Ayden Férdeline — ILF Ambassador Progress Report

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Project Update

Over the past six months, as an Interledger Ambassador and as a public interest technologist, I have been working to raise the awareness and understanding of the Interledger Protocol (ILP) within various external tech policy fora.

A phrase I hear often in the policy space is that there are “coordination problems.” Believe it or not, complex systems are indeed complex, and making an impact addressing wicked problems requires a lot of people with disparate interests working together to achieve shared goals. That’s at the heart of the work that I do, and it’s guided my theory of change this year. Our ecosystem has ambitious goals, and in order to realize them, I believe we need more people championing Open Payments, the Interledger Protocol, and responsible regulatory frameworks that enable and provide viable business models for digital public infrastructure.

My work has thus taken four forms:

Network-building: I help people who are working on similar problems connect with each other. For instance, I represented the Interledger community at NetMundial+10 and at the G20 Digital Economy Working Group in São Paulo, where through a self-organized side event I brought together Latin American experts from diverse fields to strategize on financial literacy challenges. I also let people know about Interledger grants that may be of interest when I think they’re a great fit for them.
Knowledge-building: I want to empower more people from different backgrounds and points of view to engage in policy work. I have published four blog posts on this community forum and held a deep dive on the June 2024 community call to try to show how this domain adds value to their work.
Practical guidance: I am creating resources and infrastructure to help policymakers understand Interledger, and to help practitioners understand policy. These are not currently public facing documents or programs, however they will be in a few months from now.
Hustling for resources: I have been trying to grow the resources available to support our ecosystem by collaborating with the Programs Team on proposals for external funding from other philanthropic sources. I hope to extend the runway our community has to get ILP widely adopted.

Sometimes, the type of work I am doing isn’t specific to Interledger, but benefits the open Internet more broadly. I advocate for interoperability, for permissionless innovation, for reusable open source building blocks. But because of my background, my interests, and our amazing community, I am able to do my work as an Interledger Ambassador, and in the other hats I wear, in the context of supporting digital financial inclusion. In doing so, I use the approaches I mentioned above to help address the coordination problems that our ecosystem faces.

Progress on Objectives, Key Activities

Principally, my project as an Interledger Ambassador was to form an intersessional working group under the auspices of the United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum, dedicated to the opportunities and challenges in addressing digital financial inclusion.

Objective 1: Formation and Leadership of the Dynamic Coalition

Launch of Dynamic Coalition: I worked behind the scenes to garner support and was successful in securing a mandate for the establishment of the Dynamic Coalition on Digital Financial Inclusion. This was a crucial milestone, and the initial response has been overwhelmingly positive. The coalition brings together diverse stakeholders to explore the potential of the Interledger Protocol, and the Open Payments standard, in enhancing digital financial inclusion. Only two Dynamic Coalitions have been charted this year: the other, by NASA and three other space agencies, was chartered to provide a venue for discussions around an intergalactic Internet.
One-on-One Meetings with Members: I have been meeting virtually one-on-one with the members of the Dynamic Coalition in order to understand their interests and positions, and this background sets the stage for the public, monthly virtual meetings. These meetings are designed to foster in-depth discussions on key issues, share insights, and strategize on actionable steps. The engagement levels on these virtual calls and over email thus far have been encouraging, indicating strong interest and commitment from coalition members.

Objective 2: Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder Engagement: I have actively engaged with key stakeholders from organizations like Article 19, the European Commission, Internews, the Internet Society, Meta, and the World Economic Forum, among others, to share the vision behind the Interledger Protocol. More work needs to be done here and I have a road map for getting there.
Engagement with the Interledger Community: I participated in the Interledger Community Call on June 12th, where I discussed the Dynamic Coalition’s objectives and progress. This call was an excellent platform to update the Interledger community, receive feedback, and encourage more members to get involved.

