Digital Payment Infrastructure – Mojaloop

The digitization of payments: Making financial services accessible to everyone

The challenge

The digitization of payments and interconnection of financial service providers (FSPs), unbanked people, and businesses can provide a powerful impetus in financial inclusion in low and middle income countries (LMICs). It offers the potential for strong support to a country’s economic growth. However, without the use of digital public goods such as open-source software, building payment infrastructure can be exclusionary, may result in high transaction costs for consumers, create vendor lock-in challenges for governments, and limit consumer choice where various financial services are not compatible for simultaneous use.

Our approach

digilab is fostering the implementation of technologies that can help drive inclusive payments and digital financial services with a special focus on digital public goods that are accessible to LMICs and endorsed by the Digital Public Goods Alliance. Mojaloop is an open-source software that underpins an inclusive interoperable payment system.  It is used to connect and integrate multiple financial services and mobile money providers within a financial system. Mojaloop makes it possible to build one inclusive system of services across an entire country or region, helping people to access these services and use them according to their specific needs, especially those excluded from the traditional banking system. This system also creates a level playing field for all financial service providers, whatever their resources, to support their customers effectively and inclusively.  Because Mojaloop is open source, it is easy and cost-effective to implement, and therefore is especially helpful in countries in the early stages of digitization. Mojaloop is thus a good example of how digital public infrastructures can contribute to impactful social change.

Our project goals

We aim to build the links between national institutions, financiers, technical experts, and on-the-ground facilitators to promote secure and reliable digital payment infrastructures. Together with our partner network, we are supporting LMIC governments’ efforts to implement Mojaloop, thus making financial inclusion a reality on a global scale.

  • Digital financial services are drivers of financial inclusion.

  • Open source solutions help developing countries leverage digital innovation easily and cost-effectively.

Impact

We support the development of inclusive digital payments to make financial services accessible to all.

Partner countries

Global