Moeda Seeds: E-Commerce and Crypto Solutions for Development

ABSTRACT Blockchain technology has been explored as a tool to generate social impact. An example of it is Moeda Seeds, a Brazilian ecosystem operating to support financial inclusion and gender equality, two UN sustainable development goals, by facilitating access to microfinance for female entrepreneurs with social impact projects. Traditionally facing difficulties to access credit in the traditional banks, the selected Seed Projects are also granted with management support from Moeda’s ecosystem to optimize its entire chain efficiency and helping them to promote long-term sustainable practices for the local communities to thrive. This whole ecosystem is enabled by a blockchain-based payment and lending platform and Moeda’s proprietary digital tokens, which people around the world can promptly and transparently invest while participating in sustainable growth. This teaching case brings the COVID-19 crisis as background panorama and the founder Taynaah Reis in the center of an urgent strategic decision-making process. It covers the difficulties, variables, and alternatives presented to structure a contingency plan during that period of high uncertainty. It is extended by the teaching notes, covering: social cryptocurrencies, blockchain, digital platform, online sales, network externalities, and e-commerce ecosystem.