As countries around the world grapple with the economic impact of the COVID pandemic, governments have turned to supplemental cash transfers as a key policy instrument to offset the loss of income, mostly via digital payments.

Those countries with well-developed social protection systems, payments infrastructure, and wide access to digital financial services have fared much better in getting these payments out quickly, but even they have struggled to rapidly open accounts for their more vulnerable populations. Many of the people at risk fall outside the usual government welfare rolls and risk being overlooked -- especially informal workers, MSME owners/operators, and those working in hard-hit industries like tourism.

The COVID crisis forced policymakers to find innovative ways to deliver rapid support payments to those most in need. A critical aspect of getting this emergency aid out has been the ability to quickly identify and onboard eligible recipients who don’t already have transaction accounts and distribute the payments as soon as possible.
<blockquote class="pullquote--right">What are governments doing to enable rapid payments to those without existing accounts?</blockquote>
CFI’s latest <a href="https://centerforfinancialinclusion.org/rapid-response-for-social-payments-during-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">policy brief</a>, part of our partnership with Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), explores what governments are doing to enable rapid payments to those without existing accounts. The paper reviews three types of measures being taken to speed up payment distribution. Not surprisingly, the common theme is the ability and willingness of policymakers to be nimble and innovative. Below are a few examples, organized by type of measure:
<h2>1. Rapid Identification of Eligible Recipients</h2>
To quickly determine who’s eligible for COVID support payments, governments have had to be innovative in tapping into all available existing information, whether publicly or privately owned.
<h3>Current Beneficiary and Employment Rolls</h3>
<strong>Bangladesh Bank</strong> allowed government disbursement program information to be used to open permanent accounts on behalf of customers. The central bank also permitted the creation of accounts for ready-made garment (RMG) workers based on their employment record, given the low rates of digital IDs or other means to confirm their identity among the predominantly female group.
<h3>Voter Rolls</h3>
The Government of <strong>Togo</strong> established the Novissi cash transfer scheme, to provide support during the pandemic. Because Togo does not have a strong national ID system, they took advantage of a recent voter registration campaign to verify the identity of eligible recipients. <strong>Timor-Leste</strong> was also able to take advantage of its voter registration system, which had high sign-up rates after a recent election.
<h3>Mobile SIM Data</h3>
<strong>Zimbabwe</strong> took advantage of its <a href="https://theconversation.com/zimbabwes-restrictions-on-mobile-money-transfers-are-a-blow-to-financial-inclusion-147109" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">90 percent mobile money penetration</a> to make payments directly to the e-wallets of all phone numbers mapped to areas targeted for support payments, while <strong>Nigeria</strong> partnered with mobile network operators to <a href="https://blogs.imf.org/2020/06/22/youve-got-money-mobile-payments-help-people-during-the-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">identify vulnerable informal workers in urban areas through airtime purchase patterns</a>.
<blockquote>Governments have had to be innovative in tapping into all available existing information, whether publicly or privately owned.</blockquote>
<h2>2. Simplified Due Diligence for Rapid Account Opening</h2>
During COVID-19, policymakers and FSPs, in cooperation with regulators, have had to apply simplified customer due diligence (SDD), to rapidly open accounts for newly vulnerable recipients. Some of the key ways they’ve done this include use of mobile SIM registration data, employment records and deferred KYC measures.
<h3>Mobile SIM as ID</h3>
The <strong>Bank of Ghana</strong> expanded its tiered KYC to allow mobile phone subscribers to reuse their SIM card registration to open the lowest tier of e-money accounts, called <a href="https://www.bog.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/MPC-Press-Release-March-2020-3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Minimum KYC Accounts</a>. In <strong>Egypt</strong>, the central bank’s eKYC program allows customers to <a href="https://www.fintechfutures.com/2020/01/central-bank-of-egypt-pilots-ekyc-solution-for-financial-inclusion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">open bank accounts electronically</a>, by submitting their national ID number along with their mobile phone number to the telecommunications authority, which then confirms to the bank the information match for the mobile SIM registration.
<h3>Remote and/or Deferred CDD</h3>
In <strong>Pakistan</strong>, the government suspended the need for biometric confirmation for its Ehsaas Emergency Cash transfers, opening a <a href="https://www.pass.gov.pk/Detailf90ce1f7-083a-4d85-b3e8-60f75ba0d788" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">web portal for residents to handle applications and resolve any issues</a>, while the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) allowed a three-month window following the COVID crisis for in-person due diligence verification for basic accounts.
<h2>3. Use of Alternative Channels for Delivering Payments</h2>
Several jurisdictions have looked to new channels to quickly onboard beneficiaries and distribute social transfers, from mobile apps and websites to postal networks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs).
<h3>Apps and Websites</h3>
<strong>Brazil</strong>’s social assistance program aimed at informal workers, the coronavoucher, is accessible through a free mobile app the bank created specifically for this purpose (those without a cellphone could apply via this <a href="http://auxilio.caixa.gov.br/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website</a>).
<h3>Post Offices</h3>
In <strong>Madagascar</strong>, the government’s COVID cash transfer program, called Tosika Fomena, is made via the Madagascar postal system’s (Paositra Malagasy) cash transfer service called Paositra Money, and <a href="http://www.mptdn.gov.mg/?p=1974" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">can be retrieved</a> at any PO upon <a href="https://fr.allafrica.com/stories/202005261023.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">presentation of a national ID</a>. The <strong>South African Post Office</strong> (SAPO) <a href="https://www.techfinancials.co.za/2020/05/04/south-africa-post-office-unveils-cashless-atm-for-sassa-social-grants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rolled out 10,000 cashless ATMS in rural shops</a> to allow users to access payments without having to travel to urban centers.

