Ericsson announced that it has committed to developing Ericsson Emergency Wallet, a mobile financial services solution for deployment in the immediate aftermath of disaster or crises to support humanitarian organizations and affected populations. The Ericsson Emergency Wallet solution will be designed for use in emergency situations where financial infrastructure is lacking.
It will enable the distribution and use of digital funds by relief workers and impacted populations, which can help address issues such as safety, expense and traceability that are associated with handling cash, said Ericsson. It builds on Ericsson’s Technology for Good initiatives and the company’s experience in developing scalable mobile financial service solutions.
According to Ericsson, the emergency wallet is an important part of a broader public-private commitment to the Level One Project - an effort to bring everyone into the formal economy by providing digital financial services to all.
Peter Heuman, Head of M-Commerce at Ericsson
Ericsson Emergency Wallet builds on our expertise in deploying mobile financial services in emerging markets. The solution enables a method of money transfer that is mobile which allows for a quicker, safer and more cost-effective way for the humanitarian organizations to distribute digital aid in disaster areas.
David Miliband, President and CEO, International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Digital payment mechanisms are essential to delivering effective cash transfers to address the large scale humanitarian needs caused by today’s crises. However, only 30% of countries facing severe humanitarian emergencies have digital payments infrastructure to support scaled-up response.
