The Spanish Red Cross (Creu Roja) has introduced RedChain, a new blockchain-based aid distribution system that promises real-time donor transparency without revealing the identities of those receiving aid.
The platform was developed in collaboration with Barcelona-based infrastructure provider BLOOCK and zero-knowledge credential company Billions Network and aims to digitize “the entire aid lifecycle, from donation to payment,” according to a release shared with Cointelegraph.
It replaces paper vouchers and prepaid cards with ERC-20 aid credits issued on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain. This credit is delivered to your mobile wallet via a quick response (QR) code for use at participating merchants.
Beneficiary data, including names, contact information, and case records, is stored completely off-chain within Creu Roja’s proprietary systems. Public blockchains are used purely as a verification layer, pinning hashes, timestamps, and proof of transaction integrity rather than private information.
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RedChain aims to separate transparency from identity
While donors and administrators can audit when and where funds are allocated and spent, the system is designed to prevent parties from reconstructing individual identities from on-chain records.
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“Donors will be able to see aggregated and verifiable information about how their funds are allocated and spent, including how much was distributed within the program and when disbursements were made,” a Creu Roja spokesperson told Cointelegraph. But “what donors will never see is the identity and personal circumstances of the beneficiaries.”
A spokesperson said RedChain is “explicitly designed so that transparency applies to flows and outcomes, not individuals, allowing the Red Cross to be accountable to donors without compromising the privacy or dignity of beneficiaries.”
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Humanitarians demand verifiable aid flows
Creu Roja built RedChain in response to increasing pressure on humanitarian organizations to prove that aid can achieve its intended objectives without turning vulnerable communities into data sources.
“People seeking assistance should not have to choose between receiving assistance and protecting their privacy,” Francisco López Romero, chief technology officer at Creu Roja Catalunya, said in a release.
Recipients receive digital credits in their phone wallets and pay through regular checkouts, making transactions indistinguishable from regular purchases and avoiding visible markers that indicate someone is an aid recipient.
“We give them credit and they can shop at supermarket chains that comply with regulations and follow our program,” the spokesperson said. “We cannot exclude anyone due to technical limitations.”
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Blockchain as a notary for assistance
This system implements a hybrid trust model. ERC-20 tokens represent the allocated aid, while spending records and eligibility checks remain in an off-chain database linked to on-chain proofs.
BLOOCK describes its role as operating a “blockchain as an authentication layer” architecture, with cryptographic anchors allowing it to detect tampering with internal records without exposing the underlying data.
BLOOCK CEO Lluis Libre told Cointelegraph: “All relevant state changes are cryptographically fixed to the public blockchain, so any subsequent changes to internal records will immediately fail validation against the immutable on-chain proof.”
He said blockchain essentially “acts as a notary public, confirming the occurrence of an event without revealing its content or who was involved.”
Billions Network, on the other hand, provides a zero-knowledge authentication layer that allows beneficiaries to prove their eligibility and authorization without disclosing their identity or attributes. Evidence is stored in the user’s own wallet, rather than in a centralized identity registry.
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