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Why Don’t Small Retailers Adopt E-Payments?: New Research Suggests the Reasons Behind Merchant Aversion – And Solutions for Stimulating Customer Demand
Mexico's 2.1 million 'tienditas' (small shops) drive most of the country's retail sales – yet 83% of them only accept cash, even though e-payment technology is cheaply accessible. Shreya Kankanhalli at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Luz Gomez at Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth explore findings from a field study that's testing ways to promote e-payments.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Technology
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Overthrowing the King: Could Central Bank Digital Currencies Replace Cash in Post-COVID-19 Africa?
Despite advances in digital technology, cash has remained the undisputed king of payments in sub-Saharan Africa. However, as Michaella Allen and Christine Hougaard at Cenfri explain, COVID-19 has placed a stigma on cash and led governments across the region to actively encourage digital payments. They explore the implications of this shift, and whether it could make central bank digital currencies a viable alternative.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Zimbabwe Has Banned All Mobile Money Services as Its Currency Troubles Worsen
Mobile money platforms have been banned in Zimbabwe as the country’s local currency continues to lose value, with authorities desperately hoping to arrest the decline. But the move has left subscribers and users stranded in an economy which sees a huge portion of transactions flow through mobile money platforms due to long-term cash shortages at the banks.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Cash Is King: An Overlooked Way for Foundations to Multiply the Impact of their Investments
The top 1,000 U.S. foundations alone have over $31 billion in cash deposits – and according to Catherine Berman at CNote, that money could be used to amplify their impact. She argues that foundations could drive massive change – and advance their missions – by moving these funds out of traditional accounts and into community development financial institutions and credit unions.
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COVID-19 and the Pursuit of Financial Inclusion in Pakistan
When Pakistan implemented a national lockdown in mid-March, economic activity for the world’s fifth most populous country was brought to a halt. In a country where nearly 40% of people live in poverty and more than 24 million workers either earn daily or piece-rate wages or are self-employed, the ensuing economic crisis has hit the population hard.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Orange Extends Africa Remittance Links
Orange added Morocco and Burkina Faso to the list of mobile money destinations its customers in France can remit funds directly to, a move it stated would cut consumer costs and increase the speed of transactions between the markets.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Distribute Cash, not COVID-19: Five Ways Policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa Can Provide Cash Transfers Safely
As COVID-19 spreads around the world, 35 countries have introduced new cash transfer programs in response to the pandemic. Cash is one of the most effective ways to support people during a crisis, say Martin Gould and Nate Vernon at IDInsight. But administering cash transfers in low-income countries can raise some big questions for policymakers. They discuss five ways governments in sub-Saharan Africa can manage these programs safely and effectively.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Amazon, Western Union debut PayCode to sell goods in emerging markets and let shoppers pay in cash
Amazon has partnered with Western Union to set up a service called PayCode, which lets people shop and pay for Amazon items using local currencies that would not have been accepted on the site before, starting with services in 10 countries.
- Categories
- Finance
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