Copy India, paste in Panama : a roadmap to effective financial inclusion via a digital & cashless evolution

Abstract

What benefits can technology bring to the finance industry? Can it disrupt the oldest medium of exchange in the world, physical currency? If it can, are there any benefits to it, and most importantly, how would you do it? Our research aims to answer those questions. It looks at various sources that have spent a significant amount of time explaining why transitioning from a cash-dependent market into a cash-lite market is beneficial. Furthermore, it builds on this concepts and looks at the largest ever attempt at this transition and examines the benefits, and challenges it has faced. We deep dive into the Indian demonetization experiment. Most importantly our research draws five-key insights for how India is making this transition, and later we use those insights as a framework to examine a different market, Panama and draw a clear set of recommendations for that country to make such a transition. The framework, however, is to be utilized as a lens for which any market can be analyzed, and such a transition can be made.