The HBAR Foundation

We're excited to announce that Universal Digital Payments Network, the most advanced interoperable global payments network for regulated digital currencies, has integrated the Hedera network to ease the development of programmable payment applications leveraging #stablecoins and #CBDCs. The Universal Digital Payments Network (UDPN) is a messaging backbone focused on interoperability between the fast-growing number of regulated stablecoins and CBDCs to enable seamless connectivity between any business IT system and regulated digital currencies. As part of this PoC, two additional Transaction Nodes were integrated into the UDPN: one supporting stablecoins issued with the Stablecoin Studio on Hedera, connecting directly to the network via Hedera #SDK, and the other supporting EMTECH CBDCs via their Digital Cash platform. Testing the UDPN core services, including creating a decentralized identity (DID), mapping this #DID to a Hedera account, and initiating transfers and cross-chain swaps, #Hedera was found to have unmatched scalability for programmable payments 👇 https://lnkd.in/eWqGafGC The successful execution of this PoC laid the ground for The HBAR Foundation to explore further collaboration opportunities with the UDPN, such as supporting Hedera digital currencies when the network launches and leveraging Hedera technologies to validate UDPN transactions. In preparation for its full deployment, UDPN participants will continue exploring synergies with the #HBAR Foundation, such as integrating Hedera technologies with the UDPN All-in-One Digital Currency Sandbox and other UDPN solutions 👇 https://lnkd.in/er8ifp8B

🌟 I’m honored to step into the role of CEO at The HBAR Foundation effective January 1, 2025. Here’s what this pivotal moment means for the Hedera ecosystem: We will enhance our commitment to strengthening our ties to the community, #DeFi, and accelerating our initiatives in #AI, #tokenization, and #digitalidentity. With rich experiences at Polygon, Aptos Labs, and as President of Hedera, I am thrilled to bring deep web3 experience and leadership insights to the forefront of the Hedera network. Over the past year, our community of builders has shown why Hedera is the network of choice for enterprise AI, RWAs, and DeFi. We have also increased our focus on individual network users and developers and I am eager to turbocharge these efforts even more. For more details about these changes and what lies ahead, check out our latest blog post. https://lnkd.in/gSTav6j9 #HederaFoundation #Leadership #Web3 #Blockchain #DigitalIdentity #AI

As I reflect upon 2024, my excitement for 2025 and the strategic focus of the network around #AI, tokenised Real-World Assets (#RWAs), and Decentralised Finance (#DeFi) could not be greater. The premise behind my four years of support for the network, and three years at The HBAR Foundation, has always been clear - #Hedera is the most viable DLT for the mainstream adoption of web3 by enterprises and institutions. From the Governing Council, consisting of up to 39 of the worlds largest organisations charged with leading the governance of the network including Google, FIS, IBM, Australian Payments Plus, LG Electronics and well beyond, to the hashgraph consensus and network services, this has always been clear. Moving into 2025, we see that the industry is finally maturing to meet us where we have always been - at the forefront of this enterprise innovation. Fuelled in part by the promise of regulatory clarity in the US, led by the first crypto-friendly administration, this has culminated in Canary Capital filing for an HBAR ETF - citing true enterprise adoption and South Korean market interest. This consistent enterprise innovation can be seen in the last few months alone, with Hedera emerging in pole position for enterprise AI. Here, Prove AI (fka Casper Labs) migrated its team and flagship AI governance model from the Casper Network to Hedera. Shortly after, EQTY Lab, NVIDIA, and Intel Corporation then unveiled "Verifiable Compute" on the Hedera Consensus Service (HCS) - the first hardware-based solution to govern and audit AI workflows. Alongside AI, the portfolio of tokenized #MMFs by Archax on the Hedera network has accelerated to include abrdn, BlackRock, Fidelity International, Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), and State Street. Other partners such as RedSwan CRE, Scintilla, and Zoniqx have led the tokenisation of real estate on Hedera, bringing new liquidity to the worlds largest asset class by democratising access to it for lower net worth individuals. Lastly, the Hedera Guardian, the worlds largest open-source, digitised climate methodology library, has made strides in the carbon and sustainability markets, bringing unprecedented trust and transparency to a notoriously opaque market. Here, ALLCOT IO began tokenising 500 million metric tonnes of #carboncredits on Hedera, whilst Evercity began onboarding 50 thousand tonnes of digital #carbonforwards, and EDF carried out multiple proof-of-concepts in 2024. In recent years however, it has also become clear that a healthy web3 ecosystem exists in a state of symbiosis between adoption from enterprises, institutions, and, crucially, retail. These are the early adopters, builders, and users making up the core community - the beating heart of the network. That's why I'm so excited for both DeFi on Hedera in 2025, and the commitment to greater community participation from ecosystem organisations. With all the pieces in place, 2025 is the year of Hedera. https://hedera.com/

