An Initiative Of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Level One Project is focused on helping the public and private sectors develop pro-poor, digital financial services and markets that work for all. Our goal is for every country in the world to have one inclusive, interconnected, digital economy.

Everyone benefits from an economy that includes everyone. Yet today, billions of people—particularly in the world’s poorest countries—are excluded from a formal economy and miss out on the many advantages these financial systems offer.

We need to change this. And thanks to the rapid rise of digital payment systems, as well as the ubiquity of mobile technology, we now have the power to build upon existing infrastructure within individual countries to address this inequality.

If we do, it’s in everyone’s best interests. It will help billions take a step toward financial stability and advance the goals of those in a position to make a difference: bankers, mobile operators, payment technology companies, government regulators and more.

Now is the time to build on lessons learned, leverage available resources, and strive to create easy, secure digital financial systems that benefit everyone.

The Level One Project proposes a new low-cost payments system that supports inclusive, interoperable digital payments.

The Level One Project is a vision for a new, real-time digital payments platform that supports this system; a blueprint for how such a platform could be configured within a country; and a set of tools and resources to enable the implementation of a Level One Platform.

DESIRED OUTCOMES WITH A LEVEL ONE SYSTEM Financial Access: To transaction accounts

To transaction accounts Digital Liquidity: Use of accounts to make and receive payments in lieu of cash

Use of accounts to make and receive payments in lieu of cash Financial Enablement: Access to other financial services

Access to other financial services A Dynamic Digital Ecosystem: Full participation in the digital economy USER REQUIREMENTS SUPPORTED BY LEVEL ONE Secure: Money and data is safely held

Money and data is safely held Affordable: Cost is acceptable in comparison to available alternatives

Cost is acceptable in comparison to available alternatives Open: Anyone can enroll and send money or receive money from anyone else

Anyone can enroll and send money or receive money from anyone else Robust: There when you need it

The Level One Model and Key Use Cases

Watch the videos below to learn more about the model we’ve developed for a country-level, digital financial services system that is designed to bring the poor into the formal economy. For more detailed information, take a look at the Level One Project Guide.

Mojaloop: The Level One Prototype

Launched in 2017, Mojaloop is a reference model of the Level One Project’s core principles, which include interoperability between services, low fees for customers, and collaboration to lower costs and accelerate growth. Visit the Mojaloop website to learn more.

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