East asia pacific south asia

“Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019 – 2021

With an aim to create a cash-lite economy, the Reserve Bank of India has published its “Payments System Vision 2021.” The document can be a useful resource for members like Ghana who are wor…

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…

Fostering digital payments and fintech development 

This ADBI working paper discusses measures to foster digital financial innovation in Indonesia.

The next frontier in Asia payments

Despite the near-term disruption to revenue growth related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Asia’s payments sector remains positioned for long-term success and is poised for a swift return to healthy growth.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in India’s Largest Retail Sector: USAID and Mastercard Partner for Small Business Acceleration

Project Kirana is currently training 3,000 women shop owners and managers in the cities of Lucknow and Kanpur.

"Can Digital G2P Transfers Drive Financial Inclusion and Digital Payments? Evidence from India"

This paper explores factors that have driven the adoption of digital payments in India by beneficiaries of PMGKY, the large-scale COVID-19 relief program.

Debit cards provide flexbility to displaced families in Mali

August 2013 newsletter, Debit cards provide flexibility to displaced families in Mali, Giving Voice to Indonesian Cocoa Farmers on e-Services, Mobile Money Surveys

Prerequisites to digitizing the agricultural last mile

Aadhaar: Digital Inclusion and Public Services in India

Aadhaar, India’s program to provide a unique identity number for every resident, is the largest biometric identification program in the world. Launched in 2008, the program has created biome…

Inclusive Growth Through Branchless Banking: A Review of Agent Banking and Its Impact

The paper explores the opportunities to overcome barriers to financial access in Bangladesh through branchless banking and emphasis that financial inclusion and inclusive growth could be advanced through existing work by Bangladesh bank on favorable agent banking policies

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…

Mobile Financial Services In Bangladesh

The report provides an overview of the MFS progress in Bangladesh and discusses how selection of staff and beneficiaries from USAID agriculture and health projects are using both traditional and mobile financial services.

Mobile payments and financial inclusion: Kenya, Brazil, and India as Case Studies

This paper considers the impact of the regulatory environment on mobile payments as a channel for delivering inclusive financial services using Kenya, Brazil and India as case studies.

Our 2022 in 3 words...

Improving access to healthcare and decent work, reaching farmers, including merchants, equal opportunities for women and much more, through responsibly digitizing payments.

Country Diagnostic: Bangladesh (2022 edition)

Measuring progress to scale: Responsible digital payments in Bangladesh

Country Diagnostic: Bangladesh

This Diagnostic Report shows Bangladesh is making significant strides toward a digital economy, and outlines specific policy measures that can underpin further digitization of payments into the future.

Our work in India

Read about India’s transformational journey to scale responsible digital payments

Government of Afghanistan Joins Better Than Cash Alliance

Government of Afghanistan Joins Better Than Cash Alliance — Pledges to Address Poverty and Grow Economy by Shifting to Electronic Payments…

In line with strategy to mature into an emerging economy, Nepal joins the Better Than Cash Alliance

Government aims for economic growth and women’s empowerment through digital payments initiative…

Making Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021 a reality, Government joins the Better Than Cash Alliance

Bangladesh commits to further national financial inclusion by accelerating the transition to digital payments…