The Better Than Cash Alliance is a partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Unlocking the Potential
It’s hard to imagine a more explosive, transformative, and empowering trend than the growth of the mobile phone sector in Africa. In 1998 there were fewer than 4 million phones on the continent; today there are around 800 million—a whopping 80 percent penetration. Compare this to the meager 24 percent of African adults with bank accounts. Experts expect there will be around 1.1 billion mobile phone subscribers by 2017.
One Million Low-Income People to Reap Benefits of Digital Money
The Better Than Cash Alliance, hosted by UNCDF, gathered with colleagues at the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) Council of Governors Annual Meeting last month in Urubamba, Peru. The event brought together over 30 international organizations dedicated to expanding global financial inclusion.
Guest post by Allegra Palmer, Women’s World Banking
By Beth Porter, Policy Advisor, Financial Inclusion, UNCDF, Advisor, Better Than Cash Alliance
As we approach International Women’s Day on March 8th, Women’s World Banking reflects on a learning exchange with three African banks committed to serving low-income women.
Re-posted from the “Beyond the Transaction” Mastercard blog
The Opportunities of Digitizing Payments
Bangladesh commits to further national financial inclusion by accelerating the transition to digital payments
This is the first in a series of articles on the achievements of several Better Than Cash Alliance members
Guest post by Shireen Santosham, GSMA Connected Women
Illustrated throughout with tables, boxed examples and graphs, this publication highlights progress encouraging the role of young people in Africa’s socio-economic growth through agriculture.
Including more women in the informal sector specifically leads to countless benefits besides increased economic growth. Studies show that when a woman controls her own finances, she invests in the health, nutrition, and education of her family—investments that drive inter-generational improvements and have an exponential effect on the prosperity of communities.
Organizational issues such as top management support, resistance to change to electronic ways, lack of collaboration, lack of qualified personnel and training courses were not identified as barriers to e-Government in Jamaica.
by Emilia Klimiuk and Lisa Kienzle of Grameen Foundation