India was once a cash economy governed by middle-class values. If you didn’t have it, you didn’t spend it. Thanks to credit cards and a young generation that expect the finest things in life, India has a debt problem. But what opportunities can ‘putting it on credit’ bring?

Axis Bank customers in India can now send money to their friends and family via the social network of their choice, from Twitter to Facebook. The bank has launched cross-platform mobile app Ping Pay to enable users to 'ping' money to each other whenever they wish.

Millions of people worldwide are still paid in cash, which can be expensive for businesses to manage and insecure for employees. The Better Than Cash Alliance – a partnership of governments, companies and charities – aims to change that, encouraging digital payments to boost financial inclusion.

In the West, female empowerment is embodied by factors like equal pay. But due to traditional gender roles, women in India have struggled even to open their own bank accounts. But now, thanks to a new government scheme, they’re more financially included than ever.