In <strong>India</strong>, the post office enabled people to get their funds delivered to their homes during the COVID crisis, whether they have a postal bank account or not. By downloading the India Post Payment Bank app, the user is able to withdraw funds from any bank account and <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/india-post-delivers-rs-412-cr-cash-in-doorstep-banking-revolution/articleshow/75369897.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">have it delivered</a> either to the post office branch or to their home.
<h3>NBFIs</h3>
In <strong>Bangladesh</strong>, BRAC turned to the use of the country’s most prominent mobile money wallet, bKash, as a means of delivering aid to their clients. They opened mobile wallet accounts for <a href="http://blog.brac.net/cash-transfers-to-support-families-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">all the clients who had their own mobile numbers</a> and, for those that didn’t, especially the women, they allowed the use of a trusted family member’s wallet.

In <strong>Ecuador</strong>, the government <a href="http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/129771593464547099/World-Bank-G2Px-COVID19-Ecuador-Brief.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">implemented a social transfer program</a> aimed at vulnerable households, utilizing cooperatives as well as banks to distribute the funds. Unlike cooperatives in most countries, many of Ecuador’s cooperatives are connected to the national payment system.
<h2>The Path Forward</h2>
While countries have made impressive progress over the last decade in broadening the reach of digital financial services, the COVID pandemic has magnified the remaining gaps and weaknesses in helping the most vulnerable. As governments continue with national infrastructure programs, especially around ID and payments, we offer the following crucial considerations for national governments:
<h3><strong>Value of Universal Access to Basic Accounts Opened Under SDD</strong></h3>
This pandemic has demonstrated the potential value of universal access to basic accounts that can be opened under SDD (simplified customer due diligence) measures and at no initial cost to the customer. Should all members of society, as a matter of course, be able to open accounts – immediately and remotely -- for receipt of government emergency payments?
<h3>Importance of Whole of Government Communication and Policy Responses</h3>
Like many aspects of the COVID crisis, communications have been a critical aspect of program success and/or failure. In some countries, for example, unclear messaging on how to apply for or access funds has led to overcrowding at government offices or state banks, forcing those offices to close and leading to public turmoil.
<h3>Clear, Ongoing Dialogue and Interactive Decision-making</h3>
Clear, ongoing dialogue and interactive decision-making between government ministries, regulators and FSPs -- especially payment service providers -- has proven vital to ensuring quick action on rapid onboarding programs. Governments already have established emergency protocols with telecommunications and power companies. How can governments put in place formal emergency mechanisms to engage all relevant ministries and private-sector actors, especially payment service providers, for any future crisis situations?
<h3>How can countries put in place mechanisms to address identification and verification for future crises?</h3>
One approach is to loosen impediments to the sharing of various government beneficiary databases, but there is much to understand around data privacy and security and it is unclear whether this approach is the answer. Given the likelihood of future crises, it is prudent that governments begin the longer-term dialogue and investment needed to address governance of data sharing.
<h3>What are the mechanisms that governments can use to expedite digital infrastructure partnerships with the private sector?</h3>
Where government doesn’t yet have the necessary infrastructure -- including, among others, digital payments, identification, and government databases -- partnerships with industry allow them to leverage existing capabilities and information sharing. The use of mobile SIM registration is a prime example of collaboration to address shortcomings in existing ID infrastructure. Rather than treating each situation as a one-off event, one approach is for governments to institute ongoing cooperation agreements with MNOs and other private/public sector actors to react quickly to events as necessary.
