Looking Ahead - Ethiopia launches new digital payments strategy to catalyze inclusive growth

To speed up Ethiopia’s journey towards digital transformation, the Government of Ethiopia is launching today the first-ever digital payments strategy.

COVID-19 Payments: Managing Risks, Ensuring Women’s Inclusion, and Communicating Clearly

IFC: Women and e-commerce in Africa

In Africa, the number of online shoppers has increased by an average of 18% every year since 2014. IFC’s report shows that closing earnings gaps between women and men on e-commerce platforms could add over $280 billion to the value of Africa’s e-commerce market.

West Africa launches new payments digitization agenda

Media release from the Better Than Cash Alliance, the World Bank and the National Agency of Statistics and Demography of Senegal (ANSD)

FEATURED: Celebrating Leading Women in Rwanda’s e-Commerce Space

FAO pledges to scale up direct use of digital financial transfers

Director-General says joining the Better Than Cash Alliance is part of stimulating more innovation and financial inclusion for smallholders

Sudan embraces digital payments to build a more inclusive economy

Sudan Joins United Nations’ Better Than Cash Alliance to Drive Financial Inclusion and Transparency

Op-Ed: As COVID-19 presents Africa with conflicting choices between relief for today and investing for tomorrow, here’s why it needs to consider digitization

25 years since Beijing – Spotlight on women!

In this edition of the newsletter, we applaud the leadership of Alliance members in the Philippines, Ghana and India who are ensuring that women can gain economic independence through digitization.

How to promote women's digital financial inclusion

Prepared at the request of the G7 French Presidency, this Gates Foundation report aims to be “a blueprint for improving digital financial inclusion in Africa.”

Mobile-delivered economic ID for inclusion of SMEs

Unregistered SMEs account for 65% of Nigeria’s GDP. Most of them often struggle to demonstrate their personal and business credentials to service providers and customers. This GSMA research finds that there is a need for new approaches to identity and mobile-delivered ‘economic ID’ solution holds promise.

Distributed Ledger Technology and Digital Identity: Prospects and Pitfalls Ahead

Blockchain Series: Blog 4

Integrating Gender and Women's Financial Inclusion into the Central Bank of Egypt's (CBE) Framework

Central Bank of Egypt is promoting women’s financial inclusion through a set of different measures such as enabling the legal and regulatory framework conditions, modernizing the financial i…

Partnering With the Private Sector to Extend Digital Financial Services to the Unbanked

This GIZ and Amarante Consulting study shares learnings and challenges with mobile wallet uptake among Syrian refugees, women and unbanked Jordanians.

Middle East and North Africa Economic Monitor, October 2018: A New Economy in Middle East and North Africa

This report lays out the principles for a new digital economy for MENA that embraces innovation and entrepreneurship, youth and women economic empowerment, rekindling the role of State, etc.

Senegal: Digitizing payments could add FCFA 104 billion to GDP every year

Media release by the Government of Senegal, the Better Than Cash Alliance and MM4P…

Ethiopia: “Mobile money doubled my number of customers in just three years”

In Addis Ababa, the vibrant Ethiopian capital, lies a busy Somali community market where Bisharo runs a small shop.

Why having less cash can mean a better life

A third of adults struggle to get by without basic financial services to protect against hardship and save for the future. Ruth Goodwin-Groen, of the UN-based Better Than Cash Alliance, expl…

The Future of Supply Chains: Why Companies are Digitizing Payments

New report underscores benefits of shifting from cash to digital payments in corporate supply chains.

10 reasons to be optimistic that full financial inclusion is possible through digital payments

As the world gets a progress report from the World Bank, the Alliance outlines 10 key reasons to be optimistic about the journey toward full financial inclusion.