Digital cash assistance

Accelerating responsible digital payments for COVID-19 relief

The devastating social and economic impacts of COVID-19 have heightened the need for proven solutions to keep the Sustainable Development Goals within reach

COVID-19 Exclusion Working Group (Gender) – Introduction and Strategic Enablers for Digital Payments Toolkit

COVID-19 is causing unprecedented health, economic and social crises and threatens the poverty and inclusion gains that have been made over the last decade.

BETTER THAN CASH: Ruth Goodwin-Groen is inspiring social change with digital financial inclusion

Policy and regulatory recommendations to facilitate mobile humanitarian and social assistance during COVID-19

This guidance note outlines the most significant challenges that MNOs face (or likely to face) in the context of supporting the delivery of humanitarian assistance in a COVID-19 world and offers relevant recommendations to governments on how to help address or mitigate these challenges.

From conditional cash transfers to fintech adoption

This paper looks at the impact of introducing debit cards for conditional cash transfers in urban areas of Mexico.

Improving Financial Inclusion through the Delivery of Cash Transfer Programmes: The Case of Mexico's Progresa-Oportunidades-Prospera Programme

This paper follows a quasi-experimental research design to assess the impact of the electronic payment system of Mexico’s Progresa-Oportunidades-Prospera (POP) programme.

The Role of Digital Financial Inclusion in Preparing for Older Age and Retirements

This paper, jointly released by the Better Than Cash Alliance and the World Bank, summarizes and analyzes the financial challenges faced by older adults.

Consumer protection standards for digital credit 

Similar to the RDPGs, this Smart Campaign publication identifies standards for responsible digital financial services, especially credit. It aims to guide the practices of both fintechs and traditional financial service providers undergoing digital transformation. 

Distributed Ledger Technology: What Is It and Why Do We Care?

Blockchain Series: Blog 1…

Distributed Ledgers: Looking Past the Hype

Blockchain Series: Blog 2…

DLT: Keep Calm and Let the Evidence Speak

Blockchain Series: Blog 3…

Public Financial Management and the Digitalization of Payments

Joint report by the Better Than Cash Alliance, the Center for Global Development, and the Overseas Development Institute, building on work with the International Monetary Fund in 2017.

In the IMF’s Fight Against Corruption, Digital Payments are a Powerful Weapon

IMF managing director Christine Lagarde is to be applauded for her recent leadership in the fight against corruption, and her recognition that there is an increasingly limited role for cash …

Testing the Waters: Digital Payments for Water and Sanitation

Water providers are shifting to digital payments to reduce expenses and streamline delivery. In this report, CGAP and GSMA share lessons learned from 25 organizations, including the challeng…

How UN organizations can boost their impact

In a new report, the Better Than Cash Alliance shows how improved digitization and harmonization can help UN agencies and partners make an even greater impact.

Cash Digitization: UN Collaboration, Coordination, and Harmonization Opportunities

New Key to Help Unlock the Power of Digital Payments

Across the global policy community, the jury is now in about the power of digital payments to drive financial inclusion, particularly for women and the poor; improve efficiency and transpare…

An Introduction to Digital Financial Services (DFS)

Digital Financial Services (DFS) is a relatively new, low-cost means of digital access to transactional financial services. Often termed ‘mobile money’ or ‘mobile financial services,’ DFS is…