Africa middle east

Microfinance and Poverty Reduction: Is Social Protection the Missing Link?

The paper highlights that existing literature largely overlooks recent developments in the arena of social protection that are impacting financial needs of the poor and discusses some empirical findings from three Indian states.

Governance of Social Protection for Informal Sector Workers in Asia

This report covers overview and constraints of setting up a social protection system for informal workers in Asia. It also includes interesting case studies of some Asian countries including Bangladesh, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

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…

Digitizing Wage Payments in Bangladesh’s Garment Production Sector

This report is the first of its kind to document key data points on the costs and benefits of wage digitization from a factory perspective.

Bangladesh Digital Wages Summit

Scaling Digital Wages: An Opportunity for Garment Employees and Manufacturers…

Digital Wages in Bangladesh Benefit Women

Why Women Workers and Managers Prefer Electronic Wage Payments in Bangladesh

Payday can be an ordeal for women garment workers in Bangladesh. Often, they must wait in long lines, carry wads of cash through crowded streets, or encounter a mother-in-law demanding money…

Call to action: Digitizing workers’ payments in the garment sector in Bangladesh

Leading brands call on other companies and suppliers in Bangladesh to grasp the opportunity to drive inclusion, efficiency, and transparency through wage digitization…

Social Networks, e-Commerce Platforms, and the Growth of Digital Payment Ecosystems in China: What it Means for Other Countries

This report examines two of China’s most far-reaching applications – WeChat and Alipay – and explores their role in the development of one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated digital payments ecosystems.

Leveraging Public-Private Partnership in the Philipines for Digital Financial Inclusion

His Excellency Jose L. Cuisia Jr., Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States of America, and Mr. Paolo Eugenio Baltao, President, G-Xchange (a subsidiary of Globe Te…

Increasing factory worker well-being through digital payroll

Leading apparel companies have collaborated with each other on the BSR Herfinance program to improve worker well-being through payroll digitization.

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.

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 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.

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…

The 1.5 Billion People Question: Food, Vouchers, or Cash Transfers?

With 1.5 billion people covered globally, food and voucher programs provide an important lifeline for the poor and vulnerable. The study – The 1.5 Billion People Question: Food, Vouchers or …

Financial inclusion, a driver of state building in India and Mexico?

This article situates latest trends within the evolution of Indian and Mexican social policies and discusses how on one hand financial inclusion policies allow vulnerable populations to access new rights while resulting in new ways of controlling consumer behavior.

Fintech for Financial Inclusion: A Framework for Digital Financial Transformation-A Report to the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)

The paper outlines potential for growth for FinTech for financial inclusion while emphasising on the need for regulatory approaches , citing some successful cases from India , Kenya and China.

Should graduation programmes replace the more conventional cash transfers? 

What comes after unconditional cash transfers? Does the inclusion of some form of graduation programs offer a more sustainable solution to poverty? Read this blog to learn more about the deb…