**2.5 Work from home (WFH) arrangements expanded**

The pandemic altered the future of work. On March 13, 2022, for example, the IMF advised its staff to work from home for the first time since the virus broke out. The staff heeded the advice and explored WFH options. In terms of technology, staff used WebEx, Zoom, Polycom platform, and Microsoft Teams. The transition proved challenging and compelled investments on the part of employees in terms of time, resources, and institutional change. The technical glitches were noted, but over time, staff adapted, and today, WFH has become a new normal. In the case of SSA, these arrangements differ greatly. For the countries with the means, staff worked from home and those without means such as South Sudan, staff reduced hours and days but still had to come to offices.

### **2.6 The pandemic accelerated digital payments**

Kosse and Szemere [19] reported that cash in circulation reached a record high due to an increase in demand for high-value banknotes, indicating that the public steadily held cash as a store of value rather than for mere transaction demand. It also indicated that the pandemic motivated a move toward Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and an increased in contactless payments. The Ernst & Young publication [20] indicated what FinTech can and cannot do. It showed that the use of FinTech applications increased following the pandemic, rising by 72 percent. The Findex 2021 report shows that the pandemic catalyzed growth in the use of digital payments, namely:

*In developing economies in 2021, 18 percent of adults paid utility bills directly from an account. About one-third of these adults did so for the first time after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The share of adults making a digital merchant payment also increased after COVID-19. For example, in India about 80 million adults made their first digital merchant payment during the pandemic. In China, 82 percent of adults made a digital merchant payment in 2021, including over 100 million adults (11 percent) who did so for the first time after the start of the pandemic. In developing economies, excluding China, 20 percent of adults made a digital merchant payment in 2021. Contained within that 20 percent are the 8 percent of adults, on average, who did so for the first time after the start of the pandemic, or about 40 percent of those who made a digital merchant payment. These data point to the role of the pandemic and social distancing restrictions in accelerating the adoption of digital payments.*

The pandemic forced many things to move online instantly, including shopping for food, and advent of useful services such as DoorDash, which went public in December 2020, focusing on delivering at customers' doorsteps. The shift was disruptive, but countries and people adapted. "Further, the International Monetary Fund [38] indicates that massive data generation, advances in computer algorithms and increases in processing power explain the recent development of FinTech" ([7], p. 163).

The move toward digital life is not without perils. In countries that lacked developed digital ecosystems, people relied on cash even during the lockdowns. Nigeria provides one of the examples relating to a firm FarmCrowdy. It was compelled to switch from digital payments to cash for its operations in rural areas, given that the local agent networks ceased to function. Ethiopia also provides another example. Given its low penetration of mobile money prior to the pandemic, its online shopping platform, Helloomarket, had to authorize cash on delivery and provide other forms of cash deposits, post offices, or with agents outside the capital [13].
