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No Silver Bullet on Closing the Digital Access Gap | Economic Empowerment | GZERO Media

The weaknesses of a digital economy

Is there any downside to going cashless?

Not really, but there are challenges, Usman Ahmed, head of Global Public Affairs and Strategic Research at PayPal, says during a livestream conversation on closing the global digital gap hosted by GZERO in partnership with Visa.

On the one hand, digitizing payment allows the creation of other financial services around it — mainly access to finance for the unbanked. On the other, there are privacy and security concerns, although these also exist with cash.

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The Debilitating Cost of Remittances | Economic Empowerment | GZERO Media

The debilitating cost of remittances

Dilip Ratha knows how hard it is to work abroad and send money home. Why? Because he had to go through the same hoops when he was a migrant.

It's the inconvenience and the cost, the World Bank's head of KNOMAD and lead economist says during a livestream conversation on closing the global digital gap hosted by GZERO in partnership with Visa.

Still, Ratha points out, these flows are a lifeline for millions of poor families around the world. And they keep the lights on in remittance-dependent economies like El Salvador or Lebanon.

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Adapting To A Digital Economy Around The World | Economic Empowerment | GZERO Media

Adapting to a digital economy around the world

In the next decade, 70% of new value in the global economy will come from digital businesses. But more than 3.5 billion people without internet access will be cut off, and not all of them will live in the developing world.

“This is very much a global challenge,” Eurasia Group senior analyst Ali Wyne says in a livestream conversation hosted by GZERO in partnership with Visa.

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Lowering Costs of Poverty With Digital & Economic Access | Economic Empowerment | GZERO Media

Lowering costs of poverty with digital & economic access

By the end of the decade, 70% of all new value in the global economy will come from digitally enabled businesses. The pandemic accelerated a push toward digitalization, especially in developing nations, yet nearly 4 billion people are still offline, and 1.4 billion don't have a bank account.

Expanding access to digital tools for individuals and small businesses is a no-brainer, but easier said than done. So, what can we do to expand digital trade further, come up with fairer and safer remittances and digital payments, and push to include everyone in tomorrow's digital-first economy?

To get some answers, GZERO hosted in partnership with Visa the livestream conversation "Closing the Gap: Digital Tools for Economic Empowerment," moderated by JJ Ramberg, co-founder of Goodpods and former host of MSNBC's Your Business.

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How Can We Get Unbanked People to Go Digital? | Closing The Gap | GZERO Media

How can we get unbanked people to go digital?

Sending remittances can be prohibitively expensive. How come?

It costs a lot to manage cash in a secure way for unbanked people, Rubén Salazar, global head of Visa Direct, says during a livestream conversation on closing the global digital gap hosted by GZERO in partnership with Visa.

But some players are making progress in reducing costs, which the UN wants to cap at 3% by the end of the decade.

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Watch live October 19: Can access to digital tools transform the world's economy?

Is digitization crucial to economic growth? GZERO Media is partnering with Visa to explore what it means when 70% of the global economy’s growth in the next decade is projected to come from digitally-enabled businesses – yet 3.7 billion people lack internet access. What are the tools and initiatives needed to bring more people into the digital economy?

Live on Wednesday, October 19, our expert panel will explore the impact of digitization on empowering consumers and small businesses. Please register to attend.

Closing the Gap: Digital Tools for Economic Empowerment

Wednesday, October 19, 2022 | 11 am ET / 8 am PT

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Will Nepal Cash Out? | Economic Empowerment | GZERO Media

Will Nepal cash out?

Like much of the world, Nepal saw digital payments soar during the pandemic.

Tulsi Rauniyar, a young Nepalese documentary photographer, experienced the transition firsthand. With COVID making human touch a big concern, e-commerce and cashless transactions became more commonplace — so much so that Rauniyar herself rarely uses cash anymore. This technological globalization is increasingly helping female entrepreneurs and businesswomen succeed in Nepal. But it still needs to reach rural areas — where many hard-working women are unaware of these transformative technologies.

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Connecting The World: The Power of Digital Trade | GZERO Media

Connecting the world: the power of digital trade

In their work around the globe, Catherine Shimony and her partner, Joan Shifrin, saw many women artisans in need. “We saw beautiful products women were making but they often didn’t have a market to sell them in, even locally. Beautiful products languished,” Shifrin explains.

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