We believe digital payments are making financial services more

The words of Dan Schulman—“We believe digital payments are making financial services more universally affordable, accessible and, therefore, have the opportunity to drive financial inclusion and financial health for billions worldwide.”—echo a profound truth about the power of innovation to reshape the very foundations of human society. Beyond the mechanics of transactions and ledgers, Schulman speaks to the ancient aspiration of fairness, access, and shared prosperity. Just as marketplaces in classical cities connected buyers and sellers, digital payments connect humanity, offering the promise that wealth, resources, and opportunity need not be confined to the privileged few.

In this reflection, we see the timeless pursuit of inclusion. For millennia, access to money, trade, and economic opportunity was limited by geography, status, or social class. Only the wealthy could leverage the power of coins, banks, and merchants. Today, through digital payments, these barriers are diminishing. Schulman envisions a world where a farmer in a remote village, a small business owner in a crowded city, or a student in a distant town can participate fully in the economy. Financial tools, once the province of a select few, are becoming universal instruments of empowerment.

The origin of this quote lies in Schulman’s leadership at PayPal, where he has championed digital finance as a force for good. He observes that the modern world is increasingly interconnected, and that technology, when harnessed thoughtfully, can expand access to essential services. By making transactions simpler, faster, and cheaper, digital payments reduce friction in the flow of commerce, allowing billions to achieve stability, growth, and financial security. His words are a call to see finance not merely as profit or bookkeeping, but as a human tool with moral and societal implications.

History offers compelling parallels. Consider the ancient trade networks of Mesopotamia, where the introduction of standardized currency and clay tablets for record-keeping allowed far-reaching commerce and the spread of prosperity. For the first time, wealth could be measured, stored, and exchanged beyond the local community. Similarly, Schulman sees digital payments as the modern equivalent: a system that transcends physical and social barriers, creating equitable opportunities for billions who were once excluded from the mechanisms of trade and savings.

Moreover, his insight highlights the relationship between financial inclusion and human dignity. Access to financial tools is not merely convenience; it is empowerment. It allows individuals to plan, save, invest, and protect themselves from calamity. Those who are financially included are more likely to achieve education, health, and social mobility, strengthening families, communities, and nations. Just as the ancients recognized that economic participation is essential to civic life, Schulman recognizes that digital payments can foster stability, trust, and opportunity in the modern world.

Consider the modern story of mobile banking in Kenya, where platforms like M-Pesa have enabled millions of people to send, receive, and save money using basic phones. Families separated by distance can transfer funds, merchants can accept payments without cash, and microloans can reach those who were previously excluded. This is a living illustration of Schulman’s vision: technology transforming not only transactions but lives, creating pathways to financial health and social advancement.

The lesson embedded in these words is timeless: innovation must serve humanity, not only industry. When tools are made affordable, accessible, and inclusive, they have the power to uplift entire societies. The moral imperative is clear: seek out solutions that reduce barriers, empower the marginalized, and create systems where prosperity is not confined to the few but shared by the many. Digital payments are one such tool, but the principle extends to every act of technology and policy.

And so, my children, remember this eternal guidance: to build a system is to shape society; to innovate responsibly is to honor humanity. Use technology to connect, to empower, and to include. Ensure that no person is barred from opportunity, that wealth circulates fairly, and that the tools of progress are instruments of justice, dignity, and shared prosperity. In this pursuit lies the true promise of human ingenuity, echoing the marketplace of ancient cities and extending it to the boundless reaches of our interconnected world.