The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has emphasized the need for global supply chains to move away from a predominantly cash-based system. It is clear that now is time to scale up the use of digital financial services, not only because they are more efficient and effective than cash, but—perhaps even more importantly—because of the role that digitization plays in advancing greater financial inclusion and security, particularly for vulnerable populations.
As the transition from cash to digital financial services accelerates around the world, greater understanding is developing on how to manage this shift, what is needed to deliver impact, and the importance of increased collaboration across private and public sectors.
Since 2018, BSR’s HERproject has partnered with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth to leverage the HERfinance Digital Wages program to scale up wage digitization for ready-made garment factories and workers in Bangladesh, Egypt, and Cambodia, with a focus on gender equality. This report shares five lessons and insights from this partnership and from across the Digital Wages program that can be valuable to everyone working collectively to scale digital financial services across multiple use cases, including wages and government payments.
