| Summary: | Increasing number of countries has adopted policies to accelerate the use of electronic channels and reduce the use of cash.The motivations for these policies vary: many are primarily concerned with reducing tax evasion, some with fighting crime, and others now explicitly linked to financial inclusion. Financial inclusion is the universal access to a broad range of financial services, at a reasonable cost, provided by a diversity of sound and sustainable institutions.The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced its Cashless policy in 2011 and commenced a pilot of the policy in Lagos State in April 2012. It was later rolled out to other cities that include Port Harcourt, Kano, Aba, and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja).The policy, intended to reduce the use of cash, is in fact a package of measures with three key stated objectives, thus; to drive the development and modernization of the payment system in line with Vision 2020, to reduce the cost of banking services and drive financial inclusion by providing more efficient transaction options and greater reach and to improve the effectiveness of monetary policy in managing inflation and driving economic growth.In line with the aforementioned, the paper which is a literature-based seeks to examine the issues, benefits and challenges that need to be addressed for the policy to be effective in driving financial inclusion. It has been found out that changing the model of business service providers, provision of sound financial infrastructures, intensifying awareness campaign by all stakeholders, enhancing customer value proposition are key to the successful implementation of the policy to the end that financial inclusion is achieved.To this end, it is
recommended that the government should intensify more effort in providing framework for successful takeoff of the policy in all states in the country.Similarly, other financial service providers should take more active role in
awareness campaign, reinventing their business models, and enhancing customer value proposition.
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