Digital payments

How Covid-19 pandemic triggered surge in cashless payments

The Cost of Cash to Ghana’s Cocoa Sector

Digital payments can help make the sector more efficient, transparent, and secure for companies and people alike

Tax Digitalization in Rwanda: Success Factors and Pathways Forward

Rwanda’s impressive economic and social record in recent decades has become one of the success stories of modern African development.

Accelerating winds of change in global payments

The COVID-19 crisis is having a significant and widespread effect on global payments across sectors. The most striking and potentially lasting impact is an accelerating pace of change in the industry.

The Hidden Costs of Cash to Ghana’s Cocoa Sector

New report reveals the cocoa sector in Ghana faces avoidable costs and inefficiencies representing 19% of revenues

Digitizing Payments in Ghana’s Cocoa Supply Chain

Four building blocks for responsible and scalable digitization

Op-Ed: As COVID-19 presents Africa with conflicting choices between relief for today and investing for tomorrow, here’s why it needs to consider digitization

Webinar recording > Managing Liquidity and Cash-Out for Social Payments During COVID-19

Managing Liquidity and Cash-Out for Social Payments During COVID-19

Government launches 3 new policies to speed up digital payments

Responsible Digital Payments during COVID-19

Webinar > Digital Payments in Ebola Response: Lessons for the COVID-19 Crisis

Join us on Thursday, April 2nd, 2 – 3pm GMT

Senegal: tech helps boost access to health to leave poverty behind

Some African nations lead the world’s e-money businesses. And several are finding that leaving notes and coins behind is not only improving efficiency, safety and transparency, but it is also helping many people leave poverty behind.

Opportunities for digital in Pakistan 

New GSMA report estimates that mobile phone ecosystem contributes around $16.7 billion to the Pakistani economy. To enhance the impact of mobile-enabled digital transformation, it calls for improving digital financial inclusion and taking a whole of government approach to development.

Youth, entrepreneurship and digital financial inclusion

New World Bank Findex note discusses the many ways in which young people in Sub-Saharan Africa are using formal financial services for entrepreneurship. With new digital financial products constantly entering the market, it calls for governments to enact and enforce consumer protections, especially for young people who might lack financial experience.

Digital Economy Blueprint: Kenya

Kenya's "Digital Economy Blueprint" provides a conceptual framework for setting up a successful digital economy in the country. The document identifies and explores five pillars of focus (see below) and is relevant for our work not just in Kenya but across Africa.

How to create modern G2P payment systems

New CGAP focus note explores the core idea behind future-ready G2P payments, lays out its advantages and challenges, and describes how governments can create modern G2P payments systems. It draws heavily from ongoing efforts in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.

8 ways to boost Africa's digital ecosystem

Only 34% of African adults made or received a digital payment in 2017. The World Economic Forum and International Trade Centre's "Africa e-commerce agenda" discusses 8 policy areas - including enhancing digital payments - that can help unleash the potential of e-commerce in the continent.

How to consolidate gains in digital payments

This CG Dev paper, by Professor Njuguna Ndung’u, shows how M-Pesa’s success has led to a series of endogenous innovations that have shaped Kenya’s digital space. It outlines several important challenges that Kenya will need to address in order to further consolidate its success, including connectivity issues, digital ID, interoperability and consumer protection.

Understanding merchant payments landscape 

A new Karandaaz study shows that around 95% of merchants in Pakistan do not accept digital payments. To promote adoption, it calls for creating awareness among users, better infrastructure, interoperability and reliability of services.