We couldn’t be more excited to announce a new chapter for 2025, as we appoint Charles Adkins as CEO, effective January 1, 2025, and will also be rebranding to Hedera Foundation. This marks a pivotal moment for the Hedera ecosystem, as we strengthen our commitment to the community, #DeFi, and an acceleration of #AI, #tokenization, and #digitalidentity. As former President of Hedera, as well as key roles at Polygon and Aptos, Charles brings deep web3 and leadership experience to the role of CEO, alongside a commitment to strengthen the Hedera ecosystem and community across DeFi, AI, #DIDs, and tokenization. In 2025, #Hedera Foundation will launch several initiatives to make DeFi more accessible, providing secure and straightforward tools for the management of digital assets. These initiatives aim to ensure that every user can engage confidently in the emerging financial landscape across the globe. Alongside this, central to Hedera Foundation’s new strategy, is the development of a transparent on-chain grant management platform, empowering the Hedera community to participate directly in the funding process, whilst aligning transparent project support with community needs and values. This year, the Hedera community and its ecosystem of builders have shown why Hedera is the best-in-class network for enterprise AI, RWAs, and DeFi, and we couldn’t be more excited to help turbocharge this activity in 2025 under Charles’ leadership. You can learn more about these changes in our latest blog ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e3ruwakg

🌎 🔗 Building Trust and Efficiency in Carbon Markets 📊 🤝  I’m thrilled to share a publication written by myself and Anirban Chatterjee of Bureau Veritas Group, one of the leading Verification and Validation Bodies across #carbon markets, that delves into one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the need for trust, transparency, and efficiency in carbon markets. As the global community accelerates efforts to tackle climate change, it’s clear that the validation and verification processes, which are requirements for carbon credit issuance, are too slow, costly, and inaccessible to many. Thanks to our friends and partners at The HBAR Foundation, Hedera and DLT Science Foundation, and Exponential Science for supporting this publication. In this piece, I explore: • Why digital transformation is the key to unlocking scale and equity in carbon markets. • How real-time data insights and standardized workflows can reduce validation times, cut costs, and improve reliability. • The pivotal role of our partnerships with HBAR Foundation and others for creating the infrastructure necessary for a trusted, transparent, and scalable carbon ecosystem. At Demia, we’re deeply committed to providing the solutions to overcome them challenges on scale and trust in the market. By building infrastructure, like our blockchain-enabled Zero-Trust Data Fabrics, and platforms like our advanced compliance-as-a-service solution, we’re building a future where impact-driven projects of all sizes can thrive. 💡 Key insights to look out for in the release: • How smaller projects and developing countries can be empowered to participate fully in the carbon economy. • The measurable benefits of digital transformation in accelerating the path to net-zero. • A call to action for standards, VVBs, and regulatory bodies to collaborate and drive systemic change. The transition to a transparent, efficient, and inclusive carbon market is already happening. What do you think is the biggest opportunity to improve trust in carbon markets? I’d love to hear your thoughts. https://lnkd.in/eSEuqPJw #CarbonMarkets #Sustainability #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #NetZero Mariana de la Roche Wills, Adam Wood, Jonathan Shieber, Wes Geisenberger, Hania Othman, Nathalie F., Katie Sullivan, Mohamed Ben Salem,

I'll post something longer when things slow down, but after 2.5 years of blood, sweat, and tears, I'm excited to share that EQTY Lab has emerged out of stealth with a swath of amazing announcements, collaborations, and research defining the future of AI. Visit EQTYlab.io to learn more and see the comments for a blog post from Intel Corporation cc NVIDIA / Dell Technologies / Hedera / ADQ / Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) / Stability AI / Further Ventures

We’re excited to announce our partnership with Capitals Coalition to launch the new Global Digital Single Market Data Alliance (#DSMDA), an initiative of the Coalition’s Digital Sustainability Disclosures (#DSD) Project, with the goal of tokenizing the global framework for digital sustainability data exchange and reporting via the Hedera Guardian. Through this collaboration, members of this task force of #Hedera Guardian users will be able to better achieve verifiable enterprise reporting that is auditable, create climate data that is mapped to #XBRL Taxonomies, and ensure alignment with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive’s (#CSRD), European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), Global reporting Initiative (#GRI), and International Supervisory Sustainability Board (#ISSB). This approach opens new possibilities for companies engaging in #Scope3 emissions reporting - the emissions that occur in the value chain—both upstream (like suppliers) and downstream (like customers). This is often the most complex part of emissions reporting. However, by leveraging the power of Distributed Ledger Technology (#DLT) and the Hedera Guardian’s capabilities as a tokenization and rules engine, we are able to manage multiple, independently auditable workflows, enabling companies to gather and connect data from all parts of their value chain that in turn gives them a clear picture of their total environmental impact for the first time. Tracking Scope 3 emissions is crucial for enterprises because it provides a comprehensive view of their environmental impact, often representing the largest share of their carbon footprint. This helps businesses comply with increasing regulations, meet investor expectations for Sustainability Statutory Reporting, and respond to consumer demand for sustainability. By understanding and managing emissions across their #supplychain and product lifecycle, companies can reduce risks, drive operational efficiencies, foster innovation, and measure and monitor their climate goals, including the sustainable scientific targets . Ultimately, this helps strengthens their reputation, supports long-term competitiveness, and ensures alignment with global sustainability efforts. You can learn more about this announcement in our latest #HBAR blog ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e_bNbhU4

