The UN acknowledges that the progress of meeting SDGs has been slow. It was suggested that the development goals may be intertwined with bitcoin, i.e. blockchain or distributed ledgers, which supports bitcoin, has the potential to increase the progress in achieving the SDGs. 

 The first problem that blockchain is identification. Having no means to prove identity is a significant development issue. According to the estimate of the World Bank, around 1.5 billion people, especially those in Africa and Asia, do not have means to prove their identity. 

The problem of having no ID exclude them from receiving various services, e.g. the access to savings and credit, health and social welfare, educational opportunities, and the electoral process. Among these people, migrant laborers and refugees are in particular vulnerable. For example, to open a bank account can require different kinds of or items of verification. Blockchain, as a decentralised ledger, can help to establish digital identities for them and make verification available in a secure way. For example, Finland used blockchain technology to address an influx of refugees. The blockchain can be applied in addressing those people currently excluded from the financial system. These people cannot access credit, because the financial services cannot recognize them if they have no bank accounts. On the other hand, the existing remittance framework, especially for migrant workers, is very expensive and predates the age of the Internet. In this perspective, the blockchain-based systems can create a payments rail, which is instant, verifiable and transfers at a fraction of the coast that is much chapter than the current options. During the Asean finance ministers meeting, the potential of the distributed ledger technology or the blockchain was stated, which was regarded to provide opportunities for cheap and secure transactions thus further promote financial inclusion in Asean.