Fast payments are an important layer in digital public infrastructures — i.e., foundational systems back boning the provision of essential functions and services in a modern society — with the potential to drive economic growth and sustainable development.

Mobile money continues to grow rapidly, bringing a suite of financial products to the fingertips of hundreds of millions of users and disrupting traditional financial services. From Dakar to Nairobi, Cairo to Cape Town the mobile money wallet is serving…

In Africa, the development of Instant and Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS) and the use of open-source software like Mojaloop offer hopes of speeding up the onboarding of more than 350 million financially excluded adults on the continent.

I see five macrotrends, driven by a combination of consumer preference, technology, and regulation, that will affect the future of payments and define how payments will look in the next couple of years.

South Africa is currently transitioning its regulatory landscape to support increased access to the National Payment System (NPS) and to adopt activity-based licensing and regulation for payment service providers. The Payments Association of South Africa…

A closer look at how cross-border payment solutions are meeting end user needs can be invaluable in guiding the public and private sectors’ efforts to make meaningful improvements.