8. Regional Scope and Prioritisation Plan
8.1 Scope Framing
The research does not begin with a predetermined geography. The final prioritisation of regions, sub-regions, or country clusters will be determined by RARF scores and primary evidence, not by assumption.
The research will begin from PRISMA’s existing network access — primarily sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America — and will systematically evaluate those access points against the RARF criteria before determining whether they represent the highest-value research investment for Cardano. Where the evidence supports a different geographic focus, the screening process will surface it.
8.2 Candidate Region Categories
Screening covers three categories in this engagement, with initial depth proportional to existing evidence availability and PRISMA’s network access. East Asia is out of scope.
| Region Category | Research Purpose | PRISMA Access Level |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Saharan Africa / Practical Infrastructure Markets | Agricultural supply chain, identity, public-service delivery, humanitarian payment rails, mobile-first financial inclusion, land registry — contexts where practical infrastructure gaps create genuine demand | High: CATS26 network, Accra and Nairobi hub relationships, Wada partnership |
| LATAM / High-Inflation Markets | Stablecoin payments, remittances, merchant adoption, community financial infrastructure — contexts where monetary instability creates demand for stable-value settlement | Medium-High: Argentina and broader LATAM ecosystem relationships |
| Applicant-Justified Additional Region | Iberia (Spain) as the Phase 1 applicant-justified cluster; further clusters only if RARF screening justifies them | Barcelona access; further access TBD |
The live country-cluster screening set is maintained in Candidate Regions.
8.3 Region Selection Logic
The following criteria will determine whether a candidate region advances from light screening to deep-dive primary research:
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RARF screening score of 3.0 or above on at least six of ten dimensions, based on desk-evidence
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At least one identifiable, reachable counterparty pathway relevant to the leading use case hypothesis
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A specific use case that is testable within a 12–24 month horizon
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Evidence of real problem severity from sources independent of Cardano community reporting
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No blocking regulatory or infrastructure constraint that cannot be resolved within the research horizon
Regions that fail the screening criteria will be documented in the Market Prioritisation Matrix under Monitor or No-Go recommendations, with explicit reasons. They will not be included in deep-dive primary research. The research budget is allocated proportionally: approximately 60% of primary research time will go to the two highest-scoring regional clusters, with 40% distributed across remaining candidate regions.
8.4 Country-Cluster Logic
Within candidate region categories, the research will work at country-cluster or country level rather than continental level. The RFP explicitly cautions against treating Africa or LATAM as single markets.
Illustrative country clusters are superseded by the Phase 1 screening set in Candidate Regions. Cluster selection is confirmed with CPC at Research Design Review.