The Alliance has 80 members committed to digitizing payments.
These include national governments from Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America,
global brands across the agriculture, garment and fast-moving consumer good sectors,
UN agencies and humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGOs).
As we are based at the United Nations,
our Alliance is neutral on what types of digital payment platforms or channels are
appropriate in each market. We recognize that digital payment solutions will vary across
geographies and that, as innovation is a constant in this sector, digital payment
options will also change quickly. What matters to us is that the shift from cash to
digital payments is done responsibly and builds the foundations for inclusive growth.
We do not want to abolish physical cash, but rather ensure that people have choice in how they make and receive payments. It is important for people to have digital payment options which are responsible and “better than cash” so, for example, a woman can have a payment account in her own name, which she manages. To be clear, we do not want to prevent people from using cash as sometimes it is the best or only payment option. Governments, businesses and people are looking for a better value proposition than cash to improve efficiency, transparency, security, women’s economic participation, financial inclusion and inclusive growth.