Episode 204 - Haraka - From Social Capital to Financial Freedom with Crypto-Powered Microfinance

Crypto Altruists: Real-World Stories of Social & Environmental Impact with Web3

For episode 204, we’re excited to welcome Will Le and Jessica Gaubert, Co-Founders of Haraka, a groundbreaking blockchain-based community credit protocol revolutionizing microfinance. Haraka leverages social trust and Web3 technology to provide affordable loans to underserved entrepreneurs by turning intangible social capital into measurable, portable, on-chain reputations.

We discuss:

• How Haraka is turning trust into currency, creating a revolutionary lending model where your reputation—not collateral—unlocks financial opportunity.
• Why billions around the world remain underserved by traditional financial systems—and how Haraka is leveraging blockchain and social reputation to close the credit gap.
  How Haraka is making social trust measurable, portable, and scalable, transforming intangible social capital into tangible financial opportunity.
  And how Haraka’s unique combination of stablecoins, group lending, and WhatsApp-driven onboarding is unlocking economic empowerment, especially for women entrepreneurs across Africa.

--Key Takeaways--

🌱 Transforming Social Capital into Financial Opportunity: Group lending has existed for centuries but struggled to scale due to intangible social reputations. Haraka leverages blockchain to make reputation tangible, portable, and interoperable—unlocking financial freedom for underserved communities.

💸 Social Reputation can be a Powerful Tool to Lower Default Rates: Credit systems built on social reputation significantly reduce default risk. Haraka uses blockchain-based attestations to standardize reputation, empowering individuals previously excluded from traditional credit opportunities.

🤝 Meeting Users Where They Are: Tech adoption succeeds when it fits users' existing habits. Haraka integrates familiar platforms like WhatsApp and simplified onboarding processes to seamlessly introduce powerful blockchain financial tools to underserved communities worldwide.

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--Full shownotes with links available at--
www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/episode-204-haraka-from-social-capital-to-financial-freedom-with-crypto-powered-microfinance

Thank you to PIPE gDAO for sponsoring the Crypto Altruism podcast!

PIPE gDAO is leveraging blockchain for their University Real World Asset IP Launchpad that helps bring groundbreaking ideas from lab to market.

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--DISCLAIMER--
While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruism.org/disclaimer.