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Payments and Remittances


Cross-border and domestic money transfers play a critical role in the financial strategies of low-income households and present many opportunities to extend financial inclusion.

Our extensive research on themes and imperatives for national and regional payment systems and remittances spans sub-Saharan Africa and forms part of our dedicated programme on risk, remittances and integrity in partnership with FSD Africa.

The Latest in Payments and Remittances

Money transfer operators in Nigeria: Regulation and licensing options
Many people have had their 2020 plans ruined by COVID-19, but the cross-border remittance opportunity in Nigeria is even more enticing right now. [...]
Overthrowing the king: Could central bank digital currencies replace cash in post-COVID-19 Africa?
In an age where we can send mail electronically in seconds at no cost rather than going to the post, it seems odd that people still walk around with [...]
Payment facilities and Africa’s platform ecosystem: What does the data tell us?
Payment facilities underpin scaling of Africa’s digital platforms. Digital platforms, also known as multi-sided marketplaces, are seamlessly [...]
Why it’s time for Africa to adopt a regional digital financial identity
According to the World Bank Group’s Identification for Development, 1.1 billion people globally, including women, children and refugees, lack any [...]
How to fill the remittance gaps left by COVID-19
When we think of the African diaspora, we often imagine large networks across Europe or North America and the indelible contribution they play to [...]
When digital payment goes viral: lessons from COVID-19’s impact on mobile money in Rwanda
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many African governments have implemented policy changes and lockdowns to prevent the further spread of the [...]
Where are the flows? Exploring barriers to remittances in sub-Saharan Africa
This seven-part research series provides a detailed analysis of the market barriers to formal cross-border remittances in sub-Saharan Africa [...]
CBDC — The next frontier of mobile money?
Many discussions around retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) today revolve around ambitious policy-focused use cases. Most recently, in the [...]
Reducing the costs of migration: How better data can lead to better policy – and better prices – in migrant remittances
International migration has become such a pressing global issue that one can hardly read or watch the news without hearing about it. Migration is [...]
Using transaction data for financial inclusion policy insights
Policymakers, development organisations and sometimes even private sector players, often rely on financial inclusion data uncovered through consumer [...]