Ripple partners with Berkeley Haas to activate innovation in blockchain and unlock the potential of digital financial technologies for underserved populations around the world. 

The Institute of Business and Social Impact (IBSI) at the Haas School of Business is proud to partner with leading crypto solutions provider Ripple on two adjacent multi-year, multi-disciplinary initiatives supporting academic research, technical development, and innovation in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and digital payments.

The  Berkeley Haas Blockchain Initiative aims to support faculty and students in developing cutting edge technologies surrounding the growth of blockchain and cryptocurrency. These technologies seek to solve greater issues surrounding poverty, while working towards a greater good. Project areas include faculty, graduate and undergraduate research grants, experiential learning opportunities, campus events and student activities on the diverse applications of blockchain.

The initiative engages a broad range of campus stakeholders working in the blockchain space and cultivates collaborative relationships with diverse faculty, departments and schools across UC Berkeley.

The Lab for Inclusive Fintech (LIFT) is a multi-year initiative supported by Ripple and Blockchain Charity Foundation that links academic researchers with industry partners and policymakers to reimagine the design and reach of digital financial services to build a healthy, inclusive, and sustainable digital economy.

LIFT functions as a real-world lab. It combines evaluation and frontier research with fintech, big data, and AI. By forging partnerships with industry, NGOs, and policy makers, LIFT plays a role in the formulation of bottom-up questions and solutions. It fosters collaboration, and shares insights and best practices as evidence is generated on the impacts of technologies expanding into new markets.

With multiple student engagement and training activities, LIFT equips and inspires UC Berkeley students to contribute to the next wave of inclusive innovation and research, and pursue careers as fintech researchers, regulators, and industry leaders.