Staff Directory

Cristina Martinez

Cristina Martinez works on the Digital Rails team, exploring the role and viability of cash-in cash-out (CICO) agents in the uptake of digital financial services for last-mile households. She is interested in unlocking the private sector's potential to advance financial inclusion, from banks to fintech, as well as ensuring that the right consumer protection frameworks are in place.

Cristina has ten years of experience in the financial sector. She worked for six years at Citibank in consumer protection, conduct risk, and product management. Previously, Cristina worked at The World Bank in DEC Finance and Private Sector Development in various financial inclusion and consumer protection projects.

Cristina holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and a Master's in Public Policy from The University of Chicago and a Bachelor's and Master's in economics from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia.

By Cristina Martinez

Blog

Cash vs. Digital? Unleashing the Power of DFS through Agent Networks

The rise of DFS has sparked debate on cash's future in developing economies. But, despite increasing adoption of DFS, cash prevails in most global economies, emphasizing agent networks' crucial role as enablers rather than disruptors.
Research

A Technical Guide to Unlock Agent Networks at the Last Mile

This guide outlines five key actions for DFS providers, regulators, and funders to expand rural CICO agent networks based on CGAP's global experience. These actions include building a vision for rural expansion, optimizing investment strategies for rural agents, and capturing the potential of women agents. 
Research

Women Agents for Financial Inclusion: Exploring the Benefits, Constraints, and Potential Solutions

This working paper explores the benefits of having more women agents, the challenges they face, and potential solutions to promote their participation. It highlights that engaging women agents does not compromise performance and offers collaborative solutions for stakeholders to remove barriers and unlock the full potential of women in the DFS ecosystem.
Blog

Doing Good by Doing Well: Women Banking Agents in India

In India's Bihar state, women Bank Sakhi agents help enable financial inclusion for rural, vulnerable, and hard-to-reach customers, more so than the traditional agents - but various gender norms constrain how they operate. We discuss solutions.
Blog

How Did Bancolombia Create a Successful Rural Agent Network at Scale?

Bancolombia is a great example of a provider that's been successful in developing rural agent business models at scale, therefore playing a critical role in furthering financial inclusion. Here, we look at the factors that explain their success.