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Social Protection Goes Digital: Lessons From an Innovative, WhatsApp-Driven Outreach Campaign in Paraguay
The COVID-19 lockdown has reshaped social policy in Paraguay, as programs that depended on face-to-face contact to reach participants suddenly found themselves unable to conduct their usual outreach. Cristina Heisecke, Carolina de Miranda and Mauricio Royg of Fundación Capital share lessons from an innovative solution to this challenge: a digital campaign that used WhatsApp to offer a remote alternative to the in-person training and coaching of the country's flagship cash transfer program.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Ethiopia Sees Jump in Mobile Payments Despite COVID-19
COVID-19 has created many disruptions in Ethiopia this year, impacting both merchants and consumers. The World Health Organization warned that paper currency can risk spreading the virus, and encouraged adoption of digital payments as a safer alternative.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Paypal’s Xoom Offers Money Transfers to Mobile Wallets in 12 African Countries
Xoom, PayPal’s money transfer service, has announced that the company’s customers in the US, UK, Canada and Europe can now send secure and convenient money transfers directly to mobile wallets in key markets across Africa with a focus on the underbanked segment.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Mobile Money Adoption Within IDP Camps in Somalia Provides Unlikely Blueprint for Navigating COVID Pandemic
Internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps are relying upon Somalia’s intricate mobile money infrastructure to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Accelerating the adoption of mobile money by IDPs across Somalia has been shown to be effective in mitigating the risk of the COVID-19 spreading while providing rapid fund delivery.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: WorldRemit Sees Remittances To Zimbabwe Double in Six Months and Introduces New Retail Partnership With Ok Zimbabwe
Earlier this year, the World Bank forecasted that in the wake of the Covid-19 economic crisis, remittance flows to Sub Saharan Africa would fall by 23.1%. However today, WorldRemit, the global online money transfer service has reported that the demand for their remittance services to Zimbabwe continues to grow at an accelerated rate and has doubled in the last six months for the company.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African Money Transfer Firms Thrive as Pandemic Spurs Online Remittances
Having fled an economic implosion in his native Zimbabwe, Brighton Takawira was able to support his mother back home with modest earnings from a small perfume business he set up in South Africa. Then the pandemic struck. Borders closed. The buses he had used to send his cash stopped running.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Addressing the Weak Link in COVID-19 Relief: How Improving Strategic Communications Can Boost the Impact of Social Protection Programs
In response to COVID-19, 212 countries have planned or implemented more than 1,100 social protection programs to help over 1.8 billion people. But as Arshi Aadil and Abhishek Jain at MicroSave (MSC) point out, many intended recipients don’t know about the benefits they're eligible for, or how to access these funds. They explore how governments and program administrators can improve their communication and outreach.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Maintaining a Critical Link To Last-Mile Customers: Challenges and Opportunities Facing Financial Service Agents During COVID-19
Agents are a critical last-mile link to financial services for lower-income households and micro- and small enterprises. But as the COVID-19 crisis has spread globally, it has had a profound effect on how agents operate, introducing new restrictions – and new responsibilities. Nisha Singh and James Robinson at Itad explore the findings from a recent report that highlights key strategies for building and managing high-performing agent networks despite the challenges of the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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