Areas Global

Brief: Promoting responsible digital wage payments

Digital wage payments (wages paid into a bank or mobile account or a prepaid card) have become the norm for most workers worldwide. But millions of workers still lack access to them. When designed and offered responsibly, digital wage payments…

Igniting SDG Progress Through Digital Financial Inclusion

Digital financial services offer real hope to help the world get back on track from the severe negative impacts from COVID-19. Building on the success of the 2018 edition, this new version provides updated and extensive evidence-based examples of the benefits…

Research and Learning Agenda on Digital Wages for Decent Work

This Research and Learning Agenda reflects concerns and knowledge gaps relevant for ILO constituents (governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations) and partners, with inputs from ILO experts in headquarters and the field, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners working on digital wages…

The expanding universe of bilateral labor agreements

Since the end of World War II, pairs of countries have entered into over a thousand bilateral labor agreements (BLAs) to regulate the cross-border flow of workers. These agreements have received little public or academic attention. This is likely, in…

The Global Findex Database 2021

Financial inclusion is a cornerstone of development, and since 2011, the Global Findex Database has been the definitive source of data on global access to financial services from payments to savings and borrowing. The 2021 edition, based on nationally representative…

UN Principles for Responsible Digital Payments

These Principles, developed by the United Nations-based Better Than Cash Alliance, define who needs to be responsible, what it means to be responsible and how to be responsible. They are not intended to provide a technical analysis of what each…