In early November, ITP student Sophia Collender will be sharing her research, “How Money Could Move Us: The Feasibility of Payment Interoperability Among Global Mass Transit Systems,” as part of the 2025 Interledger Summit in Mexico City. The paper explores interoperable payment systems and cross-border financial restrictions in public transit, imagining ways mobility—both financial and physical—can be expanded. More can be read about it here.

"This year’s cohort of proposals reflects the diversity and urgency of questions being asked around financial inclusion, open payments, and digital governance. From Africa to Asia to Latin America, researchers are exploring how infrastructure, technology, and social dynamics shape people’s access to finance. […]

Collender, Sophia (New York University), is looking at payment interoperability through the lens of mass transit. By comparing how cities structure their transit payment systems, Collender asks whether open protocols, such as the Interledger Protocol, could unlock both economic and physical mobility. As societies move toward cashless transactions, her research imagines a future where interoperable payment methods allow seamless access across multiple transit networks, including for unbanked and underbanked populations."