Cities That Thrive: Public Financial Innovation as a Catalyst for Urban Resilience delves into how cities can harness public financial innovation to navigate the complex and interconnected challenges they are facing and thrive in the face of adversity. By integrating these technologies into their resilience strategies, city governments can achieve rapid, context-driven progress in critical areas. Our data shows that cities globally are beginning to realize the potential of public financial technologies. However, many are just scratching the surface. This report aims to bridge this gap, providing the knowledge and tools needed to fully harness these innovations.

The conversation is set in the context of the new publication titled “Government Disbursements and Urban Resilience. A practitioner’s point of view”, developed by Resilient Cities Network and edited by Visa Global Government Solutions in the context of their common program “Future Ready Cities”. Agustin, one of the co-authors of the publication, takes us through how digitalization of government disbursements can make their reach to vulnerable families and communities more efficient, inclusive and resilient. Robert shares experiences from Washington D.C, and examples of how digital payouts has enhanced its existing grandparents’ caregivers’ programs through pre-paid cards to support kinship caregiving.

Governments play a central role in supporting economically vulnerable residents and businesses through state-disbursed funds. Government disbursements like unemployment benefits and small business grants can help alleviate economic stress, create new opportunities, and increase social and economic inclusion. This publication aims to share advanced and practice-focused knowledge about government disbursement through a resilience lens for city officials, urban stakeholders and interested audiences worldwide.

The Future Ready Cities program aims to inspire cities around the world to harness the power of digital solutions to face their urban challenges.

From 2020-22, the program supported Guadalajara, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Salvador, Brazil, to implement digital payment solutions that improve public transportation experiences, support urban farmers, and improve digital and financial literacy for women. In 2023, Montevideo and Panama City embarked on their own journey to advance urban resilience through digital solutions.

The ninth session of Cities on the Frontline Speaker Series, 2023, with the support of Visa, focused on how cities can utilize payment data through responsible public–private data collaboration to strengthen multiple city systems, solve multiple challenges and secure a more resilient future.
We were joined by Tulsi Parida, Global Director of Government Data Solutions, Visa; Silvina Di Giano, Tourism Research Manager, General Directorate of Market Intelligence and Observatory, Buenos Aires City Tourism Board; and Dr. Ahmad Giffari, Senior Urban Economic Development Planner, Bappeda DKI Jakarta experts who shared diverse lessons learned and experiences on the opportunities that aggregated payment data can bring to cities. 

Cities are facing growing challenges in the seventh session of Cities on the Frontline Speaker Series 2023 with the support of and in partnership with Visa,
we dove into how urban mobility is the backbone of a city, as it enables people to access vital spaces for work, education, and leisure. Open payments allow people to use any contactless credit or debit payment card to pay for transportation rides making it more efficient, safe and time effective improving rider experience and incentivizing financial and digital inclusion.