Ep. 179: Innovating Aid: Technology, Finance & Refugee Empowerment

Can we change how we support refugees to make an even bigger social impact? We speak with member company UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency to understand how they have been using technology and innovation to make a bigger impact in international aid. Carmen Hett, UNHCR’s Corporate Treasurer, shares how UNHCR has been using blockchain and biometrics technology to disburse financial aid, giving refugees flexibility on what essentials they purchase and where they purchase them. Besides empowering the economic inclusion of refugees, the rich data from aid disbursement better informs UNHCR of the needs of the refugee community, and safe spots to disburse aid. David Sharatt, Co-Chair of BritChamSG’s Financial and Fintech Committee and Global Head of Data Product Commercialisation at Standard Chartered is our moderator for the conversation. In this episode, David discusses how financial services can better support the international community through initiatives such as digitally enabled embedded finance rails. Together, Carmen and David also explore the challenges behind refugee aid, the myths behind what it means to be a refugee, and how the global and business community can better come to support refugees. Carmen also shares her personal stories from more than 20 years with UNHCR, and what motivates her to make an impact every single day. Tune in to the full episode to find out how finance technology and businesses are transforming refugee aid, and how you too can make a difference. Subscribe to the BritCham Singapore Podcast on your favourite player, and please take a moment to give us a 5* rating if you enjoyed the show.