Kenya

Three key findings that show that financial equality is within reach in our lifetime

New data from the World Bank’s Global Findex Database 2021 confirms the centrality of digital payments in reaching financial equality for all. 

Kenya's National Payments Strategy 2022-2025

The 2022-2025 strategy envisages a secure, fast, efficient and collaborative payments system that supports financial inclusion and innovations for all Kenyans.

LEARNING SERIES >> Our learnings from digitizing P2G payments in a customer-centric way

Successful digitization of P2G payments and its widespread adoption by users is achievable - but depends on the alignment of various important factors.

LEARNING SERIES >> What will it take for small merchants to embrace digital payments?

Small merchants exert a big influence on the global economy.

LEARNING SERIES >> Working together to prioritize merchant payment digitization and co-create solutions

Scaling digitization of payments for small and micro merchants by convening key stakeholders to co-create solutions.

La Côte d’Ivoire, leader des paiements marchands digitaux dans l’UEMOA et chantre de l’inclusion financière des femmes

Le Gouvernement ivoirien dévoile son nouveau guide d’orientation pour stimuler les paiements marchands digitaux de manière responsable, l’inclusion financièrej et la croissance

Developing Inclusive Digital Payment Systems

This report from Centre for Strategic and International Studies makes a strong case for digital payments for equity, development and security.

Data Privacy and Protection: Guidance Note to Kenya’s Digital Financial Services

This guidance note highlights how Kenya’s innovation and fintech ecosystem can comply with data protection laws while keeping the customer in mind.

The digital lives of refugees and Kenyans with disabilities in Nairobi: A human-centred design approach to identifying mobile-enabled opportunities

This research focuses on disability, using human-centred design methods to better understand how refugees and Kenyans with visual and hearing impairments in Nairobi use mobile technology and potential opportunities that it could provide.

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

Putting Digital Payments to Work in the Time of COVID-19

As the tragic human costs of COVID-19 mount, the need for practical, scalable, quick and effective solutions is urgent. Now more than ever, it’s time to put digital payments to work.

How we advanced SDGs in 2019!

Four ways our Alliance advanced progress towards Sustainable Development Goals this year!

Informal Sector and Mobile Financial Services in Developing Countries: Does Financial Innovation Matter?

This paper investigates the impact of mobile financial services - MFS (mobile money, and mobile credit and savings) on the informal sector using data from 101 emerging and developing countries over the period 2000-15.

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 and is relevant for our work not just in Kenya but across Africa.

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…

Did you see my tweet?  

This FSD Kenya analysis demonstrates the utility of social media (Twitter) analytics tools for monitoring discussions around consumer protection. 

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.

Lessons on taxing mobile money transactions

This Brookings policy paper, by Prof. Njuguna Ndung'u, argues that instead of increasing the tax base, taxation on mobile phone transactions may end up reversing the adoption of digital payments in Kenya. It says these lessons are also relevant for other African countries considering similar taxes.

State of financial access in Kenya

The latest Financial Access 2019 survey shows that around 83% of Kenyans now have a formal account. Cost remains the main barrier for uptake. More Kenyans now save on their mobile phones (54%) than informally. 

Extending pension coverage to the informal sector

This World Bank discussion paper argues that digital payments, along with other policies and tools, can help extend pension coverage to the informal sector in Africa. It also features case studies from 5 Alliance members namely Kenya, Rwanda, Benin, Ghana, and Uganda.