In this episode, Marjolaine Chaintreau, Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation at the Better than Cash Alliance, and Matthias Catón discuss the evolution, importance, and impact of digital payments and, more broadly, access to financial services.
The discussion examines how digital payments promote social inclusion and empowerment among individuals and the innovation and regulation driven by the private sector, financial institutions, and governments in finding solutions to increase access to digital payments. Marjolaine explains how traditional methods of digital finance (such as credit cards and ATMs) are incredibly costly to implement, hence why many parts of the world have been unable to adopt them properly. Their conversation also focuses on how businesses can benefit from increased digital payments and through increased revenues and security. Matthias and Marjolaine put these ideas into geographical context, drawing examples from Bangladesh, Germany, India, Kenya, and Ghana.
About the guest
Marjo is an inclusive digital finance specialist with more than 14 years of experience in banking, fintech, and impact investment. She is the Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation for the Better Than Cash Alliance at the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). Marjo leads the Alliance’s global partnerships and in-country strategy with local and multinational corporations to develop inclusive supply chain structures reaching smallholder farmers, low-income workers, and small retailers in the Agribusiness, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, and Garment sectors.
Marjo was previously Vice President of the Citi Social Finance team, Citibank’s global business unit for inclusive and social investment finance, where she originated and executed $80 million investments in Latin America and Africa. She holds a Master of Corporate Finance and Strategy from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (SciencesPo Paris). Marjo is one of the first ten female Certified Digital Finance Practitioners by The Fletcher School – Tufts University Digital Frontiers Institute and was recognized in 2021 as a woman in Fintech Global Power List. She sits on the Board of the European Microfinance Platform.
Executive Briefing – what you should read now
- Better Than Cash Alliance – Igniting SDG Progress Through Digital Financial Inclusion (2023 edition)
- UN Principles for Responsible Digital Payments
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