How GIZ and UOSSM Used Stellar to Transform Payroll Delivery in a Conflict Zone

Payroll may seem routine, but for global organizations, it’s anything but. Outdated infrastructure, costly intermediaries, and limited banking access make it difficult to sustain operations – let alone scale them.

This was the case for Deutsche Geselllschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany’s main international development agency, and the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organization (UOSSM). Together, they support a healthcare system in North-Western Syria, where years of ongoing conflict have devastated infrastructure and displaced millions. They needed a reliable way to pay frontline hospital employees quickly, securely, and cost-effectively.

Their answer: The Stellar Disbursement Platform (SDP), a blockchain-based solution purpose-built to simplify bulk payments in even the most complex environments. In less than six months, the organizations were able to use the SDP to distribute nearly €2 million in salaries at an estimated savings of approximately €400,000.00 annually – enough to fund an entire local health facility.

With little to no banking infrastructure in Northwestern Syria, most hospital employees were paid through a complex, cash-based process involving multiple intermediaries:

• GIZ sent funds to UOSSM accounts in Turkey. Then, UOSSM sent monthly salary funds from Turkey to Syria using the Turkish National Post and Telegraph Directorate (Turkish Post), a national telegraph service that offers financial and logistical services like remittances.
• An authorized staff member from UOSSM would withdraw the funds from a Turkish Post branch in Northwestern Syria and deliver them to a vetted representative at a local liquidity point.
• The liquidity point representative would then securely transport the funds to the health facilities, where salaries were distributed using physical cards.
• Distributions were made in the presence of the facility’s accountant and a representative from Innovation Consulting & Solutions, an organization that helps facilitate equity in humanitarian and development efforts in the Middle East and North Africa.

To overcome these challenges, GIZ and UOSSM adopted the Stellar Disbursement Platform (SDP) in partnership with Digibank, a digital asset financial services provider. This solution eliminated delays, significantly reduced costs, and streamlined payroll operations — all in one of the world’s most complex environments. Here's how it works:

1. Frictionless onboarding: Employees receive an email invitation to create a digital wallet in just a few clicks – no blockchain knowledge needed. Within about five minutes, hospital employees have an account to securely receive and hold their wages in digital assets.
2. Stable digital dollars: Salaries are disbursed in USD stablecoins on the Stellar network, fully backed digital dollars designed to maintain stable value. Employees can hold these assets as protection against currency volatility or cash out easily to local fiat, offering flexibility and financial security.
3. Local currency access: Through Digibank's reliable network of on- and off-ramps, employees can convert their digital assets into local currency whenever needed.
4. Ultra-low cost, near-instant: Stellar network fees are approximately $0.01 USD per 10,000 payments, allowing GIZ and UOSMM to scale rapidly from 30 to 900 employees without increasing overhead. Payments settle in seconds.
5. Real-time tracking and transparency: Every payment is recorded on the Stellar blockchain for full traceability and auditability while protecting data security. No personally identifiable information is stored onchain.

The Stellar Disbursement Platform is redefining payments for global organizations – especially those operating in complex, low-infrastructure environments. Whether for payroll, cash assistance, or government disbursements, SDP is a flexible solution for those that need to move funds efficiently, transparently, and securely.

Interested in leveraging the Stellar Disbursement Platform for your organization? Get in touch.