The government of the Marshall Islands has announced the launch of a unique global program for universal basic income (UBI), where payments will be made not only through traditional methods — bank accounts or checks — but also in digital currency via a government crypto wallet. This is the first-ever experiment in which a state directly uses cryptocurrency for social payments to its citizens.
Each resident of the country will receive $200 per quarter, totaling approximately $800 per year. Payments can be made to a bank account, by check, or in stablecoins via the official government digital wallet. According to Marshall Islands Finance Minister David Paul, the main goal of the program is to provide social support to citizens, boost morale, and ensure a basic level of security amid rising living costs and population outflow. “We want no one to be left behind,” Paul emphasized.
The archipelago, located in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia, has a population of about 42,000. The basic income program is designed as a social safety net for citizens in response to rising expenses and migration. Although $200 per quarter is not enough to replace employment, it provides a degree of support and an additional incentive for people.
The program is funded through a trust established under an agreement with the United States, partly aimed at compensating the Marshall Islands for decades of American nuclear testing on the archipelago. The fund holds assets of over $1.3 billion, with the US committed to providing an additional $500 million by 2027.
Thus, the Marshall Islands become the first country in the world to integrate basic income with cryptocurrency at the state level, creating a new model of social welfare that could serve as an example for other countries and digital economy experiments. The initiative combines social objectives, technological innovation, and strategic resource use, providing citizens with both financial support and access to modern digital tools.
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