# Ripple Wins Best Initiative in Financial Inclusion & ESG at 2026 PAY360 Awards

By John Kim

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/38050
Published: 2026-10-22T16:01:05.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-22T16:01:05.000Z
Section: Business

> A Kenyan drought-aid partnership uses RLUSD, satellite readings and smart contracts to trigger payments through M-Pesa.

Ripple won the Best Initiative in Financial Inclusion & ESG category at the 2026 PAY360 Awards, a category spanning financial access and environmental, social and governance work.

The ceremony took place Oct. 7 at Grosvenor House Hotel in London and marked 20 years of the awards.

Separately, a partnership involving Ripple, Mercy Corps Ventures, DIVA Donate and Fortune Credit uses Ripple USD (RLUSD), Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin, in a Kenyan drought-aid pilot. Satellite readings of vegetation are used to assess drought risk. When readings fall below a set threshold, smart contracts release RLUSD, and households receive aid through M-Pesa, a mobile money service.

The pilot recorded a 95% reduction in payment settlement time and a 64% decline in transaction costs. Eighty-five percent of participants reported reduced financial stress. RLUSD is used for conditional settlement, while M-Pesa delivers aid to households.