Save the World? Blockchain's Big Dreams Come Back to Earth in DC

Whispered between attendees in a crowd of 300 at the Blockchain for Social Impact conference in Washington D.C. on June 1, the statement may have summed up the sentiment at the event.

Hart, as an example, is working on a blockchain pilot in Vanuatu, one of the world's most disaster-prone island nations.

Across the board, many attendees at the conference noticed the same challenges and opportunities that Hart faces as she sets up Oxfam's humanitarian blockchain program.

Hart was among many experts at the conference who urged blockchain enthusiasts to build applications alongside diverse communities, not for them.

To counter these common pitfalls, Grellet advised blockchain enthusiasts plan baby steps that leverage existing user habits while working toward broader disruption.

Although Grellet is inspired by startups that reduce friction and expenses for remittance, for example, she said those blockchain solutions leave the underlying problem intact.

RightMesh's blockchain product manager, Brianna MacNeil, told CoinDesk her startup already recruited roughly 100 developers in Bangladesh to build applications for the upcoming mesh network platform.

For some international development experts, the questions remains: Why use a blockchain instead of a database?

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