Supporting Digital Financial Services in Myanmar: Assessment of the Potential for Digital Financial Services in Agriculture Value Chains

This report was prepared under the Mobile Solutions Technical Assistance and Research (mSTAR) Program. The mSTAR Program is a strategic investment by USAID to advance mobile solutions and close the gaps that hold back access and uptake. mSTAR supports broad-based coordinated action by a range of market stakeholders including governments, donors, mobile service providers and their customers. 

The assessment was conducted by Enclude, in partnership with FHI 360 and USAID, under an initiative to Support the Development of Digital Financial Services in Myanmar. The purpose of this study is to assess the potential for digital financial services (DFS) to contribute to value chain efficiency and improved agricultural productivity, and to map the payment flows in four select agriculture value chains: rice, sesame, pulses (green gram), and aquaculture.

The assessment findings shed light on the challenges faced by Myanmar's agriculture sector and its readiness for DFS. Based on these findings, the report includes recommendations on ways in which DFS could contribute to greater agricultural productivity and rural development, as well as areas for stakeholder involvement to further develop DFS in Myanmar.