Prospera Digital Phase II: Financial inclusion for low-income women in Mexico

 

Conditional cash transfers are a promising new anti-poverty device that give stipends to the poorest if they meet certain conditions, such as their children attending school. Prospera in Mexico was one of the first conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America. It helps almost seven million families ensure their children go to school and receive periodic health checkups. However, many of these beneficiaries lack bank accounts, making the business of transferring cash to them risky and expensive.

Prospera Digital is a program that seeks to improve, through digital technologies, the way beneficiaries receive, access, and use conditional cash transfers and financial services. It aims to foster a system of electronic transactions, facilitating access to financial services through digital banking solutions, and promoting financial education among women.

This project seeks to provide evidence-based recommendations to scale up the digital solution for the beneficiaries of the Prospera program. The pilot program will test various strategies to electronically deliver funding to increase the use of card payments and financial services. IDRC’s grant will allow the Regional Dialogue on the Information Society Network (DIRSI), a research network in Latin America, to identify barriers and opportunities to scale up the digitization of the Prospera program. The project will also provide recommendations to the Office of the Presidency of Mexico for the successful implementation of digital services to nearly seven million Prospera beneficiaries.