We’re excited to announce our partnership with WinCL to elevate carbon transparency and greenhouse gas (#GHG) accounting standards for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large enterprises across South Korea via the Hedera Guardian 🇰🇷 Built on the #Hedera Guardian, WinCL’s new solution promises streamlined emissions tracking, reporting, and carbon offsetting capabilities, empowering businesses in Korea to meet stringent climate standards. This collaboration arrives at a pivotal time for Korean enterprises, as those with value chain ties to the European Union (EU) need to navigate new regulatory requirements like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (#CSRD). Against this regulatory backdrop, and together with WinCL, we aim to expand Korea’s voluntary carbon market by creating an accessible, verified path for #carbonoffset transactions from Hedera based markets. The Hedera-powered platform’s capabilities for tracking, minting, accounting for emissions, in addition to offsetting help ensure that Korean enterprises meet national and international expectations for carbon accountability. We’re deeply excited to continue our deep developments in South Korea as a network, and look forward to helping shape the future of climate finance across the region. You can learn more about this announcement in our latest #HBAR blog ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/etYZ4HUs

As the world reflects upon #COP29 last month, and looks forward to #Davos early next year, the Hedera Guardian is emerging as a leading #dMRV solution, helping to scale the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) as well as realize the promise of trading under #Article6. The #Hedera Guardian will also play a vital role derisking compliance, as numerous companies across the globe become subject to  tough new climate and environmental disclosure laws  in 2025 and beyond. Among U.S. listed firms alone, these mandates are expected to reach over 10,000 under frameworks such as the EU’s #CSRD, California’s SB 253 and SB 261, and similar rules emerging across Asia – from Singapore, to Australia, to South Korea, Japan, and more. Increasingly stringent climate disclosure requirements combined with rising market expectations worldwide means that high-quality, trustworthy climate data has never been more important, or in greater demand Over the past three years, the team at The HBAR Foundation's Sustainable Impact Fund (SIF) has worked tirelessly with quasi-regulatory bodies, government agencies, financial institutions, and innovative founders to fill these gaps. Leveraging the Hedera Guardian in combination with Hedera’s vast sustainability ecosystem,  the SIF has provided bleeding-edge digital tools to enable unparalleled transparency, quality, accountability, and security, bringing “3D, In-Color” data from theoretical concept to real-world practice, and in the process higher levels of trust and democratized participation in the market structures making a difference against climate change. The SIF and its partners are using the Guardian to build a robust foundation, a Hedera DLT-based infrastructure, on which  secure, granular multidimensional climate data will anchor  credible, high-integrity #climate assets – assets which in turn reflect concrete environmental benefits, from carbon reduced or removed, to water quality improvements, to #biodiversity gains. With innovation and collaboration, we will continue to build a future where #carbonmarkets are not only effective, but also equitable, transparent, and inclusive. As we look towards #Davos2025, you can read our latest #HBAR update on the SIF’s extensive work on climate data and learn how, together, we’re reshaping carbon markets to meet the moment ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/d2ZhEjtH

We're excited to announce our support of Bonzo Finance Labs, the Hedera-based lending and borrowing protocol already with $22 million+ TVL, as we usher in the second phase of DeFi on the #Hedera network. By advancing lending and borrowing on the Hedera network, Bonzo hopes to become a new liquidity layer on the network, enabling the Hedera community to unlock the value of their digital assets in new ways. Bonzo operates single-asset pools, meaning users can supply and earn interest on assets like HBAR, HBARX, or #stablecoins - without having to pair them with other assets. Bonzo Finance was also a participant in the collaborative community DeFi RFP process that we launched earlier this year. Take a look at their  RFP page that tracks Bonzo’s grant milestones progress 👇 https://lnkd.in/e5gFmSvB You can learn more about Bonzo in our latest #HBAR blog 👇 https://lnkd.in/eFKX8uia