, has proven more complicated due to the non-compulsory nature of this component and its interdisciplinary character which requires integration in the curricula of two different departments. Therefore, the decision has been made for this year to pilot the Open Payments Innovation Lab as an extra-curricular project and resume the discussion on embedding it into the curriculum upon successful completion of the pilot.
One logistical challenge has been scheduling workshops at a time convenient for students coming from different programmes. Year 3-4 students are also known for working part-time on days free from compulsory classes, so finding appropriate times to retain attendance of students expressing interest is an ongoing effort. The solution we are considering is to run a poll at the first introductory workshop and schedule sessions at a time convenient for the majority of participants. We will take a more flexible approach with the coaching sessions, making individual appointments with teams.
Project Impact & Target Audience(s)
The Open Payments Innovation Lab primarily serves Year 3-4 bachelor students enrolled in law and finance programs at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. The lab specifically targets students who lack coding backgrounds but seek to work at the intersection of finance, technology, and regulation.
Current registrants include 70% women, reflecting strong participation from a group that has been historically underrepresented in technology and finance-related fields. The Hague University of Applied Sciences has a highly international student body representing over 125 nationalities, and the lab's recruitment through multiple programs (International & European Law, International Financial Management & Control, International Business) ensures participation from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
This initiative supports the Interledger Foundation's mission in several key ways:
Educating students on the potential of ILP and open payment technologies: The Open Payments Innovation Lab introduces the Interledger Protocol to students in finance and law curricula where open payment technologies are rarely addressed. Through eight weekly workshops, students learn how open payment technologies can provide financial access to underserved populations. These students will enter careers in regulatory agencies, financial institutions, and policy organizations equipped to understand and advocate for interoperable payment systems.
Encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation: The capstone project requirement ensures that all students design financial solutions that reduce barriers to financial access worldwide. Working in interdisciplinary teams, students will address concrete challenges and analyse legal and financial considerations of their proposed solutions.
Expanding the talent pipeline: Open Payments Innovation Lab trains future regulators, compliance officers, policy advisors, and financial professionals who will shape regulatory frameworks, compliance standards, and institutional adoption decisions. By reaching non-technical students, we are expanding who gets to participate in conversations about the future of payments and ensuring that diverse perspectives inform the development of open payment systems.
Progress on Objectives, Key Activities
Progress is reported against the three core objectives outlined in the original proposal:
Objective 1: Integrating ILP and open payments into legal and financial education
The full 12-week course structure has been completed and published. All session topics, capstone deliverable requirements, and evaluation criteria are now available on the dedicated website www.openpaymentslab.com. The course provides a holistic approach where students explore the technical architecture of open payments (ILP), payment economics, and regulatory challenges (PSD3, MiCA, AML/KYC, data protection), with sessions structured to integrate technical and regulatory perspectives throughout.
Objective 2: Advancing financial inclusion through innovation
All capstone projects are required to address real-world financial inclusion challenges using ILP and open payment technologies. The capstone framework has been finalized with five core components: solution design, technical architecture, legal analysis, financial analysis and impact assessment.
Objective 3: Developing a talent pipeline in open payments
Within four days of opening registration (March 9-12, 2026), 40 students applied, exceeding our initial target of 24-30 students. A pre-course survey has been designed to assess student background knowledge and establish baseline metrics. A post-course survey will measure learning outcomes, track career interests in fintech/regulatory agencies/payment service providers, and gather feedback for program refinement.
Communications and Marketing
A special panel on the Future of Payments was organized as part of the annual Beyond Cash, Code & Monetary Power event, hosted by the New Finance Research Group on January 30, 2026. The panel focused on the changing mix of public and private money and how to organize trust, scalability, and interoperability in payment systems. Discussions highlighted the importance of harmonized regulatory frameworks as a key enabler of interoperability, while pointing to legal and regulatory challenges that continue to hinder cross-border integration. This event raised awareness and generated student interest in current payment system issues and served as a launch platform for announcing the Open Payments Innovation Lab.
The website www.openpaymentslab.com launched in March 2026 and serves as the central hub for lab information, week-by-week course structure, and student registration. The registration form feeds directly into a Google Sheet for tracking applications. Three blog posts have been published to build awareness and provide context for the lab's focus areas:
"From Interledger Summit to Our Classroom: Why We're Building This"- reflecting on insights from the Interledger Summit and the vision for bringing open payments education to The Hague University of Applied Sciences
"What Will the Payment Ecosystem of the Future Look Like?" - drawing on perspectives from the January 30, 2026 panel discussion during the Beyond Cash, Code & Monetary Power event.
"Financial Inclusion Isn't Just About Access—It's About What Comes Next" - examining how open payment technologies can address barriers to financial inclusion globally.
A separate page dedicated to the Open Payments Innovation Lab is being created on the New Finance Research Group website to provide additional institutional visibility and connect the lab to ongoing research activities in digital finance.
What’s Next?
March-June 2026: Running the pilot
The Open Payments Innovation Lab will run from March 20, 2026 to June 11, 2026. The first eight weeks will feature weekly interactive workshops covering ILP fundamentals, regulatory frameworks, financial inclusion challenges, payment economics, and solution design. Students will form interdisciplinary teams during Week 2 and begin developing their capstone projects starting in Week 9, with three coaching sessions per team to provide feedback on project scoping, solution design, legal analysis, and final presentations.
Final pitch event and evaluation
The lab will conclude on June 11, 2026 with a final pitch event where teams present their capstone projects to a panel of industry experts. Post-course evaluations will be conducted to measure learning outcomes, assess student satisfaction, and gather feedback for program improvement.
Community Support
The Open Payments Innovation Lab would greatly benefit from ILF community members who can contribute to teaching sessions designed for non-technical students. We are seeking experts who can commit to co-teaching Introduction to Interledger Protocol (planned for March 27, 2026) and leading ILP Experience Lab (planned for April 17, 2026). Additionally, co-teaching the Financial Inclusion session either in person or online by telling the story of real-life projects would be very beneficial.
We are also looking for experts who would like to be involved as evaluators at the final pitch event on June 11, 2026.
Looking forward, we would very much appreciate support in connecting high-performing students with internship opportunities or applied research graduation projects in organizations working with ILP and open payment systems. This would provide valuable pathways for students to continue their engagement beyond the Open Payments Innovation Lab.
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