Switzerland town launches Hedera powered municipal biodiversity voucher system

Switzerland has launched its first live municipal blockchain project through a biodiversity reward voucher system built on the Hedera network and backed by a Swiss franc-linked digital payment instrument.

According to an announcement shared with crypto.news by the Municipality of Muri bei Bern, the Canton of Bern municipality partnered with Swiss Web3 engineering firm The Hashgraph Group, blockchain developer Swisscoast, and digital transformation company Apps with Love to roll out BIDI, a blockchain-based biodiversity voucher designed to reward residents for participating in conservation work.

Built on the Hedera distributed ledger network, the system issues on-chain vouchers pegged to the Swiss franc for activities such as meadow restoration, hedge maintenance, invasive plant removal, riparian repair work, and wetland conservation. Residents can redeem each BIDI voucher for 1 Swiss franc at participating local merchants and service providers inside the municipality.

Municipal authorities said the initiative replaces a paper voucher program that had operated in Muri bei Bern for the past eight years. By moving the system on-chain, the project introduces digital verification and settlement infrastructure while keeping the existing community redemption model intact.

Swisscoast developed the payment layer using its HCHF digital Swiss franc stablecoin on Hedera, while The Hashgraph Group participated as ecosystem partner. The project also received backing from The Hashgraph Association through its Enterprise Accelerator Program for enterprise and government blockchain applications.

Swiss municipalities test blockchain infrastructure

Coming after Switzerland opened consultations in late 2025 on a dedicated stablecoin licensing regime under oversight from FINMA, the BIDI rollout adds another example of Swiss institutions experimenting with tokenized payment systems tied to public services.

Under the proposed Swiss framework published last year, stablecoin issuers would be required to maintain fully backed reserves, provide redemption rights, and operate under a dedicated payment instrument license category. Officials at the time said stablecoins could support tokenized asset markets and strengthen digital settlement infrastructure within Switzerland’s financial system.

At the municipal level, BIDI now extends blockchain use beyond financial services into environmental programs and local commerce.

“We are proud to offer BIDI, an existing, trusted Swiss instrument, in collaboration with The Hashgraph Association,” Swisscoast AG President Toni Caradonna said. Caradonna added that the company previously worked with Hedera on another project called HLiquity and viewed distributed ledger technology as important for both innovation and conservation efforts.

Within the same announcement, Stefan Deiss, CEO and co-founder of The Hashgraph Group, said tokenization was expanding beyond finance into public administration tools such as vouchers and reporting systems.

“Public-sector instruments such as vouchers, claims, and reporting tokens will become verifiable, and BIDI demonstrates DLT credibility through provenance, not novelty,” Deiss said.

Apps with Love CEO Stephan Klaus said the project showed how digital products could connect ecological participation with local economic activity while improving efficiency and verification processes.

Hedera, which promotes itself as a carbon-negative network through the purchase of carbon offsets exceeding its energy use, said its governing council includes organizations focused on sustainability initiatives and environmental reporting.

Designed as a reusable framework, the BIDI infrastructure can reportedly be adapted for other Swiss municipalities within weeks rather than requiring long deployment timelines. Municipal officials and project partners said the structure could eventually expand to cities and regions outside Switzerland as European governments continue testing blockchain-based public service systems.