PANews reported on June 8th that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently announced the establishment of the Blockchain Advisory Group (BAG) during Proof of Talk 2026 in Paris, focusing on using blockchain technology to optimize public systems and development governance. The inaugural meeting, chaired by UNDP Deputy Administrator Haoliang Xu, focused on financial inclusion and digital finance, discussing obstacles such as fragmented payment systems, limited digital identities, insufficient interoperability, and institutional preparedness. It also assessed how blockchain can complement existing digital public infrastructure to improve financial accessibility, efficiency, and transparency. The BAG plans to hold two meetings annually, promoting cooperation with the blockchain ecosystem on topics such as digital governance and public trust, legal identity and inclusive societies, digital financial services, climate and traceable responsibility, and digital labor and the future of work. Current members include 26 organizations such as the Ethereum Foundation, Filecoin Foundation, Stellar Development Foundation, Algorand Foundation, Arbitrum Foundation, Celo Foundation, Web3 Foundation, and Kraken.