<h3>Governments must consider how they reach beneficiaries that are not digitally connected and may never be.</h3>
The cases in our report highlighted usage of alternative distribution channels through institutions such as post offices and NBFIs. These players already serve low-income people, often via some combination of cash and digital means. Those beneficiaries that only want to deal in cash must continue to be accommodated. But that doesn’t mean that the institutions they use must also deal only in cash. The further that governments can push out the digitization of payments, especially to the “last mile,” the more efficient and expedient the delivery system can be made before it’s transferred back to cash for final delivery.

<a href="https://centerforfinancialinclusion.org/rapid-response-for-social-payments-during-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Find out more</a> about these policy considerations, and about how countries have innovated and operationalized social payments for the underserved during this difficult time.

Three Ways Governments Expedited Social Payments During COVID

As countries around the world grapple with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have turned to supplemental cash transfers as a key policy instrument to offset the loss of income of their citizens.

This policy brief explores what national governments are doing to enable rapid payments to those without existing accounts. The swift measures governments took to speed up payments to citizens during the pandemic include:
<ul>
 	<li>Quick identification of eligible recipients</li>
 	<li>Simplification of customer due diligence for rapid account opening</li>
 	<li>Greater use of alternative channels such as mobile apps, post offices, and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) such as microfinance providers.</li>
</ul>
Each section of this brief includes country-specific examples and key takeaways. Efforts by 19 countries to facilitate cash transfers, both digital and non-digital, are discussed.

This publication is the second in a <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/series/policy-responses-to-covid-19-their-impacts-on-low-income-customers">series</a> of policy briefs on COVID-19 economic policy responses and their impact on low-income customers.

Rapid Response for Social Payments During COVID-19

<em><a href="https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/resources/state-of-the-industry-2014/"><img class="alignright wp-image-17531" style="border: 1px solid #000000" src="https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/gsma.png" alt="" width="342" height="481" /></a>Coinciding with this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, GSMA’s Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU) program released its fourth annual ‘State of the Industry Report on Mobile Financial Services.’ CFI spoke with Jennifer Frydrych, Insights Coordinator for the MMU program and one of the authors on the report, about the project’s findings.
</em>
<h3><strong>The mobile money industry has grown rapidly in recent years. Can you bring us up to date with some of the growth figures and dynamics?</strong></h3>
In the past five years, mobile money services have spread across much of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. At the end of 2014, there were 255 live mobile money services across 89 markets, 36 more than in 2013. Mobile money is now available in 61 percent of developing markets globally. In terms of adoption and usage growth, 75 million additional mobile money accounts were opened globally in 2014, bringing the total number of registered accounts to 299 million. Importantly, account activity increased faster than account registration in 2014, and the total number of active mobile money accounts is now 103 million (up from 73 million in 2013). An increasing number of services are reaching scale: 21 services now have more than one million active accounts.
<h3><strong>As of the last State of the Industry report, half of all live mobile money deployments were in sub-Saharan Africa. How has this distribution changed? What were some new or emerging markets of the past year?</strong></h3>
There were 22 new services launches in 2014, of which half occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. The mobile money industry in sub-Saharan Africa continues to grow, and the region still accounts for just over half of all live services globally, and 60 percent of all active accounts. Much of this success can be attributed to East Africa; however we are now seeing exciting growth in mobile money uptake and active usage in West Africa.

