Giveth Partners with Alibre.io for ‘Last Mile’ Solution in Mexico!
We’re thrilled to announce a new collaboration with Alibre.io, a fintech company based in Tijuana, Mexico that shares Giveth’s vision for the future of altruism. For the last few years, they’ve been building incredible software that extends financial services to the base of the pyramid in Mexico, the unbanked and underserved.
Alibre.io (a.k.a. AhorroLibre) has already turned out some impressive projects. Their Tanda app allows users to establish digital rotating savings and credit associations, community-run organizations that offer banking-like services to members. Another impressive creation is the Koperacha app, which, among other things, allows users to support highly transparent crowdfunding campaigns.
All of Alibre.io’s apps will soon be accessible via a simple wallet app that’s already in end-user testing. The wallet will also allow users to save money, make P2P payments, and eventually buy and sell crypto (est. Q1 2020) all through a single easy-to-use interface.
From where we stand, however, Alibre.io’s most interesting project is their work on the holy grail of crypto charities: an easy way to exchange crypto for cold hard cash, often referred to as the last mile. Swapping cryptocurrencies for local currency is one of the most significant challenges in our field, and we applaud Alibre.io for coming up with a user-friendly solution that resonates with local people’s existing habits.
The solution involves connecting the Alibre.io wallet to Bity — a blockchain infrastructure provider from Switzerland, and Bitso — the best online exchange in Mexico. This will enable users to receive cryptocurrency and convert it to pesos, which they can deposit into a bank account created by Alibre.io or withdraw from an ATM at any of Mexico’s 17,000 Oxxo locations. This convenience store chain, which is ubiquitous in the country, already provides payment and money management solutions to many Mexicans, including those without bank accounts.
Having the option to plug into this system will be a major boon to our future projects in Mexico, and we’d like to eventually replicate it in other countries as well.