Open Payments Developer Awareness Sprint: Building Local Developer Capacity in Barranquilla, Colombia

Kelly Villa — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 03:19:35 +0000

Between July and September 2026, CaribeDev carried out the Open Payments Developer Awareness Sprint, an initiative supported by the Interledger Foundation through its Local Impact Mini Grant.

Our goal was to introduce developers, computer science students, and technology professionals in Barranquilla, Colombia, to the Interledger ecosystem and Open Payments through a progressive learning experience combining introductory instruction, hands-on development, mentoring, and technical reinforcement.

Rather than organizing a single awareness event, we designed three complementary activities to help participants move from understanding the fundamentals to experimenting with practical implementations.

Three activities, one learning pathway

*1. Introduction to Interledger and Open Payments — July 25, 2026
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We welcomed 22 participants to an introductory workshop and guided technical laboratory. The session covered the fundamentals of Interledger, Open Payments, and interoperable payment technologies, establishing a foundation for the practical activities that followed.

*2. Mini Hackathon: Implementation and Integration of the Interledger Wallet — August 1, 2026
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Our second activity brought together 20 participants for a hands-on technical experience. Participants explored implementation concepts, worked on technical solutions, and received guidance throughout the development process.

Three projects were recognized with monetary awards of COP 500,000, COP 300,000, and COP 150,000, respectively. Beyond the awards, the Mini Hackathon created space for experimentation, collaboration, and problem-solving around open payment technologies.

*3. Intensive Open Payments Technical Workshop — September 21, 2026
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We concluded the program with an intensive four-hour technical workshop attended by seven participants. Led by technical facilitator Joel Rodríguez, the session focused on reinforcing concepts, addressing implementation questions, and providing more personalized technical guidance.

The workshop was originally scheduled for September 19 but had to be rescheduled due to adverse weather conditions and a temporary power outage at the original venue. We adapted the schedule and successfully completed the activity two days later.

What did we achieve?
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Across the three activities, we recorded **49 participant attendances. This represents attendance instances across events, not necessarily 49 unique individuals.

The initiative delivered:

Three educational and technical activities between July and September 2026.

Introductory learning, practical development, and continued technical guidance.

A Mini Hackathon recognizing three projects through monetary awards.

Opportunities for local developers and students to explore Interledger and Open Payments through hands-on learning.

A foundation for future technical workshops and community-led exploration of open payment infrastructure.

*What did we learn?
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One of our main takeaways was the value of a progressive learning pathway. Introducing the concepts first, providing a practical environment for experimentation, and then offering a dedicated space for technical reinforcement gave participants different ways to engage with the ecosystem.

We also learned the importance of contingency planning and flexibility when organizing in-person technical activities. Unexpected venue disruptions can affect schedules, but clear coordination and adaptability help keep community initiatives moving forward.

For CaribeDev, this project was an opportunity to connect our regional developer community with technologies that support more interoperable payment systems and to create additional entry points for learning and experimentation.

*Looking ahead
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Completing this initiative is an important step, but we see it as a starting point rather than an endpoint. We hope to continue creating opportunities for developers in the Colombian Caribbean to explore Open Payments, collaborate on technical challenges, and build practical knowledge around open payment infrastructure.

We sincerely thank the Interledger Foundation for making this initiative possible through its Local Impact Mini Grant. We also thank our facilitators, mentors, participants, and community collaborators for contributing their time and knowledge.

We would love to hear from other community members: What approaches have worked best in your communities to help developers move from learning about Open Payments to building with it?

— CaribeDev
Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia

The Interledger Community 🌱: Kelly Villa

Open Payments Developer Awareness Sprint: Building Local Developer Capacity in Barranquilla, Colombia