Networks for Humanity

What Networks for Humanity does

Networks for Humanity (NFH) is a global non-profit initiative that designs, tests, and scales open, interoperable, and decentralized digital infrastructure intended to function as universal digital public goods. The organization is built around two flagship mission protocols: Finternet, which envisions a global financial internet for trusted, programmable, and interoperable movement of financial assets across borders and platforms; and Beckn, an open-network protocol that enables value discovery, negotiation, contracting, and fulfillment across sectors including commerce, mobility, health, and local services. Both protocols rest on a shared credential and trust infrastructure for identity verification and trust, and are governed through a multi-stakeholder, vendor-neutral model. A third offering, the C:>DIR platform, is a global policy-convening initiative that brings together regulators, policymakers, innovators, and researchers to address the widening innovation delta and strengthen digital governance in Emerging Market and Developing Economies.

NFH is led by co-founders Dr. Pramod Varma (Chief Architect of Aadhaar and UPI, co-creator of Beckn and Finternet), Sujith Nair (CEO of Beckn Labs), and Siddharth Shetty (CEO of Finternet Labs), with Nandan Nilekani serving as Co-founder and Patron. The organization operates as a non-network of global labs with offices in Dover (USA, listed primary address), Singapore (regional HQ), Bangalore (engineering and R&D), San Francisco, and New York, with a Switzerland (Zug) office in progress. NFH does not sell products or services; instead, it relies on institutional funding, philanthropic grants, and contributions of expertise and intellectual property from partners including Google.org, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Asian Development Bank, and Spectrum Impact.

Name

Networks for Humanity

Legal name

Networks for Humanity

Website

https://networksforhumanity.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Networks for Humanity (NFH) is a global non-profit that builds open, interoperable digital infrastructure protocols — Finternet for cross-border finance and Beckn for multi-sector value exchange — serving governments, regulators, financial institutions, and businesses through grant-funded digital public goods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding and Grants: NFH operates as a global non-profit initiative and relies on funding from institutions that share its vision. Institutions collaborate on pilots, research, and governance. The organization accepts contributions of funding, expertise, or intellectual property.
2. Philanthropic/Donor Support: NFH accepts donations to support creation of global digital public goods. Individual donors and foundations contribute to scaling open networks responsibly.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Networks for Humanity (NFH) is a global non-profit initiative that designs and scales open, interoperable, and decentralized digital infrastructure protocols for the AI era. Its two flagship missions are Finternet, a global financial internet enabling trusted, programmable, and interoperable cross-border movement of financial assets, and Beckn, an open network protocol allowing value to be discovered, negotiated, contracted, and fulfilled across sectors such as commerce, mobility, health, and local services. The organization also runs C:>DIR, a global policy-convening platform that brings regulators, policymakers, innovators, and researchers together to shape digital governance, particularly in Emerging Market and Developing Economies.

Product overview

Networks for Humanity (NFH) is a global non-profit initiative that provides open, interoperable, and decentralized digital infrastructure for the AI era. The organization operates through two flagship mission products — Finternet (a global financial internet enabling seamless cross-border asset movement) and Beckn (an open-network protocol for value exchange across sectors) — both underpinned by a credential and trust infrastructure. Additionally, C:\>DIR serves as a policy-convening platform. Together, these products form the foundations of an emerging "internet of value" where anything of value can be represented, discovered, and exchanged seamlessly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Finternet: A vision for a global financial internet that empowers individuals and businesses with direct control over storing and moving their assets through trusted, programmable and interoperable systems.
• Beckn
• C:\>DIR
• DeDi Global

Products and services

• Finternet Finternet is NFH's vision for a global financial internet — a trusted, programmable, and interoperable network that puts individuals and businesses at the center of their financial ecosystem. It connects diverse networks, lowers barriers between institutions and users, and enables financial assets to move seamlessly and securely across borders and platforms. It is intended for adoption by governments, financial institutions, and regulators as open digital public infrastructure.
• Beckn Beckn is an open-network protocol that enables people and businesses to move and exchange value effortlessly using open networks as the universal digital infrastructure. Value can be discovered, negotiated, contracted, and fulfilled between two parties seamlessly across sectors, including commerce, mobility, health, and local services. It is targeted at digital platforms, service providers, and developers building interoperable ecosystems.
• C:>DIR C:>DIR is NFH's global policy-convening platform shaping the Future of Regulation in the Era of Digital Innovation. It brings regulators, policymakers, innovators, and researchers together to address the widening innovation delta and strengthen digital governance, with a focus on Emerging Market and Developing Economies. It operates as a neutral convening authority across sectors and jurisdictions.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nandan NilekanicoreOthersNandan Nilekani is a Co-founder and Patron of NFH. As co-founder of Infosys and founding chairman of UIDAI, he led the creation of Aadhaar and has been central to India's digital public infrastructure including UPI and ONDC. He now champions global open systems through NFH.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Linux Foundation: Largest open-source foundation hosting Hyperledger (blockchain finance) and other financial infrastructure projects. Broader incumbent in open-protocol governance for finance and digital infrastructure with established multi-stakeholder governance models.
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): International standards organization for the World Wide Web. Comparable as an open, vendor-neutral standards body with multi-stakeholder governance that outlasts market cycles—a model NFH explicitly aims to replicate for value exchange.

Direct peers

• iSPIRT (India Stack): Volunteer-driven organization behind India's DPI ecosystem including Aadhaar, UPI, and ONDC. Closely related ecosystem with overlapping founders and similar open-protocol philosophy for digital public infrastructure.
• Mojaloop Foundation: Open-source platform for interoperable digital financial services focused on financial inclusion in emerging markets. Directly comparable to NFH's Finternet mission of interoperable cross-border financial asset movement using open protocols.
• ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce): India's open protocol for digital commerce enabling interoperable value exchange across platforms. Directly comparable to NFH's Beckn protocol in mission, architecture, and multi-stakeholder governance, with overlapping founder ecosystem.
• Digital Public Goods Alliance: Multi-stakeholder initiative promoting digital public goods aligned with the UN SDGs. Shares NFH's mission of open, interoperable digital infrastructure for global inclusion and represents a potential collaboration pathway.

Emerging players

• Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE): UK-based entity that develops open banking standards and APIs for financial data sharing. Comparable in mission to Finternet's vision for interoperable financial infrastructure, though focused on a specific regulatory regime rather than EMDEs.
• ID2020 Alliance: Global alliance advancing digital identity for inclusion in underserved populations. Complementary to NFH's Credential and Trust Infrastructure powering Finternet and Beckn protocols, with overlapping target beneficiaries.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/_yeqoEUA85w?si=S1Jej328I4CBbyN2
• Xx.com/nfh_technology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/networks-for-humanity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Networks for Humanity