Whose money? Digital remittances, mobile money and fintech in Ghana

Abstract

This articles explores the intertwining of the digitalisation of remittances with the behavioural turn in development and, more specifically, the advancement of digital financial inclusion. It sheds light on the intricate ways in which state, civil society and private sector actors seek to leverage digital remittances as a way to expand financial inclusion. Drawing upon qualitative field research undertaken in Ghana, this paper traces the emergence and take up of digital financial services–including digital remittances–and argues that the advancement of digital financial inclusion runs the risk of increasing the capacity of commercial and financial institutions to curtail migrants’ and remittance recipients’ essential strategies of social reproduction. By providing a grounded account of the concerted efforts that must be made in order for the ‘behavioural turn’ in international development to materialise, this article contributes to the development of a geography of marketisation framework that is attuned to this behavioural shift. It also advances a burgeoning literature that critically unpacks the often-celebrated turn to fintech and digital financial inclusion in international development.