Objective 3: Preparation and Facilitation of Discussions

Community Blog Posts: To raise awareness and share insights, I have published several blog posts on this forum, and more are on the way:

High-Level Events: Alongside Lawil Karama of the Interledger Foundation, I attended the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva to further the discussion on digital financial inclusion. We had bilateral meetings with external stakeholders and a work week brainstorming about the Dynamic Coalition and where and how Interledger can become more influential in policy spaces.

Objective 4: Research and Report Drafting

Collaboration on Multistakeholder Documents: Interledger contributed to the Netmundial+10 multistakeholder statement by submitting a public comment as part of the open consultation process, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts in digital governance, and advocating for interoperability. I have also been tracking the development of the UN’s Global Digital Compact, which will likely be adopted in September.
Grant Proposals: With the help and support of Interledger’s Program Team, I contributed to grant proposals that were submitted to the National Science Foundation and the Ford Foundation, aiming to secure additional funding for continued research and advocacy. These proposals are critical for sustaining and expanding our efforts in promoting the Interledger Protocol.
More Work Needs To Be Done Here: By the end of the year, I will have proper research reports public and peer-reviewed pertaining to my Ambassador project. These are currently works-in-progress.

Project Impact & Target Audience(s)

For people from traditionally-excluded communities, financial systems have often been gatekeepers rather than gateways. My work seeks to help change that reality by working with policymakers to identify incentives for systemic change. This journey is deeply intertwined with the mission of the Interledger Foundation. By advocating for the Open Payments standard and digital financial inclusion within the UN system, I am supporting the development of technologies that enable seamless, interoperable payments across the globe. I don’t want to overstate the impact my work has had just yet, but even if I am taking the long road to get there, every blog post I have written and every High-Level Event I have attended educating policymakers, technologists, and civil society has been a step towards increased awareness about the transformative power and potential of the Interledger Protocol.

Communications and Marketing

I have engaged with the Interledger community by sharing insights through blog posts on this forum, posting on Slack with a regular cadence, and holding a Deep Dive on the monthly community call. I have reached external audiences through my participation in high-profile events such as Netmundial+10 and WSIS+20, which have elevated Interleder’s visibility, and in case, received a mention in the German press. Looking ahead, I intend to write Op-Eds in Q3 and Q4 to secure broader media coverage and to engage a wider audience. Additionally, I plan to attend other relevant events such as the UN Internet Governance Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to foster meaningful collaborations and to further spread our messages.

What’s Next?

The next six months is critical for this project. First, to build on the momentum that exists, the Dynamic Coalition will be meeting monthly through December. My role is to ensure we gather more insights and maintain active engagement among the members. Second, I will diligently with the members of the Dynamic Coalition to finalize their comprehensive report for presentation at the IGF in Saudi Arabia. This report will encapsulate the Dynamic Coalition’s findings, provide actionable recommendations, and serve as a cornerstone for future advocacy and implementation efforts. Third, I will outreach to the media and leverage existing networks to amplify the report’s messages. Additionally, I will continue to engage with more stakeholders, broadening the reach and impact of ILP, both in-person, virtually, and through a series of written policy briefs. This also includes reaching out to policymakers and inviting a select group to attend October’s Interledger Summit through a bespoke path. Finally, I will follow-up on existing grant proposals and explore emerging funding opportunities to support and expand relevant initiatives.

Community Support

At this time, the Dynamic Coalition is seeking guest speakers who can brief the working group on real-world projects that are actively deploying ILP. Your insights and perspectives will ensure that we are on the right track and addressing relevant issues effectively. If you are available in July, August, or September 2024 to brief the Dynamic Coalition for 15 minutes (followed by a Q&A), please let me know on Slack or via email: ayden@ferdeline.com. Thank you for your time and consideration!

Additional Comments

I’d like to close by sharing a small reflection: the Interledger community has a remarkable amount of enthusiasm, good will, and dedication. Thank you for being so gracious and patient with me as I have learned more about your projects, and shared a little about what I am doing. Carving out a policy agenda for Interledger is both challenging and rewarding, because our mission of addressing digital financial inclusion is so important. We are all on this journey together and I am glad to be working alongside you.

The Interledger Community 🌱