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TL;DR
The Marshall Islands completed Enra’s first year of quarterly payments to eligible resident citizens and approved $32.5 million for the program’s second year. Payment records show broad reach, but no published evaluation yet establishes how Enra has affected poverty, work, prices or household wellbeing.
The Marshall Islands has completed the first year of Enra, its nationwide quarterly cash-payment program for resident citizens, and approved $32.5 million for a second year. The expansion renews attention on whether broad cash payments could offer a safety net as artificial intelligence reshapes work, but the country has not published an evaluation showing what Enra has changed.
Enra, officially called the Individual Support Distribution, pays eligible Marshallese citizens living in the country, including children, without a means test or work requirement. The first payment was issued on November 26, 2025. Four quarterly payments followed through August 2026, using checks, bank deposits and the Lomalo phone wallet.
The amount is not a guaranteed fixed payment: the program divides a fixed annual budget among eligible recipients. As registrations grew, the March 2026 payment fell to about $160 per person. A $3.2 million World Bank grant helped lift the next two payments to about $200. The final payment was $215.85 per person and reached 40,714 people, according to the payment agency’s administrator, as reported by the Marshall Islands Journal.
The second-year allocation is larger than last year’s budget line of $27.6 million. A trust fund committee approved $32.5 million on September 2, and parliament passed a budget on September 18 that included that sum for Enra and a separate $3.2 million top-up. The program is financed from a trust fund established under the Compact of Free Association with the United States, rather than from a new tax on residents.
Infographic 01 · Enra, the first year
Four payments, one fixed pot
How the Marshall Islands paid a basic income to almost every resident citizen between November 2025 and August 2026.
- Nov 2025First payment: $201.92 to more than 33,000 people. MISSA had enrolled 33,119 by 30 Sep 2025.Launch ceremony in Majuro, 26 Nov
- End Mar 2026About $160. Delayed a month to vet new registrations and residence. More than 37,000 registered, same fixed budget.Citizens away more than 3 months are removed from the list, with exceptions
- End May 2026About $200 again, thanks to a $3.2 million World Bank grant ($1.6 million per quarter). More than 41,000 on the eligible list.Pushed by the president over fuel and food prices
- Aug 2026$215.85 to 40,714 people. Fewer paper checks than in earlier rounds.MISSA administrator to the Marshall Islands Journal
Payment per person, year one
US dollars per quarter · March and May rounded as reported
Why the amount moves
- Enra is a fixed annual budget shared equally among everyone eligible that quarter.
- More registrations mean a smaller share unless the budget grows.
- Roughly $780 per person in year one, about 12% of GDP per person (IMF: $6,417, FY2023). My arithmetic.
Sources: Marshall Islands Journal (27 Nov 2025, 26 Feb, 22 May, 6 Aug, 27 Aug 2026) · IMF, 10 Sep 2025. March and May amounts as reported (“about”).
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A Cash Program, Not an AI Trial
Enra is relevant to current debate about an income floor amid job disruption, but its existence does not show that basic income can replace wages or address AI-related unemployment. The program began as national policy, not as a study of automation. No published evaluation has yet measured its effects on employment, poverty, household spending or other outcomes.
The first year does establish that a small government can distribute payments to a large share of its resident population through several channels. The president said the August payment covered more than 95% of residents. That is evidence of reach, not evidence of impact: the available figures do not show whether recipients became more financially secure or whether the payments changed their decisions.
Funding and payment size also matter for countries considering similar policies. Enra’s fixed pool means more eligible people can mean a smaller individual payment unless additional money is added. The IMF estimated the program’s fiscal 2026 cost at 8.1% of GDP and urged the government to replace it with a targeted scheme at the first feasible opportunity. That criticism highlights the trade-off between universal eligibility and the cost of directing support to people most in need.
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How Enra’s Payments Work
Eligibility is limited to Marshallese citizens who live in the country; citizens living abroad are excluded. The Social Security Administration maintains the eligible list, while the Ministry of Finance oversees the money. Officials have described residency checks, including review of departures, with exceptions for some people abroad for study, medical treatment or diplomatic work.
The program’s digital option has drawn attention because Lomalo can deliver a token called USDM1 on a public blockchain. The Finance Ministry describes USDM1 as a US-dollar sovereign bond backed one-to-one by short-dated US Treasury securities and rejects calling it a cryptocurrency, central bank digital currency or stablecoin. The wallet is one payment option alongside checks and bank deposits; the number of recipients using it has not been published.
The first payment went to more than 33,000 people, and registrations later exceeded 37,000 before rising above 41,000. The final August payment was recorded for 40,714 recipients. These figures indicate that the payment list changed during the year, but they do not by themselves establish how many people were eligible, enrolled or ultimately received every installment.
Impact Evidence Is Still Missing
No published evaluation of Enra’s effects was identified in the source material. The first year’s payment totals and recipient counts do not establish whether the program reduced hardship, affected work or prices, or changed household wellbeing. Nor do they show how benefits were distributed across different income groups.
The program’s precise reach also has limits as a measure: the president’s statement that payments covered more than 95% of residents is not accompanied here by the underlying population calculation. The source material does not report how many recipients chose Lomalo, how much of the trust fund’s resources can be committed over time, or what the program’s longer-term budget will be. These gaps make it too early to treat Enra as evidence for or against an AI-related income safety net.
Second-Year Payments and Evaluation
The approved second-year budget gives the government room to continue payments, but the supplied material does not specify the next payment date or whether the per-person amount will remain near recent levels. Because the allocation is divided among eligible residents, the eventual amount will depend on the budget, recipient list and any additional funding.
The main development to watch is whether the government publishes data or an evaluation that goes beyond distribution totals. Details on payment timing, eligibility checks, use of each payment channel and measured household outcomes would help clarify what Enra delivers—and whether lessons from the Marshall Islands apply to broader proposals for income support during technological change.
Key Questions
What is Enra?
Enra is the Marshall Islands’ Individual Support Distribution, a quarterly payment for eligible Marshallese citizens living in the country. It has no means test or work requirement.
How much does each person receive?
The amount varies because a fixed annual budget is divided among eligible recipients. The August 2026 payment was $215.85 per person; earlier payments changed as the registered population and available funding shifted.
How is the program funded?
Enra is funded through a trust fund established under the Compact of Free Association with the United States. A World Bank grant also helped increase two payments during the first year.
Does Enra show that basic income can address AI job losses?
Not yet. Enra was not introduced as an AI response, and no published evaluation establishes its effects on employment or household wellbeing. It shows that nationwide payments can be administered, not that they solve AI-related job disruption.
Who can receive Enra?
Marshallese citizens residing in the Marshall Islands, including children, are eligible under the described rules. Citizens living abroad do not qualify, with some stated exceptions related to particular absences.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
