Digital Payments
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.
Featured Content
Podcast: Is informed consent possible in humanitarian CVA?
Podcast
Episode 2 of the CashCast tackles data responsibility with Amos Doornbos, Linda Raftree, James Eaton Lee and Ric Tighe
Consent and Ownership in the Shift to Digital Cash and Voucher Assistance
Blog Post
Part of committing to cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is committing to going digital and collecting data. While they are two different things, they are deeply intertwined. And while an organisation can ‘go digital’ without cash programmes, it’s nearly impossible to commit to cash programmes in the long term without going digital. Yes, it is true we’ve done cash and voucher programmes...
Latest
Zimbabwe ‘Cash First’ Humanitarian Response 2015–2017: Evaluation Report
Report
CARE International and World Vision International (WVI) in Zimbabwe implemented the UK Department for International Development (DFID)-funded project ‘Emergency Cash First Response to Drought-Affected Communities in the Southern Provinces of Zimbabwe’ from August 2015 to April 2017. The project...
Managing Cash-Based Programmes in a Volatile Markets Contexts: The Case of Delivering Cash Using Mobile Money During the Zimbabwe Cash Liquidity Crisis
Report
This case study examines how the Zimbabwe national cash crisis evolved and the ways in which affected communities and the CTP adapted to the challenges it posed. The study highlights what worked well, what was less effective, and some other possible future opportunities. It also provides operational...
Cash or in-kind? Why not both? Response Analysis Lessons from Multimodal Programming
Report
This research reviews lessons learned about response analysis from multimodal responses, that is, responses in which practitioners determined that more than one response modality between cash,vouchers, and in-kind, was a “best fit” or in which the conclusions about “best fit” changed over...
Kenya Red Cross Society Using New Technology to Reach Communities in Hardship Areas
Report
Kenya Red Cross Society responded to the severe drought through cash transfers in Marsabit county. Unlike an earlier drought, where KRCS used manual system to pay beneficiaries in the same geographical area, this year the organisation used a payment technology provided by a company called Compulynx....
A buffer against the drought
Report
The Government of Kenya in partnership with DFID undertake a long term social protection program(Hunger Safety Net Program) in Northern Kenya reaching out to poor households with bi monthly cash transfers. So much investment has been put in this program including pre-registration and carding of...
Cash-based transfers. Analytical Paper on WHS Self-Reporting on the Agenda for Humanity
Report
Forty-three stakeholders reported on World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) commitments related to cash-based transfers (CBT). Self-reports indicate that cash is increasingly a preferred option, when appropriate, taking into account context and feasibility considerations. Cash programming is being streamlined...
Adaptable and effective: Cash in the face of multi-dimensional crisis
Report
A summary of the learnings and recommendations from an internal and external evaluation of the Emergency Cash-First Response to Drought-Affected Communities in the Southern Provinces of Zimbabwe project which was carried out from August 2015 to May 2017. The external evaluation was carried out by Oxford...
Digital Cash Transfers in Liberia. A case study from Save the Children’s Emergency Food Security Program (2015- 2016)
Report
Through its USAID-funded Emergency Food Security Program, Save the Children was the first organization to implement cash transfers through mobile money at scale in Liberia, where mobile money services are nascent. From liquidity management to incentivizing agents, the challenges, lessons, and...
Mobile Money in Somalia – Household Survey and Market Analysis
Report
Key findings from an assessment of mobile money in Somalia. Provides information about mobile money penetration; practicalities; usage; perceptions and the use of shillings versus dollars.
ELAN Humanitarian KYC Case Studies
Report
Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, also known as customer due diligence, are designed to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other related threats to the financial system. They refer to the ID checks that financial institutions perform to comply with national financial regulations....
E-Transfers for Hygiene through Red Rose in Northern Syria
Report
Cash is receiving a lot of attention globally and is currently being scaled-up at the highest level. On the 9th February 2016, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched his report for the World Humanitarian Summit, calling for cash-based programming to be the ‘default method of support for affected...
Innovative Electronic Cash Transfer Programme for Emergencies. An Oxfam Visa case study in Philippines
Report
On November 8, 2013, super Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) struck the Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people, and displacing an estimated 4.4 million individuals. Through its cash transfer programme, Oxfam conducted cash for work activities, and provided cash asset recovery to more than...
Untapped Humanitarian Demand: A Business Case for Expanding Digital Financial Services
Report
The International Rescue Committee, commissioned Strategy Impact Advisors to build a return on investment (ROI) model to estimate whether or not a business case exists for expanded coverage of digital financial services in crisis-prone areas (Lebanon and the Philippines). This analysis provides...
Making Electronic Payments Work for Humanitarian Response
Report
The dialogue leading up to the WHS has cast a spotlight on humanitarian cash transfers. Significant global attention has centered on the role of cash transfers in bringing efficiency to the humanitarian system and improving outcomes for crisis-affected populations. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has...
Responsible Digital Payments Guidelines
Guidelines and Tools
The focus of the Guidelines is on the common types of digital payments services provided to the financially underserved such as electronic money transaction accounts. For clients to adopt and use digital payments, they need to feel protected from risks such as loss of privacy, exposure to fraud, and...
Introducing the ELAN Data Starter Kit
Blog Post
Electronic cash transfers (e-transfers) often necessitate the transfer of personal data, some of which is sensitive, between humanitarian and private sector actors, such as financial service providers (FSPs). As use of e-transfers increases, having strong data management and protection practices in place...
ELAN Workshop Report: E-Transfers in Iraq and Syria
Report
This report outlines the main conclusions and takeways of ELAN workshop held in Iraq. The event was organized to meet the following objectives: Introduce participants to the what, why, and when of e-transfers. Explore solutions to the particular challenges of using e-transfers in Iraq and Syria. Share...
Can E-Transfers Promote Financial Inclusion in Emergencies: A Case Study from Zimbabwe
Case Study
The Electronic Cash Transfer Learning Action Network (ELAN) launched research to build an evidence base around connecting emergency electronic transfer (e-transfer) recipients with additional financial services. They wanted to learn if, when, and how e-transfers can promote sustained uptake and use...
ELAN Vocabulary and Usage
Guidelines and Tools
As e-transfer programs, technologies and products develop, key terms, phrases and working definitions are evolving alongside them. At the moment, these words and phrases are rarely standardized, and often hold unique meanings within different contexts and to different stakeholders. In order to facilitate...
Partnering with FSPs to Deliver Cash in Nepal: Top Considerations
Guidelines and Tools
Cash transfers are a proven way to help disaster-affected communities flexibly meet urgent basic needs. Several humanitarian agencies are planning cash transfers to support tens of thousands of Nepali earthquake survivors. While initial responses will likely rely on direct cash in envelopes, cash...
