From Ripple to DeFi student loan financing: Crypto’s expanding role in education

Decentralize with Cointelegraph

Decentralize with Cointelegraph
From Ripple to DeFi student loan financing: Crypto’s expanding role in education
May 09, 2025 Season 1 Episode 64
Сointelegraph

Can blockchain redefine the way student loans are financed and repaid? On the heels of Ripple’s $25 million donation to Teach for America, we connect the dots between initiatives building the infrastructure for Web3 adoption. In this episode of Byte-Sized Insight, Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu breaks down how Pencil Finance is using Web3 to reimagine education, from crypto-backed student loans to onchain reputations. 

Siu argues that education may be one of crypto’s most impactful use cases, not just financially, but socially and politically. Plus, we explore how Open Campus plans to onboard the next generation through grassroots efforts, and why he says teachers are the world's most under-recognized content creators.

(00:37) This week’s topic: crypto’s role in education
(01:00) Ripple’s $25M donation to Teach for America
(02:40) Donations vs building Web3 infrastructure 
(03:00) Animoca backs $10M in DeFi student loan liquidity
(04:10) Yat Siu on DeFi’s real-world impact
(05:47) Beyond lending: Web3’s broader potential in education
(07:30) Why student loans are crypto’s “hero use case”

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

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