Utilizing Digital Identities for Humanitarian Aid: An Interview with Holonym CEO (Paris Blockchain Week 2025) - Transforming personal digital identities into valuable tools in humanitarian relief efforts, as discussed with the Holonym CEO.
Rewritten Article:
Digital Identity Meets Humanitarian Aid: Holonym's Audacious Vision
At Paris Blockchain Week, Holonym's CEO, Shady El Damaty, shared an ambitious dream: transforming digital identity from a mere tool for Web3 participation into a conduit for distributing humanitarian aid globally.
Digital identity might be a familiar topic in crypto circles, but Holonym is pushing the boundaries by embedding personhood into wallets, credentials, and what they call "human keys."
What Is Holonym?
Holonym essentially constructs digital infrastructure that allows people to securely and privately verify their identity online without relying on centralized institutions. With over 35.4 million credentials issued for more than 2.2 million users, they have helped both Web3 projects and broader humanitarian initiatives discern humans from bots.
One of the main use cases has been airdrops – Holonym has supported over $380 million in token distributions across more than 150 projects. But this is merely the beginning.
From Airdrops to Aid Drops
Beyond speculative token distributions, Holonym views its identity tools as a means to deliver direct aid to real people. In areas where traditional identity systems or financial literacy are unreliable, Holonym's "human keys" could play a significant role.
These "human keys" work like private encryption keys but are derived from human attributes instead of random sequences. For instance, instead of memorizing a complex seed phrase, a person could create a wallet using a biometric scan. This makes it possible for someone with no email access or formal ID to interact with digital finance systems.
As a result, wallets become more accessible, identities become verifiable, and crypto becomes more user-friendly – essential ingredients for bringing billions into the digital economy who have been historically excluded.
The Gitcoin Passport Acquisition
Holonym recently acquired Gitpoint Passport, a widely-used identity solution for grants and matching funds using quadratic funding. Gitpoint had already facilitated $60-80 million in grants.
However, the system had a flaw: bots could exploit it. Holonym's identity layer now ensures that each vote is tied to a real person without compromising privacy.
As part of the acquisition, Gitpoint Passport is being rebranded as The Human Passport. It will now include zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) by default, enabling private and secure personhood verification.
More importantly, Holonym plans to extend The Human Passport beyond Web3, using it for capital allocation in the real world – whether it's aid, grants, or social impact projects.
Thoughts on the Market
Despite market uncertainty, Holonym remains dedicated to building.
"The crypto genie is out of the bottle," Shady El Damaty pointed out, describing the current cycle as a natural swing of a volatile but maturing space. With regulatory clarity improving and infrastructure maturing, Holonym believes the next step for crypto is to demonstrate real-world utility, particularly in areas such as capital allocation and digital rights.
Their ultimate goal? Empowering financial freedom by making it accessible to all – not just DeFi experts, but anyone with a smartphone and a fingerprint.
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- In his vision shared at Paris Blockchain Week, Holonym's CEO, Shady El Damaty, outlines a plan to transform digital identity into a channel for global humanitarian aid distribution.
- Holonym is breaking ground in the crypto world by embedding personhood into wallets, credentials, and "human keys," creating a secure and private method for online identity verification.
- A significant use case for Holonym's technology has been the distribution of airdrops, managing over $380 million in token distributions across more than 150 projects.
- Beyond airdrops, Holonym sees its identity tools as a means to deliver direct aid to real people, particularly in regions where traditional identity systems or financial literacy are limited.
- holonym's "human keys," derived from human attributes instead of random sequences, could make digital finance systems accessible to individuals lacking email access or formal ID, bringing billions into the digital economy.
- Holonym recently acquired Gitpoint Passport, a widely-used identity solution, and plans to extend it beyond Web3, using it for capital allocation in the real world, such as aid, grants, or social impact projects.
- Despite market uncertainties, Holonym remains committed to continued development, aiming to demonstrate real-world utility and empower financial freedom, making it accessible to all – not just DeFi experts, but anyone with a smartphone and a fingerprint.
