Greg Chen

Gregory Chen served as CGAP’s Policy team lead through October 2021. The team helps policy makers adapt to the fast-changing world of digital finance, including developing and executing a strategy to engage multiple countries, regions, and global bodies—and oversight of the work of more than a dozen staff and consultants.

Gregory has 25 years of financial inclusion experience and deep regional experience in South Asia. His work has focused on hands-on start-up pioneer microfinance institutions, digital finance players, and FinTech. He has been part of forging new institutions and regulatory environments to support financial sectors. This includes work with the Aga Khan Development Network, BRAC, Telenor, and Dvara. He also has experience as a corporate banker at Bank of America and led the establishment of the financial services consulting firm Enclude in South Asia.

Gregory is a frequent speaker and lecturer on microfinance and digital finance in academic circles at BRAC University, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Yale, and American University. He has been interviewed by BBC and quoted in the Economist. He has a Master’s degree in International Development from Harvard’s Kennedy School and an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University.

By Greg Chen

Blog

MicroSave Releases New Assessment of Branchless Banking in India

India is undergoing a significant expansion in the use of agents (Business Correspondents) to offer a range of financial services. There are many questions about whether this present expansion can be sustained.
Blog

Gold Backed Loans: Unlocking Liquidity for the Poor?

In some parts of South Asia there is a long standing tradition of accumulating gold as a preferred form of saving. Acquiring gold allows small amounts to be accumulated at different intervals; it is not easily lost or destroyed; it is small and lightweight compared to its value; and it is easily divisible into small units which can be sold off as needed.
Blog

The AP Crisis One Year On: The NCAER Study

The recent study by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), sponsored by the Microfinance Network (MFIN), brings much-needed data into the discussion. Covering over ten thousand households across multiple Indian regions, this study merits attention.
Blog

Does Savings Help Protect MFIs from Political Interference?

Until recently, microfinance in India (really microcredit) had been driven by innovators and entrepreneurs, but also enabled by government policies such as of priority sector lending and regulatory restrictions prohibiting deposit mobilization for most MFIs.
Blog

Branchless Banking Gains Momentum in India

Over the past several months, we have taken a close look at the branchless banking industry in a few key countries. We have presented our learning from Brazil and Mexico over the last few weeks. Today we offer a snapshot of the conditions for branchless banking in India drawn from a summary note of the Indian scene completed at the end of 2010.