Hollywood actor Matt Damon (맷 데이먼) will take the stage at the Ripple Swell conference in October.

On June 17, blockchain outlet U.Today reported that this year’s Ripple Swell will be held in New York from Oct. 27 to 29. Damon is set to discuss cross-border stablecoin payments and access to clean water.

Ripple is highlighting RLUSD alongside its social contribution collaboration at the event. Damon co-founded the nonprofit Water.org with engineer Gary White. Ripple introduced Ripple Payments and its U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin RLUSD as creating real-world use cases in emerging markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The agenda focuses on linking payments infrastructure with water access issues. Water.org reports that more than 2 billion people worldwide currently lack access to safe water at home. The group is running the “Get Blue” campaign to address the problem, with Amazon and Gap participating as corporate partners along with Ripple.

The campaign promotes a structure that channels part of corporate sales and direct donations to Water.org to provide affordable financing for essential water infrastructure and expand transactions. The outlet pointed out that RLUSD could be useful during such a phase of transaction expansion. It is a point that can be read as Ripple seeking to connect its stablecoin business not only to remittances but also to public-interest funding flows.

Water use issues were also presented as background. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency projected that direct water consumption by U.S. data centres will reach 73 billion gallons by 2028. As digital infrastructure expands and pressure on water resources rises at the same time, Water.org’s “Get Blue” campaign is an attempt to expand water-related finance by using corporate funding and donations.

Damon’s attendance is also a notable scene in the crypto industry. He is well known for his long film career, but in the crypto market he is also remembered for appearing in a Crypto.com advertisement in October 2021. The ad compared investors to historic pioneers and used the phrase “Fortune favors the brave.” The ad was later mocked online after being released shortly before a major market plunge.

Ripple Swell has also been an event that has put global figures on stage. At the 2018 event in San Francisco, former U.S. President Bill Clinton delivered a keynote speech. As a result, a key point to watch at this year’s event is how concretely Damon’s participation will show RLUSD use cases and collaboration with Water.org.