2023 Annual Report

Approximately 750 million women around the globe are completely excluded from the formal financial system. In Africa and the Middle East, the financial inclusion gender gap is three times larger than the global average. To address this issue, the Better Than Cash Alliance Secretariat works with members and partners to put financial equality for women and the most marginalized people at the heart of our work. In 2023, 80 percent of our efforts were dedicated to advancing gender equality.

Results and highlights from Alliance partners this year, include:

Ethiopia 2.5 million public sector wages and 8 million social protection transfers have been digitized by the government, as part of implementing its first National Digital Payments Strategy.

Pakistan The Alliance Secretariat, in support of its member, the Government of Pakistan, and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), launched a flagship report on merchant payments, with a focus on women, fostering stakeholder engagement.

The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Economic Commission, with the Alliance Secretariat, has set up a High-Level Steering Committee with leading African institutions, committed to driving merchant payment adoption for the realization of the One African Market.

India’s G20 Presidency, with the Alliance secretariat, set up the first-of-its-kind “Knowledge and Experience and Exchange Programme for the Emerging Economies of the Global South: Advancing Financial Inclusion through Digital Public Infrastructure.” Representatives from 17 countries and 9 regional organizations convened to discuss the progress and requirements for developing inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure.

Colombia, as a result of our pilot with World Food Programme (WFP), UNHCR, and the government, digitizing transfers to over 1,800 Venezuelan migrants and refugees, with 85 percent of them being women. WFP has committed to expanding the use of mobile wallets to two additional humanitarian programs.