Around the world today, governments, the development community and the private sector make billions of dollars of cash payments to the poor, including disbursements of salaries, payments to suppliers, pensions, social welfare stipends, cash-for-work programmes, emergency relief payments, and others. While cash is preferable to the distribution of food and other in-kind goods, these programs present a missed opportunity to expand financial inclusion and help people in poverty grow assets.
Shifting these programs to electronic payments creates lasting benefits for people, communities and economies, including:
