Facilitating cross-industry workshops for payment interoperability

Despite its reputation as a fragile state, Haiti has seen several successful initiatives in digital finance. Given the country’s market dynamics, it was essential for industry players to come together to develop interoperable payment platforms to expand their reach in a cost-effective manner. DAI, a large international development contractor, hired Digital Disruptions to provide greater clarity on the topic, and facilitate discussions with different financial service providers.

Approach & Outcome

Digital Disruptions organized a two-day event in Haiti for about 50 representatives from service providers in the country. On the first day, we provided different perspectives on interoperability, including its benefits and challenges, while highlighting both “traditional” and “breakthrough” models. After presenting our definition of interoperability and the key principles, we brought together a diverse group of representatives, from local players to Mastercard, Visa, and experts as far away as mobile operators in Africa and fintech companies in Asia.

With the groundwork set, the Digital Disruptions team facilitated a full-day co-creation session in English and French with a smaller group of 20 representatives from banks, mobile operators, fintechs, and regulators. One team was tasked with determining ideas and pathways for interoperability in the short term while another team focused on long-term interoperability with opportunities to leapfrog current efforts. These discussions helped align plans and commitments by service providers, which, until then, had rarely come together to discuss and jointly design what it aspired for the country’s payment infrastructure.