Leveraging Digital Finance In Ethiopia: Pilot Study

This project explores how digital financial services can be made more inclusive for marginalized groups in Ethiopia, particularly women and beneficiaries of the Urban Productive Safety Net program. Despite growing access to mobile money, adoption among low-income users remains limited due to low trust, limited financial literacy, and perceived transaction costs. The research tests two strategies, financial training and monetary incentives, to encourage mobile money use and examines how these approaches influence financial behavior and inclusion. Insights from this work will inform the design of a larger randomized evaluation to assess the long-term impacts of digital finance on economic empowerment and household welfare.