Topic

Cash and digital money

Practical friction when moving between physical cash and digital balances on licensed payment rails.

Open-air market stall with stacked produce and a small cash tin beside a phone showing a mobile-money balance, illustrating everyday conversion between notes and digital value

Cash and digital money 2026-07-08 3 min read

Why Cash Still Matters When Most Wallets Are Digital

Coverage maps celebrate digital payments, yet people still need notes for change, school fees, and trades where the other party cannot receive a transfer. The real problem is conversion—and who helps when it stalls.

By Nia Chirwa

Busy open-air market aisle with traders at wooden tables, a calculator and notebook beside stacked goods, and a person counting notes while another checks a phone—showing mixed cash and digital settlement

Cash and digital money 2026-07-20 3 min read

Informal Market Payments When Sales and Settlement Diverge

A stall can sell steadily and still fail the last obligation of the day if takings are digital and the next cost is cash—or the reverse. Informal markets live in that gap.

By Tariro Ndlovu