When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020, it quickly became clear that mobile technology, and mobile money in particular, would have an outsized role to play in keeping people connected, delivering vital financial support and providing safe, no-contact ways to pay for food, electricity and other life essentials. With more than $2 billion being transacted every day, mobile money became a part of a new daily routine for millions around the world.

While COVID-19 affected us all, it did not do so equally. Those hit hardest were already the most vulnerable – living in poverty, affected by crisis and financially excluded. COVID-19 magnified these disparities, creating new development challenges and exacerbating existing ones. With over 1.2 billion registered accounts and 300 million monthly active accounts, mobile money providers became an integral part of the national COVID-19 response in many markets, offering a secure and ready channel to disburse pandemic relief payments to the public quickly, securely and efficiently.