In 2014 mobile money was rolled out for the first time in six new markets– Dominican Republic, Myanmar, Panama, Romania, Sudan, and Timor-Leste.
<h3><strong>Historically, airtime top-ups have dominated the mobile money payments mix, followed distantly by domestic P2P transfers. Can you give us a snapshot of the current payment product space and a sense for how this is changing?</strong></h3>
In the month of December 2014, mobile money users transacted a total of 717.2 million times, totaling a value of US$16.3 billion. Domestic P2P transfers and airtime top-ups continue to dominate the global product mix in terms of volume and value, but the fastest growth in 2014 occurred in bulk disbursements, and bill and merchant payments. This reflects an expanding ecosystem of institutional and business users of mobile money. Equally, there was a steep increase in the number of international remittance transactions in 2014, largely driven by the exciting new model of using mobile money as both the sending and receiving channel.
<h3><strong>It’s still early days for mobile credit, savings, and insurance products. What were some of the success stories of 2014?</strong></h3>
As of June 2014, 17 million mobile insurance policies had been issued, representing an annualised growth rate of 263 percent. Life insurance cover remains the most popular mobile insurance offering; however, we see growth in the number of health, accident, and agricultural insurance policies being issued. New commercial and partnership models have helped mobile insurance providers achieve scale. A number of MNOs have partnered with specialist solution providers to develop tailored insurance products for the low-income market segment. In addition, many providers have reassessed their commercial models, and have in many cases employed loyalty and “freemium” models to encourage customer uptake.

When it comes to mobile savings, one interesting innovation in 2014 was <a href="http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/financial-inclusion-in-tanzania-tigo-rewards-its-mobile-money-customers">an initiative of Tigo Tanzania</a> which began to return interest generated on the trust account to its users. In September 2014 Tigo Tanzania disbursed US$8.7 million to 3.5 million users, followed by a second disbursement of US$1.8 million in November. Tigo plans to make payments to users quarterly.

2014 also saw a 50 percent increase in the number of mobile credit services. This was fueled in part by new partnerships between MNOs and banks to provide mass-market short-term loans, and by microfinance institutions and start-ups targeting specific segments of the underserved. New credit scoring models using MNO data are also starting to result in lower numbers of non-performing loans compared to traditional lending.
<h3><strong>A mobile money service’s success is contingent upon a plethora of factors, including agents, merchants, competition, interoperability, regulation, and client awareness. What are the main hurdles we’re witnessing today?</strong></h3>
Lack of investment in operations is one factor preventing the development and expansion of mobile money services. A recent MMU paper on mobile money profitability revealed the extent to which providers must invest heavily in operational and commercial infrastructure at the start of the life of the service in order to ensure operational excellence in areas such as customer awareness and distribution to begin the journey towards profitability.

Industry learning gaps still exist around how to reach and serve harder-to-reach customers, including rural communities and female clients.

