Blog

We Need to Talk About Credit

Digital credit is a testament to the ways in which technology and new business models can assist in the expansion of financial services to low-income households. But it also points to potential hazards of letting a market develop unchecked.

The 10-Year Challenge: How Has Financial Inclusion Funding Changed?

Funding for financial inclusion quadrupled between 2007 and 2017, driven by development finance institutions and private funders.

2 Financial Services That Increase Smallholders’ Food Security

Evidence from around the world shows that savings and insurance help smallholder farmers to reduce hunger and manage production risks.

You’ve Opened APIs...Now What?

Shamir Karkal shares five tips on how digital financial services providers can get their open APIs into the hands of innovative developers.

Learning from Financial Inclusion Research: What Should We Expect?

Impact evaluations, reviews, reviews of reviews— there's no shortage of research on whether and how financial inclusion impacts the poor. What should we expect to learn from this growing body of work?

3 Ways Financial Inclusion Improves Women’s Food Security

There is evidence that financial inclusion improves food security for women in at least three ways.

How E-Commerce Is Transforming the Idea of the Rural Agent

E-commerce doesn't come up very often in conversations about agent networks for digital financial services - but it should.

Does Financial Inclusion Impact the Lives of the Poor?

A growing body of evidence is emerging on financial inclusion. The lack of a cohesive, nuanced story to bring the evidence together is leading to wildly different and overly simplistic interpretations.

Digital Payments Matter More for Public Services: 3 Reasons Why

Water utilities and other public service providers can benefit in at least three ways from digital payments.

Could e-Commerce Bring Women’s Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh?

Closing the financial inclusion gender gap is about more than account access. It’s about making sure accounts unlock real opportunities for women. In Bangladesh, linking mobile money to informal e-commerce could meaningfully advance women’s financial inclusion.

From Smartphones to Solar Panels: Are Asset Finance Advances Pro-Poor?

Can asset financing improve the lives of low-income customers? And if so, which assets and financing approaches hold the most promise?

Should Funders Support Switches for Mobile Payment Interoperability?

Mobile payment switches aren’t the only path to interoperable financial systems – and they aren’t always the best path. Here are three questions funders should ask before they commit to building a switch.

I-SIP Approach Helps Russia Shape Inclusive Financial Policy Making

Find out how Russia's central bank is using the I-SIP approach to promote financial inclusion.

How the Philippines Applied I-SIP Approach to Basic Deposit Accounts

Learn how the Philippine Central Bank is advancing financial inclusion using a new CGAP toolkit for policy makers.

A Growing Trend in Financial Regulation: Thematic Sandboxes

More regulators are experimenting with "thematic sandboxes" that are designed to advance a specific policy goal. Here are three types of thematic sandboxes we've seen emerge over the past year.

Pictures from Africa Show How Digital Technology Transforms Lives

This year's winning photo powerfully conveys how digital technologies can bring new opportunities for women.

Is Digital Banking Better Banking for the Bottom of the Pyramid?

Digital banks are emerging in many developing countries. Can they do a better job than traditional banks of providing low-income customers with useful financial services?

Is Banking Becoming Modular? A Glimpse into the Future of Finance

There's a growing sense in developed markets that the next few years will see profound change in financial services. What are these changes? And what are the implications for financial inclusion?

6 Data Protection Rights for Empowering People in the Digital World

The digital economy presents an opportunity to provide greater rights to individuals exactly when it matters.

Great Expectations: Fintech and the Poor

Fintech has attracted off-the-charts hype in the development community. But lost in all the excitement is a cool-headed assessment of what these shiny new things are really delivering for poor people. