In this Stabledash Live interview from Stablecoin Conference LATAM 2025, we sit down with Rick Martin, co-founder of Decaf, who reveals how his team is partnering with the UN and major humanitarian organizations to bring financial services to populations excluded from traditional banking. On the same day Decaf announced their Rain-powered Visa card (not backed by any bank), Rick shares extraordinary stories of people hiding in caves in Afghanistan earning money from TikTok, and how the International AIDS Society successfully paid 250 researchers across 50+ countries using stablecoin infrastructure—no backpacks of cash required.
Key Highlights:
Launching non-bank Visa card powered by Rain - connects non-custodial wallets directly to global payments
Unlike Wise or Revolut: Works in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Colombia, Mexico - truly global access
Physical cards with ATM access increase cash availability in restricted regions
Partnership focus: UN, International AIDS Society, and NGOs making "really hard payments"
Real deployment: 250+ people paid across 50+ countries at AIDS conference in Rwanda
Afghanistan use case: People hiding from Taliban in caves earning from freelance work and TikTok
$160 billion in remittances across Latin America, $64 billion to Mexico alone
Uses Stella disbursement platform: Upload Excel spreadsheet, bulk payments to hundreds instantly
Non-custodial architecture: Users can send funds to Binance, banks, ATMs - full freedom of choice
Go-to-market strategy: Target institutions with "screaming demand" and no other solutions
White-label approach: Organizations like UN put their name on it, leveraging existing trust
From Europe to Nigeria, US to Mexico, supporting manufacturing and cross-border trade flows
Timestamps:
00:16 - 2025: Banks and legislation finally taking stablecoins seriously
00:38 - Today's announcement: Visa card not backed by a bank
00:46 - How it works: Non-custodial wallet to card, spend anywhere globally
01:06 - The vision: Global neobanking for Afghanistan, Colombia, Nigeria
01:32 - Rain partnership: Physical cards and ATM access for cash
01:57 - Go-to-market strategy: NGOs, humanitarian summits, government aid programs
02:42 - Where the screaming demand is: Hard-to-reach populations
03:08 - UN use case: This morning's call about Afghanistan
03:32 - People in caves earning from TikTok, hiding from Taliban
03:55 - Financial exclusion as life or death: Stablecoins saving lives
04:24 - The numbers: $64B to Mexico, $160B across Latin America
04:52 - White-label strategy: UN-branded apps powered by Decaf
05:24 - Case study: International AIDS Society event in Rwanda
05:40 - The old way: Backpacks of cash, dangerous lineups
06:00 - The new way: 250 people paid across 50+ countries instantly
06:24 - Using Stella disbursement platform for bulk payments
06:46 - User experience: Click email, verify, money in wallet
07:02 - Freedom of choice: Send to Binance, banks, ATMs, or spend on card
07:22 - What's next: Behind-the-scenes partnerships with major organizations
07:52 - Where to learn more: decaf.so and @decaf_so on Twitter
About Rick Martin & Decaf:
Rick Martin is co-founder of Decaf, a global stablecoin payments platform focused on bringing financial services to populations excluded from traditional banking. Decaf provides non-custodial wallet infrastructure with off-ramps to cash (MoneyGram), cards (Visa via Rain partnership), and bank transfers, serving humanitarian organizations, NGOs, and institutions making payments to hard-to-reach populations across 50+ countries. The platform uses Stella's disbursement technology for bulk payments to hundreds or thousands of recipients simultaneously.
About Stabledash Live:
Stabledash Live brings you exclusive conversations from the world's leading stablecoin conferences, diving deep into the infrastructure, regulation, and innovations shaping the future of digital money. Subscribe for more insights from Stablecoin Conference LATAM 2025 and follow the stablecoin revolution transforming global payments.
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