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Digital Payments

Embracing new technology is critical to making humanitarian response – including cash and voucher assistance (CVA) – as effective as possible. But when we integrate new technologies and partnerships into humanitarian assistance, we must ensure that the safety, dignity and preferences of people in crisis always come first.

Digital technology is transforming the way we respond to emergencies. Innovations range from how we identifying people eligible for assistance, to data collection for assessments and monitoring, to communication with crisis-affected communities. Digital payment systems, including mobile devices, electronic vouchers, and cards – when used appropriately – can deliver timelier, more secure, more cost effective, and inclusive assistance. But as the volume of data we collect, store and share about people grows, we must ensure that our data protection systems keep pace and that we understand and mitigate for the risks inherent in new technologies.

Latest

Making the Journey from Cash to Electronic Payments: A toolkit for USAID implementing partners and development organizations

Guidelines and Tools

This Toolkit was created for non-governmental relief and development organizations to guide them in their journey of transitioning from using cash payments to electronic payments in all operational and program payment streams. It is intended to be practical, easy to follow, bite-size, sectional, with...

2014

Cash Transfer Programming for Urban Displacement

Policy paper

In urban displacement contexts with functioning markets and developed banking systems, humanitarian agencies are increasingly using electronic-transfers (e-transfers) as the preferred cash delivery mechanism. Based on the Danish Refugee Council’s response to the Syria crisis, this Evaluation and...

2014

Information and communications technology response to the Liberia ebola crisis

Report

An information and communication technology assessment recently conducted in Liberia by NetHope and USAID addresses the potential for digital payments in the response to Ebola. The documents looks into the digital payments landscape, describing the banking sector, use of mobile money and remittance firms....

2014

Testing Branchless Banking to Deliver Cash Transfers in Nepal

Policy paper

The Human Development Social Protection Pilot (HDSPP) is a sub-project of the joint UNDP-UNCDF Local Governance and Community Development Program (LGCDP). It has been initiated in two far-western districts in Nepal, Kanchanpur and Dhadheldura and it is being implemented by the Ministry of Federal Affairs...

2014

Demystifying Payments – mStar

Report

In its simplest form, a payment is any exchange of value between two parties, where usually Party A offers a form of currency in exchange for a good or service provided by Party B. The advent of nation-states issuing fiat currency, such as paper bills and bronze coins, which unlike gold or silver...

2014

Mobile Money Systems for Humanitarian Delivery: World Vision cash transfer project in Gihembe refugee camp, Rwanda

Report

One of the factors driving the steady shift towards employing technology is the rapid expansion of the mobile telecommunications system and its potential to reach even remote areas of the world. According to global statistics, there are almost 7 billion mobilecellular subscriptions, three-quarters of them...

2014

E-Transfers: One Year Later Workshop Learning Document

Report

In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon Yolanda), an estimated half million storm-affected Filipinos received an electronic cash transfer (e-transfer) to help them rebuild and recover from the storm’s devastation. The presence of a large number of Financial Service Providers...

2014

E-transfers in Emergencies: Implementation support guidelines

Guidelines and Tools

Electronic transfers, or e-transfers, are a form of value transfer that relies on digital payment systems. The great many benefits they can realise for aid recipients and aid agencies alike in terms of increased security, convenience, privacy, speed, reduced operational/transaction costs and logistics,...

2013

MasterCard Worldwide and Mercy Corps: ELEVATE phase I report

Report

The Nepal pilot focused on testing several key stages in the deployment of mobile vouchers, including the following: Identify a technology partner, Customize a mobile voucher platform, and Use the platform to distribute goods to people in need. Two different types of mobile vouchers (SMS and smartphone...

2013

Striving for E-Payments at Scale in the Philippines

Report

As the Philippines experienced economic growth in the early 2000s, it still saw a rise in poverty. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a conditional cash transfer program that aims to provide short-term poverty alleviation for poor households. The program emerged out of the country’s...

2013