VF Corp., Marks & Spencer and Levi Strauss & Co. have joined forces with Mastercard on a pilot project to pay garment workers digitally in Egypt and Cambodia. Participating factories will be able to deposit wages directly into the workers' accounts. Workers can then activate prepaid or debit cards, or digital wallets, and use them to pay bills directly or send money to their family. Millions of adults around the globe – nearly 85 percent of them living in low-income countries – still receive their wages in cash. This system puts them at risk of theft and makes it difficult for them to pay household bills remotely, forcing them to take days off and travel miles for the purpose. Women are expected to be the primary beneficiaries of the scheme, as they account for 68 percent of the workforce of the garment industry in these countries.

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