East asia pacific south asia

Fintechs challenged by PHL attachment to cash

BSP Holds Digital Payments Leaders Summit as the Country Moves Closer to a Cash-lite Economy

Country Diagnostic: The Philippines (2019 edition)

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Philippine Government recognize digital payments as a policy priority to enable Filipinos to seize the opportunities of the digital revolution.

In Bangladesh, key public and private sector actors commit to scaling digital wages across garment sector

Dhaka, November 20, 2019 - Media release by Government of Bangladesh: Building on what has been achieved so far, the government and the private sector have committed to working together to…

bKash: Revolutionizing Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh?

This study discusses the emergence of bKash as the m-banking pioneer in Bangladesh. It focuses on the services provided by bKash and its current operating scenario in Bangladesh. bKash’s str…

What explains low adoption of digital payment technologies? Evidence from small-scale merchants in Jaipur, India

New research from India states that low adoption of digital payments among small retailers is not a result of supply-side barriers, such as affordability and availability. It is due to deman…

First look at how garment workers are being paid globally

In a first study of its kind, data from nearly 3,000 factories across 58 countries, reveals that paying workers digitally correlates positively with better working conditions.

Bridging the Digital Divide and Supporting Increased Digital Trade: Scoping Study

The global economy is experiencing important technological shifts, with the rise of digital technology a key driver. This can be seen today in the rapid growth of the digital economy, broadl…

Prerequisites to digitizing the agricultural last mile

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.

Increasing partner loyalty through digital payments

The National Dairy Development Board digitized its payments to dairy farmers – unlocking significant business and social benefits.

Increasing supply chain transparency through digital payments

Gap Inc. has helped improve factory performance and promoted worker well-being by digitizing salaries for factory workers in India.

Gap Inc. Sets New Goal For Apparel Suppliers To Pay Garment Workers Digitally By 2020

Joins UN-based Better than Cash Alliance to Promote Financial Inclusion and Greater Supply Chain Transparency and Efficiency…

The Role of Digital Payments in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security

Finance Ministers of the economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) endorsed the new Better Than Cash Alliance report on the role of digital payments in sustainable agriculture on 21st October, in Viet Nam.

Decoding digital impact: A $45 billion opportunity in FMCG

The influence of digital in FMCG is often understated—India is severely lagging behind in digital spends despite a massive online population. By 2020, approximately $45 billion of the FMCG s…

China Breakthroughs: Pay it forward on cashless society

China cashing out as mobile payment soars (The Business Times)

China cashing out as mobile payment soars (AFP)

Accelerating Financial Inclusion in South-East Asia with Digital Finance

Focussing on women, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the paper highlights that digital financial solutions could play a significant part in closing gaps in financial inclusion and povides insights from Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

Alipay, WeChat Near $3 Trillion