The objective of the CTRT is to help humanitarian agencies at the country level better prepare for emergency response using cash transfers. This tool aims to guide humanitarian organizations to preposition cash transfer services and implement partnership (framework) agreements with FSPs by assessing:

a) the likely impact that future crisis-related shocks may have on a given FSP’s CT services;
b) the mitigation capacity of the FSP (i.e., plans and systems to avoid or reduce this impact);
c) the resulting resiliency of the CT services (i.e., the likelihood that these services will continue or can be expanded to meet the needs of disaster-affected populations during and immediately after a crisis).

The CTRT will enable humanitarian actors to assess which types of CT services might be more resilient to the shocks typically incurred during a crisis. As such, the tool aims to inform the pre-crisis assessment and analysis of potential partner FSPs to deliver timely and quality cash transfers, at scale, during unfolding emergencies. This tool can be used to decide which, if any, of the framework agreements signed with FSPs ahead of crises might be the ‘best fit’ for the specific shocks incurred during and immediately after an emergency. The CTRT can also be used in conjunction with other FSP assessment tools to further guide humanitarian actors in their pre-crisis selection of FSPs for standing agreements on cash transfers.

It is recognized that more often than not, humanitarian organizations are unaware of or do not have a wide spectrum of choice between CT services availed through FSPs in areas of potential crisis. However, it is assumed that the availability and understanding of different payment mechanisms will increase as both the development and humanitarian communities work to strengthen local financial infrastructure in areas vulnerable to shocks.