Paul Gubbins

Paul Gubbins is an applied researcher whose current work focuses on how the financial and economic lives of households and small firms can be measured well, and how data can.be used to guide policy. 

Since 2018 Paul has worked as an independent consultant and has recently supported CGAP in developing guidance for financial sector authorities on financial health measurement and the use of disaggregated regulatory data for applications in financial policy and supervision. He also leads the technical design of the Center for Financial Inclusion’s survey research aimed at understanding the risk and resilience profile of small firms in emerging markets. From 2014 to 2018 he was Research Lead at FSD Kenya, directing the Center for Insights into Financial Inclusion, a programme generating demand-side evidence for pro-poor innovation and policy in Kenya's financial sector. Earlier he served as a poverty economist at the World Bank, advising on cash transfer targeting and household survey design in Kenya and East Africa, and began his career in health measurement at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, where he led a research programme tracking global development assistance for health. 

He holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. 
 

By Paul Gubbins

Research

Using Disaggregated Regulatory Data to Support Financial Policy and Supervision

This Technical Guide shows financial sector authorities how to integrate sociodemographic data into regulatory reporting and decisions. Drawing on global experience and a CGAP pilot with the National Bank of Rwanda, it offers a four-level framework for assessing data systems. The Guide is complemented by the CGAP LENS with more than 230 customizable indicators aligned with regulatory priorities and data capacity.
Research

Measuring Financial Health: A Framework

This working paper presents a practical framework for measuring financial health. Drawing on 70 existing initiatives it translates the G20/GPFI definition of financial well-being into six measurement areas and 17 indicators which help financial sector authorities identify vulnerable groups, assess policy impacts, and detect early signs of financial stress.