Mobile payments help people during the pandemic

June 22th, 2020 – The practical challenge of quickly getting financial support in the hands of people who lost jobs amid the COVID-19 economic crisis has baffled advanced and developing economies alike. Economic lockdowns, physical distancing measures, patchy social protection systems and, especially for low-income countries, the high level of informality, complicate the task. Many governments are leveraging mobile technology to help their citizens.

Togo, a small West African nation of 8 million, was able to quickly distribute emergency financial support to half a million people in less than two weeks using mobile phones. The technology helped deliver benefits to women in particular, and it supported a transparent rollout of the program. Informal workers in Morocco are also receiving government help through their phones quickly and efficiently.

More…https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USIMF/bulletins/291fe0f

Written by IMF Blog
Photo: FastWeb

Related Post

thumbnail
hover

COP29 can ensure SMEs thrive in...

The transition to a just, resilient, net-zero future is not possible without small and medium-sized businesses, known as SMEs. They are the ...

thumbnail
hover

Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs 2024

Since 2020, a series of shocks to the global economy has had significant impacts on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entreprene...

thumbnail
hover

SMEs can benefit from integrating growth...

Accounting for about 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the industrial sector is accelerating its efforts to achieve net zero by 2050 ...

CLOSE
CLOSE