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2024 Annual Report - Powering financial inclusion, economic growth, and digital transformation
The Better Than Cash Alliance, hosted by UNDP's Sustainable Finance Hub, reached over 100 million people in 2024 through responsible digital payments—marking a major milestone in advancing financial inclusion, especially for women and youth. Of the Alliance’s work last year, 82% supported gender-responsive initiatives.
Its 2024 Annual Report highlights progress across nearly 20 countries, with 43 major initiatives and 41 policy reforms. Key achievements include supporting the integration of digital payments into the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) first Protocol on Digital Trade; enabling digital wages for over 864,000 workers across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); and helping safeguard Guatemala’s coffee sector from $6.8 million in climate-related losses.
Despite these advances, over 1.4 billion people remain excluded from the formal financial system—the majority are women and youth, who continue to face disproportionate barriers to access and usage.
“Digital payments are about more than efficiency—they are about dignity, especially for women. We are seeing women gain economic autonomy, workers paid safely and on time, and small businesses growing through digital inclusion. As we launch our 2026–2030 strategy, our focus is on expanding access and deepening usage—bringing responsible digital finance to those who need it most.”
Ms. Lucy Nshuti Mbabazi, Managing Director, Better Than Cash Alliance
The Alliance also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to enable digital payments for more than 2 million healthcare workers, primarily in Africa. In Ethiopia, the digitization of 4,600 health centers extended community-based health insurance to 12 million households.
In partnership with global brands such as Gap Inc. and H&M, over one million factory workers in Asia and Africa now receive their wages digitally—ensuring transparency, financial security, and respect in the workplace.
Together with CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean – the Alliance is developing an action plan aligned with the UN Principles for Responsible Digital Payments, which focuses on increased access to digital payments for climate resilience to guide the creation of inclusive financial products.
With support from UNDP’s presence in over 170 countries, the Alliance is poised to deliver on its ambitious 2026–2030 strategy—scaling activation of inclusive responsible digital payment systems that create meaningful impact around the world and leave no one behind.