1. E-Payments: Electronic vouchers and mobile money may be a fast, cheap way to transfer funds in some parts of the developing world but when digital infrastructure is weak (like in the DRC), old fashioned cash may be the best option. Mercy Corps
2. Financial Inclusion: Bangladesh's central bank is dropping the requirement of a guardian's signature and lowering bank account fees in hopes of bringing 7.4 million working children into the formal financial system. The Guardian
3. SMEs: Shifting the focus from regulations to actual transaction costs (gathered from local firm owners) could provide a richer, more accurate picture for The World Bank's annual Doing Business report. Policy Innovations
4. Mobile Money: Interoperability (in its many forms) is a necessary but insufficient step for digital financial inclusion. NextBillion
5. Wages: In the U.S., "near minimum-wage workers" (those that make more than $7.25 per hour by less than $10.10), are young, earn close to $10 an hour, and are most likely employed by the restaurant and food industry. Pew Research Center
Data Source: Global Findex database, 2012
House by John Caserta for the Noun Project
Hammer by Edward Boatman for the Noun Project
Editors’ Note: Hi, Laura and Jonathan here. A few of the pieces this week come from people who spent years up close with how poor households actually handle money, and keep coming back with something more tangled than the story usually told, and more persistent. Tim will be back for the next edition. - Laura Freschi and Jonathan Morduch