Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: Mercy Corps Please refer to the attached file. IntroductionThe deterioration of the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marked by the M23’s territorial expansion and the increased activity of other armed groups, has severely disrupted financial and logistical chains, triggering an unprecedented liquidity crisis. In M23-controlled areas, bank closures have limited both the ability to conduct cash transfers (CT) and access to cash, affecting households and NGOs. Organizations that previously relied primarily on banking partners for CT are now compelled to diversify their financial service providers (FSPs), turning to those capable of sourcing liquidity locally.CT remain a preferred modality for humanitarian actors and communities to meet essential needs in the current crisis, which is marked by significant displacement and returns, often in areas that remain unstable. In this context, mobile money appears to be a potential alternative for NGOs wishing to use this transfer modality, allowing them to bypass constraints related to physical cash access. However, mobile money comes with specific constraints and risks that must be considered: current operational, socio-economic, and security conditions demand a rigorous assessment to ensure transfers that respect human dignity, are safe, and tailored to beneficiaries’ needs, while rooted in the realities of the DRC context. This modality may also be more costly for organizations and donors, with a possible transfer of risk to beneficiaries. It is therefore not a systematic alternative to other CT modalities.This note aims to provide a targeted analysis of the feasibility of using mobile money for cash transfers, based on:An assessment of the current capacities of FSPs and mobile network operators (MNOs);An understanding of the constraints to implementing CT through mobile money;The identification of risks and mitigation strategies developed by humanitarian actors.