Electronic Transfers in Humanitarian Assistance and Uptake of Financial Services: A synthesis of ELAN case studies

Cash transfers are playing an increasingly large role in humanitarian responses. Mobile money, using a mobile device to access financial services, is growing across the globe and humanitarian agencies are taking advantage of this trend to deliver cash transfers through mobile money, which can connect recipients with digital financial services more broadly.

The Electronic Cash Transfer Learning Action Network (ELAN) implemented case studies on humanitarian electronic transfer in three countries: Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh. This report presents the barriers to use and uptake of digital financial services as well as the enabling factors in each context.