A pilot initiative involving 21 households will examine how digital wallets and community tokens can improve access to services and support rural livelihoods.
A remote village in Bhutan’s Wangdue Phodrang district is set to become a testing ground for blockchain-based solutions, as researchers and technology experts explore ways to integrate digital tools into everyday rural life.
The initiative, titled Project Digital Village, will involve 21 households in Rukha village under Athang Gewog. It seeks to examine whether blockchain technology can simplify local transactions, improve access to essential services and create new opportunities for community development.
The project is being undertaken through a collaboration involving Singapore-based digital asset infrastructure company Qore3, Gyalpozhing College of Information Technology (GCIT), Tarayana Foundation and Switzerland’s Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
At the centre of the proposed initiative is a digital ecosystem featuring electronic wallets and community-based tokens. Researchers will assess how these tools could be linked to services and activities that benefit villagers, although their specific applications are yet to be finalised.
The project remains at an exploratory stage, with researchers currently assessing local requirements and identifying challenges that could potentially be addressed through digital technology. Full implementation is expected to take around two years.
According to a GCIT project representative, the objective is to develop solutions that respond to the community’s actual needs rather than introduce technology without a clear purpose. The potential economic and social advantages for participating households will become clearer once the proposed system has been designed and tested.
The groundwork began in August 2026, when representatives from GCIT and Tarayana Foundation visited Rukha alongside GCIT President Audrey Low and Qore3 Head of Partnerships Jeffrey Cheong. The team interacted with the community to understand existing livelihood practices, local infrastructure and areas where technological interventions might prove useful.
Rukha’s economy is largely dependent on aquaculture and livestock farming, making the sustainability of local livelihoods an important consideration in the project’s development.
Athang Gup Dawa Gyeltshen welcomed the initiative and expressed willingness to support programmes that could contribute to the village’s development. He also acknowledged the continued involvement of Tarayana Foundation in supporting the community.
GCIT President Audrey Low emphasised that the project is intended to make emerging technologies understandable and accessible to people beyond conventional technology centres.
“The goal of Project Digital Village is to simplify the technology and make education and tech inclusion accessible to everyone, creating social impact at the edge of a fast-moving digital economy,” she said.
The initiative also represents an expansion of cooperation between Qore3 and GCIT, which began working together in early 2025 on technology education, curriculum development and recruitment of skilled talent.
Their collaboration was formally strengthened on October 5, 2026, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding during TOKEN2049 Week in Singapore. The agreement was signed at Digital After Hours, an event organised by Qore3 at CHIJMES, and provides a framework for continued cooperation in blockchain education, research and technology development in Bhutan.
GCIT students and researchers are playing an active role in collecting field data and studying possible applications. They are also expected to participate in designing, testing and assessing the proposed digital platform in consultation with international partners.
The immediate focus is on creating a working prototype that can demonstrate how the technology might function in a village setting. Decisions regarding the duration of the pilot, its evaluation criteria and the eventual scale of implementation will be taken as the research progresses.
While the initiative offers an opportunity to examine the role of blockchain in rural development, its effectiveness will depend on whether the proposed tools can deliver measurable improvements in the daily lives of Rukha’s residents.
For now, the project marks an early attempt to bridge the gap between emerging digital technologies and the practical requirements of a small rural community in Bhutan.
