Rubius Inc. plans to use the blockchain to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems — the unbanked.

The unbanked are the 1.7 billion adults that lack access to the world’s economy because they have no bank accounts and no access to electronic financial services. Most of those people lack bank accounts because they live in places traditional banks are afraid to operate. That includes war-torn regions and lawless areas.

One of the world’s most unstable regions, the Middle East, is also the most unbanked. Around 86% of the adults in the Middle East have no bank account simply because of their faith. Islamic Sharia law teaches that charging interest is a sin. Most of the world’s banks operate on an interest-based model — that excludes devout Muslims from the financial system.

Another reason why the banks refuse to operate in many areas is that they need to trust their patrons. The trust is developed by checking the history of borrowers — which is impossible when people have no banking history.