Key Takeaways
- Muri bei Bern launched BIDI, Switzerland’s first live municipal blockchain project focused on biodiversity rewards.
- Residents earn 1 CHF digital vouchers for conservation work such as meadow restoration and invasive-species removal.
- The project runs on Hedera and digitizes a paper voucher system that the municipality has used for years.
Switzerland’s blockchain ambitions are no longer limited to banks, crypto startups, or “Crypto Valley.”
One small Swiss municipality is now using blockchain to reward residents for restoring meadows, protecting wetlands, and maintaining local biodiversity.
What is BIDI?
Muri bei Bern, located in the Canton of Bern, has officially launched BIDI, a blockchain-based digital voucher system designed to compensate volunteers for environmental conservation work.
According to the municipality and project partners, it is the first operational municipal blockchain project currently live in Switzerland.
The rollout marks a notable shift in how governments are experimenting with distributed ledger technology.
Instead of focusing on tokenized finance or digital securities, BIDI applies blockchain to something far more local and tangible: community environmental work.
And unlike many pilot programs, this one is already operating in the real world.
Citizens Earn Digital Vouchers for Conservation Work
At the center of the project is a simple idea.
Residents who participate in approved environmental activities receive digital vouchers worth one Swiss franc each.
Those vouchers can then be redeemed at participating local businesses and service providers.
The conservation work includes:
- Meadow restoration.
- Hedge laying.
- Dry-stone wall maintenance.
- Invasive-species removal.
- Wetland and riparian-zone protection.
The vouchers are issued directly on Hedera’s distributed ledger network and are distributed on-site during volunteer activities.
Importantly, the system did not appear out of nowhere.
Muri bei Bern had already operated a paper-based biodiversity voucher program for roughly eight years.
BIDI essentially digitizes that existing model while adding automated tracking, verification, and settlement through blockchain infrastructure.
That practical continuity gives the project a more grounded feel than many public-sector blockchain experiments, which often struggle to move beyond proof-of-concept stages.
Why Switzerland Wanted a System Like This
The launch also ties into a broader national push around biodiversity policy.
Switzerland’s 2024 Biodiversitäts-Initiative increased pressure on municipalities to produce measurable environmental outcomes and improve local conservation efforts.
But many local governments lacked efficient systems for tracking volunteer work, distributing incentives, or verifying participation transparently.
BIDI was designed to address those operational gaps.
Instead of manually issuing paper certificates or handling fragmented reporting systems, the municipality can now create an on-chain record tied directly to completed environmental work and voucher issuance.
Supporters argue that the approach improves transparency while reducing administrative overhead.
Toni Caradonna, President of Swisscoast AG, said the project builds on existing local trust rather than introducing a completely new financial model.
“We are proud to offer BIDI — an existing, trusted Swiss instrument — in collaboration with The Hashgraph Association,” he said.
The Project Runs on Hedera Infrastructure
The technical side of the project involves several Swiss blockchain and digital infrastructure firms.
The vouchers are powered by HCHF, a Swiss franc stablecoin issued by Swisscoast and built on the Hedera network.
The Hashgraph Group participated as an ecosystem partner, while product development and integrations were handled by digital transformation company Apps with Love.
The project also received support through The Hashgraph Association’s Enterprise Accelerator Program, which focuses on enterprise and public-sector blockchain deployments.
Stefan Deiss, CEO and Co-Founder of The Hashgraph Group, framed the initiative as part of a broader shift beyond purely financial tokenization.
“We are proud to support Swisscoast as we see tokenization of assets moving from the financial sector into public services,” he said.
“Public-sector instruments such as vouchers, claims, and reporting tokens will become verifiable, and BIDI demonstrates DLT credibility through provenance — not novelty.”
According to the partners, the workflows and onboarding systems were specifically designed so that other municipalities could replicate similar programs relatively quickly.
The Environmental Angle Matters Too
One reason Hedera was selected involves sustainability positioning.
The network markets itself as energy-efficient and carbon-negative through low energy consumption and carbon offset purchases exceeding its operational footprint.
That matters in this case because the project itself centers on environmental restoration.
Supporters argue the move away from physical paper vouchers toward digital issuance also reduces waste and administrative friction.
More broadly, the project shows how organizations are increasingly positioning blockchain as more than just a financial tool.
Governments and companies now use blockchain infrastructure for verification, tracking, and settlement across public service systems beyond traditional crypto markets.
Switzerland Keeps Expanding Blockchain Into Everyday Systems
The BIDI rollout also aligns with Switzerland’s broader blockchain strategy.
The country remains one of Europe’s most active blockchain hubs, with Crypto Valley continuing to attract major venture investment and institutional interest.
It is also ranked first on CCN’s crypto lifestyle index.
Switzerland’s 2021 DLT Act helped establish legal frameworks for tokenized assets and blockchain-based trading infrastructure, while regulators continue to refine rules on stablecoins and crypto custody.
At the municipal level, Swiss cities have already experimented with blockchain-based digital identity systems and public-service initiatives, particularly in Zug.
BIDI pushes that experimentation one step further by connecting blockchain directly to everyday civic participation.
Instead of abstract tokenization narratives, residents are interacting with blockchain through real environmental work and local spending.
Whether the model spreads nationally remains uncertain.
But the launch signals something increasingly important about blockchain adoption in 2026.
Some of the technology’s most practical use cases may end up looking far less speculative — and far more local — than the industry originally imagined.
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Prashant Jha is a seasoned crypto journalist based in Delhi, India, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science Engineering. Passionate about the evolving world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, he has been a dedicated voice in the industry since 2018. Prashant’s expertise lies in regulatory reporting, where he unravels complex legal and financial developments with clarity and precision. Before joining CCN in 2024, he honed his craft at Cointelegraph, establishing himself as a trusted name in crypto journalism.
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