September 3, 2025
By Nick Mellios, CEO, BlocPal

Originally published in Nick’s LinkedIn newsletter People-Powered Finance.
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How we design money in all its forms and build the financial systems around it determines who gets a say in the future. If we design these systems well, people and communities gain wealth and a meaningful voice in the choices that steer society: education, healthcare, housing, good jobs, clean energy, and local infrastructure. If we design them poorly, our voices are limited and decision-making power concentrates in the hands of a few.

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Why now

Over the last few decades, digital technology has advanced rapidly and reshaped daily life. Meanwhile, finance has evolved more cautiously, prioritizing stability and trust. Now those worlds have collided. New technologies such as cloud, mobile, blockchain, digital identity, and programmable money let us rethink how people access, move, and own value. We’ve reached a pivotal moment for financial technology. Choices we make in the next few years may hardwire who can participate, who builds wealth, and whose voice counts. If we design these systems poorly, we risk widening the gap between higher-income and lower-income households and concentrating control in the hands of a small elite and a few dominant platforms. If we design them well, finance can distribute power and opportunity more fairly so more people gain a real stake in what comes next. AI may own the headlines right now, but finance underpins the decisions that govern society.

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What “People-Powered” means to me

People-powered starts with control in the hands of users. You see costs and risks before a click, can start small and grow, and can get the essential financial services you need (payments, savings, credit, investments) for yourself, your family, or your business, delivered simply and on your terms. You can pause or leave any time and take your data and money with you. That control is supported by a better balance of power: no single gatekeeper, whether a government ministry, a monolithic bank, or one dominant app, decides everything. Banks provide the licensed core (risk controls, settlement, safeguards), specialist tech firms deliver focused services where they’re best in class, and wallets and apps provide the last mile, tailoring meaningful experiences for specific communities at a lower cost to serve. Open standards and APIs ensure money and data move between banks, wallets, and borders without drama. With portability, clear disclosures, and independent attestations, people can allocate and reallocate their money with confidence and make their voices heard, while public oversight and competition keep providers accountable.

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Money is energy: how we “vote” with it

Money moves like energy through a community. Where we direct it (spending, saving, investing, donating) acts as a quiet vote. Buy from businesses that treat people well, and support local projects and initiatives, credible charities, community leaders, and builders solving real problems. Your dollars amplify what you want more of. Walk away from hidden fees, predatory terms, and bad products or services, and you starve them of oxygen. Set a small, automatic transfer into savings or buy a transparent, well-structured asset (even fractionally) and you shift your future and, at scale, the trajectory of your neighborhood.

When money flows freely and fairly, good things compound: a local farm makes it through the season; a student keeps more of their savings; a clean-energy co-op actually gets built. Help one person build wealth and you trigger a chain reaction: kids, streets, businesses, and neighbors all benefit. People-powered finance creates the infrastructure that makes those everyday “votes” easier to cast, easier to see, and easier to add up.

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Two shifts that move the needle

First, fintech must keep making wealth-building tools broadly available, and easy to reach. Accounts should be simple to find and open right in your neighborhood, through trusted retail partners, local touchpoints, and wallet apps, wherever you live and in the languages you use. Pricing is honest and clear; credit terms are plain; and investments are understandable and available in small, fractional amounts with reliable ways to cash out. That way a nurse or teacher, a firefighter, a custodian, a driver, a shop owner, a student, or a newcomer can start on day one and build over time.

Second, try to think of your money as a vote, one step at a time. Not everyone has the same room in their budget, and there’s no guilt here. Start where you can. Decide what you want to support more of: local businesses, fair-pay brands, youth programs and sports, strong schools, clean energy, etc. Try to target a sliver of your spending, saving, or giving there. Pick one tiny habit: round-ups into savings, a $5 to $10 monthly gift to a local initiative, buying from two neighborhood vendors, or swapping one low-value purchase each month for something that matches your priorities. Once a month, scan your statements and ask, “Did my money match my values?” Adjust. Small, steady shifts compound, and across millions of people, they shape which products, projects, and leaders succeed.

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Not a war on banks: an extension of their reach

Banks operate essential infrastructure: payments, risk controls, and consumer protections. Many are modernizing. The point is not to replace banks entirely; it is to extend and complement what works. In a people-powered model, banks keep doing the heavy lifting on safety and compliance; specialist tech firms innovate at the edges; and wallets and apps deliver tailored last-mile experiences that reach people more cost-effectively. Partner-led business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) distribution, open banking APIs, real-time payment rails, compliant stablecoin settlement, and tokenized real-world assets can meet users in channels they already trust, with clearer disclosures and lower total cost. Done right, more people participate and keep more of the value they create, while the entire financial ecosystem grows stronger.

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Guardrails that make it safe

Technology cuts both ways. The same tools that widen access can be abused. Safety belongs from day one: respectful identity checks, adaptive fraud controls, plain-language disclosures, routine independent attestations, clear incident response, and real human help when it matters. I plan to cover this in more depth in future blogs.

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Why I care

For thirty years I’ve worked across fintech, payments, blockchain, and gaming, and our teams’ projects have processed billions of dollars in user transactions. I’ve seen firsthand how system design amplifies results, both for better and for worse. I’ve made mistakes and I’m still learning. Those lessons challenge me to approach everything I do with more humility and care. Luck opened doors for me, and with thoughtful financial system design, we can open doors for everyone and shift more power into the hands of people and communities worldwide. My focus is practical: lower friction, widen participation, and strengthen the financial ecosystem by working with existing stakeholders, not around them, so access, ownership, and opportunity grow for people and communities.

Stay tuned for the next issue in this series. Thanks for reading.

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