With its goal to reduce costs and scale formal flows, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and its Africa-based partner, FSD Africa, are interested in exploring whether there are ways of accelerating the migration of remittance senders from cash to digital channels. Key to this is understanding the reasons behind a preference for cash, the main motivators for change, any barriers that exist and lessons for digital service providers. To seek answers to these questions, in 2017 DMA conducted eight focus groups discussions (FGDs) across seven African communities based in London.
Encouragingly, the focus group discussion suggest that the trend to shift from the cash/agent model to online money transfer services from the UK to Africa is already underway, especially within certain African diaspora communities, with the findings providing key insights into drivers and triggers for behavioural change and a blueprint to follow.