Souraya Sbeih

Souraya Sbeih's interest in digital rails is natural given her two domains of experience: telecommunications and the railway industry. Souraya worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Vodacom and for Adam Smith International, coordinating the first discussions on interoperability among the four telecom operators. She has also worked for Alstom on major train manufacturing projects in Brazil, France, India and South Africa. Souraya is an engineer. She has a master's degree in political economy of late development from the London School of Economics and a master's degree in engineering from the Ecole des Mines ParisTech.

By Souraya Sbeih

Research

Instant Payments and Merchants — Pricing Policy Considerations

This technical note helps explain why changes in instant payment pricing are occurring, assesses their impact on market development, and offers suggestions for the path forward.
Research

Starting the Transaction: Payment Initiation and Customer Experience

This technical note is framed to help policymakers and payment system operators understand recent trends in payment initiation and customer experience in making interoperable payments work better for low-income populations.
Blog

When is Interoperability Right for Microfinance?

When is interoperability right for microfinance institutions? We draw on interviews with 40 small financial institutions to unpack the complex picture around a universal approach to ensuring all institutions benefit from real-time, digital payments.
Research

Building Faster Better: A Guide to Inclusive Instant Payment Systems

Interoperability can make digital payments more convenient for customers and encourage competition in financial services. This technical guide is a practical resource for policy makers, providers, and others working toward interoperability in instant payments.
Blog

Cheaper Remittances: How Malaysia and the Philippines Paved the Way

Globally, people pay an average fee of 6.9 percent to send money to family and others abroad. In one of Asia’s largest remittance corridors, between Malaysia and the Philippines, the average fee is only 3.7 percent. Smart policies have played an important role in bringing prices down.