Leaf Global Fintech Selected as Winner in Developing World Technology Category of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards

The winners of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality.

Leaf Global Fintech was selected as a winner in the Developing World Technology for its blockchain-based digital wallet for refugees and migrants. Leaf enables the unbanked to store, send & receive, and exchange currencies on their phones— no smartphone required. Leaf is currently operational in three countries across East Africa and quickly expanding globally.

Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 33 winners, more than 400 finalists, and more than 800 honorable mentions—with Health and Wellness, AI & Data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, and more. Plus, several new categories were added, including Pandemic Response, Urban Design, and Architecture. The 2021 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Brazil to Denmark to Vietnam.

Showcasing some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling exigent global challenges, Fast Company’s Summer 2021 issue (on newsstands May 10) highlights, among others, a lifesaving bassinet; the world’s largest carbon sink, thanks to carbon-eating concrete; 3D-printed schools; an at-home COVID-19 testing kit; a mobile voting app; and the world’s cleanest milk.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Fast Company at Leaf. We hope it brings more attention to the ongoing global refugee crisis and some of the people who continue to be affected globally especially during the pandemic” says Nat Robinson, CEO and Co-Founder of Leaf Global Fintech.

“Leaf is leveraging a powerful new technology to bring low-cost financial services to customers forgotten by the banks. We are excited to be among the companies selected for an award this year,” says Tori Samples, CTO and Co-Founder of Leaf Global Fintech.

“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020.”

About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.