The programme, announced on April 2, brings open payments education into classrooms in North America, Europe, Australia and Africa.

It focuses on teaching students how to design systems that can work across different platforms, currencies and borders without the usual friction.

Today, payments are still split across multiple channels. Businesses usually rely on cash, cards, transfers and newer digital options, each with its own setup.

These systems rarely connect well. As a result, transactions that could be instant still take days, and costs is high.

The foundation is trying to change that through its Interledger Protocol, an open-source system designed to allow money to move freely between networks.

The idea is that different systems should talk to each other without limitations. If adopted widely, it could support digital payment infrastructure similar to national systems like India’s UPI or Brazil’s Pix, but with the added ability to work across borders.

Now, that thinking is being pushed into universities.

In Nigeria, Covenant University is introducing two courses focused on open payments and the Interledger system. Students will build real fintech tools through labs, hackathons and community projects aimed at improving financial access.

Across other regions, the approach varies but the goal stays the same. Some schools are embedding the coursework into business programmes.

Others are running internships, startup labs or research hubs. In South Africa, students are already building full payment applications as part of their final projects. In Kenya, the focus is on helping underbanked communities through student-led solutions.

In the United States, several historically Black colleges and universities are also involved. Students there are working on prototypes that address gaps in financial access while gaining practical experience.

The foundation says this is about building a pipeline of people who understand the limits of current systems and can improve them.

“The next generation of leaders has the opportunity to build payment systems that improve the closed, siloed systems of the past,” said Briana Marbury, president and CEO of the Interledger Foundation.

“Working with these universities, we have the opportunity to instil in students the knowledge and tools they need to design for interoperability from day one, so open payments become the standard, rather than the exception.”

This education drive sits within the organisation’s goal to expand open financial systems globally. It has already committed more than $21 million to over 200 projects in 42 countries, supporting developers, startups and researchers working on payment solutions.

More partnerships are expected as the foundation plans to open applications to additional schools later this year, as it looks to grow the programme and bring more students into the space.

Among these initiatives is work with private fintech companies to streamline remittances for a major bank in Pakistan, power microloans for community-based financial institutions in Uganda, and enable international payments for online marketplaces in Jamaica. 

The Interledger Foundation (ILF), a non-profit organisation focused on building an open, interoperable payments network, has announced the launch of eight new initiatives—three technology-focused and five research-based—to boost financial inclusion and global digital payments.

The new projects, based in Pakistan, Uganda, and Jamaica, aim to overcome systemic barriers in cross-border payments, remittances, and economic access. 

With these additions, the Foundation’s investment now exceeds 200 projects, furthering its mission to create a seamless global financial system that works for everyone. 

Although in some countries, making a digital payment is as easy as a few clicks on a smartphone, there is currently no global standard for digital payments. This has resulted in a financial system that is fragmented, slow, and inaccessible. 

Further, as many as one-third of people across the globe can’t participate in local or global commerce through digital payments. Interledger Foundation is working to overcome these roadblocks with a two-fold approach: 1) Building the Internet of Opportunity with Interledger, where payments become as borderless and frictionless as the Internet. And 2) researching and developing new social methods to bring digital payments to new audiences.  

The three new technological projects include: 

• Paysys Labs streamlines remittances for a major Pakistani bank. Working with Allied Bank Limited, a Pakistani commercial bank, Paysys will leverage ILP to turn customer accounts into digital wallets, which can then transact funds with other digital wallets on the Interledger Network. This will reduce the high costs and delays that characterize cross-border payments in Pakistan. 
• BessPay enables international payments for online marketplaces in Jamaica and the Caribbean. BessPay is working to overcome the high fees and coverage gaps with established digital payments providers in emerging markets with Interledger Open Payments. This project will empower small and medium businesses to launch their own marketplace on the Sharetribe Marketplace Platform and engage in cross-border business with low-cost, quick transactions.
• Kanzu Finance powers microloans for community-based financial institutions in Uganda. Leveraging ILP, Kanzu Finance seeks to foster economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in Uganda. By powering automated credit scoring, integration with digital wallets, and instant loan distribution and repayment, the organization will spur local economic development and lead to the growth of community-based financial institutions. 

Interledger Foundation has additionally increased investments in existing projects, such as with the People’s Clearinghouse to create a remittance pathway between the US and 140 community banks in rural Mexico, and Wallet Guru to develop a pay-as-you-go utility and entertainment payment solution. 

Interledger Foundation has also funded  five research projects designed to explore and ultimately define methods that will boost economic engagement and sustainable growth, both in established and emerging economies. 

This work will examine harmful design practices in digital financial interfaces, uncover why people in established economies still don’t have access to financial services and other issues surrounding global digital finance. 

“We’ve tasked ourselves and our partners with a substantial challenge: build a new financial system that operates like the internet to transcend traditional barriers and create new opportunities,” said Chris Lawrence, chief program officer at The Interledger Foundation. 

“Each organization and individual we work with plays an integral role in progressing open payments standards so that technical and societal roadblocks do not limit financial growth on a local and global scale. With each new project, we further push what’s possible beyond the financial systems we know today.”  

This year, from July 1 to August 1, 2025, Interledger Foundation will accept proposals from organizations interested in contributing to its growing interoperable network.