In a number of markets regulatory hurdles still exist, which can slow the development of the mobile money industry and the benefits it can bring for financial inclusion. Today, regulation is enabling in 47 out of 89 markets where mobile money is available, according to the new report.
<h3><strong>What were the data sources used for this year’s State of the Industry report, and is it a challenge getting ample quality data to assess the industry to the extent desired?</strong></h3>
The report is based on data from GSMA Mobile Money Intelligence on planned and live mobile financial services. The data includes qualitative insights on these services, as well as quantitative information on numbers of users, distribution points, transaction volumes and values, and revenues. This data is updated regularly, primarily using the results from MMU’s annual Global Adoption Survey of Mobile Financial Services, which captured data from 127 respondents from 69 countries in 2014. In addition, for core metrics, MMU uses data modelling to estimate and forecast figures, making information available for the entire industry, rather than only for survey participants. The estimates help to provide a true representation of the scale of the industry both globally and at the market level. This data provides key industry stakeholders–such as regulators, senior executives in telecoms and banking sectors, and international development agencies–with an authoritative overview of the industry and its impact on the financial lives of unbanked and underbanked users.
<h3><strong>Last year’s reports paid special attention to women and mobile money, and mobile money in rural areas. Over the past year, what progress was made in these priority areas?</strong></h3>
Where data is available, it showed that penetration of mobile money services amongst women and within rural areas has increased. Much of this growth may be organic and due to the overall growth of the mobile money registered base, but MNOs that want to drive adoption in the mass market need to adapt their strategies and tactics specifically to tap into underserved segments. Regardless of the level of maturity of their service, there are fundamental indicators mobile money providers can use to improve the visibility of underserved segments, including the collection of demographic data to identify and track usage amongst women and rural customers.
<h3><strong>What’s next from GSMA that we can look forward to?</strong></h3>
Coming up the MMU team will publish a number of publications including:
<ul>
 	<li><strong>Case study on cross-border international remittances</strong>: insights into commercial implementation and user adoption from two early examples in West Africa.</li>
 	<li><strong>Case study on enabling mobile money policies in Paraguay</strong>: this publication will showcase the journey Paraguay has taken towards digital financial inclusion, in particular through the creation of a regulatory framework that enables the mobile money market to increase its outreach and efficiency.</li>
</ul>
<em>The full </em><em>‘State of the Industry Report on Mobile Financial Services’  is now available for</em> <em><a href="http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/programmes/mobile-money-for-the-unbanked/insights/industry-reports">download here</a></em>. <em>Over the next few weeks, some of the main findings from the report will be discussed</em> <em><a href="http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/programmes/mobile-money-for-the-unbanked/mmu-blog">on the MMU blog</a>. Stay tuned!</em>

<strong>Have you read?</strong>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2014/07/28/mobile-money-sprinters-adapt-to-local-conditions-in-pakistan-somaliland-and-zimbabwe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'Mobile Money Sprinters' Adapt to Local Conditions in Pakistan, Somaliland, and Zimbabwe</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2014/01/31/mobile-money-in-afghanistan-an-uphill-battle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mobile Money in Afghanistan: An Uphill Battle</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2014/04/18/unexpected-benefits-of-mobile-money/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyond On-Ramps and Uptake: Exploring Surprising Benefits of Mobile Money</a>

The State of Mobile Financial Services: An Interview with GSMA’s Jennifer Frydrych

Loretta Michaels

Jenny  Frydrych

Bangladesh

East Asia and Pacific

Ecuador

Egypt, Arab Rep.

Ghana

India

Latin America and The Caribbean

Madagascar

Middle East and North Africa

Nigeria

Pakistan

South Africa

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Timor-Leste

Togo

Zimbabwe

Brazil

Jordan

Morocco

Myanmar

Philippines

Thailand

Panama

Romania

Sudan

Digital Payments

Enabling Environment

Mobile Banking

Partnerships

Policy, Regulation and Government Initiatives

Challenges and Crises

Agent Banking

Credit

Digital Financial Services

Insurance

Blog Post

Report

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Three Ways Governments Expedited Social Payments During COVID

Rapid Response for Social Payments During COVID-19

The State of Mobile Financial Services: An Interview with GSMA’s Jennifer Frydrych