Humanitarian crises often occur in places that pose a high regulatory and reputational risk to global banks, who might be reluctant to take these risks (de-risking). In consequence, humanitarian and development NGOs are occasionally forced to rely on more informal money value transfer services (MVTS) – such as ‘hawala’ in the Middle East – to make financial transfers into countries suffering from bank de-risking. Some donors accept MVTS as legal and legitimate payment modalities of last resort but views can vary greatly. This leaves NGOs without clear regulations and guidance, even when no other payment modalities are available.

Amanacard is a solution designed specifically to serve people in unbanked crisis zones who are excluded from traditional banking due to bank de-risking. The platform bridges the gap between the informal and the formal monetary system, making use of informal money networks but blending them with digital mechanisms that help build trust. The platform allows senders to monitor every transaction at the last mile, enabling organisations to prove that the right people received and moved every cent entrusted to them. The system is also particularly helpful for organisations in cash and voucher assistance. Amanacard currently operates in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Libya, Yemen and several other countries and can be rolled out to other unbanked areas within a relatively short period of time.

During this online session, Edwina Thompson, founder of Amanacard, will introduce us to the functioning of Amanacard and answer our questions. Please register here to receive the link for participation (MS TEAMS).

This event is jointly organized by Global Responsibility and the Coordination Office of the Austrian Bishops‘ Conference (KOO). Participation is open to all member organizations of Global Responsibility and all KOO organizations.

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