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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

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

Shifting Food Assistance in Kenya to E-Payments

Report

The shift away from in-kind aid as the preferred mechanism for humanitarian assistance has contributed to the rise of cash transfers in Kenya. In 2008, the World Food Programme (WFP) for the first time shifted strategically from a food aid to a food assistance strategy, recognizing new and diverse ways in...

2013

E-Payments in Uganda with Limited Infrastructure

Report

The 2005 Uganda Chronic Poverty Report argued that households in chronic poverty show a range of deficits that include deficient consumption and malnutrition, limited access to health and education, and limited voice and influence. For many of these households social exclusion reinforces their...

2013

An Innovative way of Humanitarian Assistance using Mobile Money Transfer in Bangladesh

Presentation

A video detailing Oxfam’s use of mobile money transfer in Bangladesh.

2013

ICT/mobile Phone Technology: A shift in the right direction

Blog Post

Thirteen African nations came together for the AgriKnowledge Share Fair in Addis Ababa at the end of October 2012 to learn about approaches for quicker and more efficient humanitarian response. Government representatives, researchers, UN agencies and NGOs gathered for a three day symposium on best...

11 January 2012

Pension Watch Briefing #8: Electronic payment for cash transfer programmes

Policy paper

There is growing interest in the use of electronic payment (e-payment) systems in cash transfer programmes. When cash is transferred to beneficiaries through e-payment technologies such as mobile phone accounts or smartcards, there is potential to cut costs and reduce corruption compared with physical...

2012

Mobile Technology in Emergencies

Policy paper

Mobile phones are increasingly accessible to those affected by crisis and can play a strategic role in the delivery of rapid, cost-effective, scalable humanitarian assistance. However, the full potential of mobile phones to work as transformative tools in emergency response has not yet been realised. This...

2012

Social Cash Transfers and Financial Inclusion: Evidence from four countries

Report

This focus note from CGAP looks at social cash transfers and how this is being used to improve financial inclusion. To do so they look at examples from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and South Africa. The focus note compares the various payment approaches, how these interlink with the respective government...

2012

New Technologies in Cash Transfer Programming and Humanitarian Assistance

Report

This study was commissioned by the the CALP Network in 2011, to review the current use of new technology in humanitarian cash and voucher programming and the broader implications for humanitarian practice. The research was undertaken to explore (i) preconditions for the use of technological...

2012

New Technologies in Cash Transfer Programming and Humanitarian Assistance – Executive Summary

Report

This is the executive summary of the CALP Network’s research on new technologies in cash transfer programming and humanitarian assistance. For more, please see the full report.

2012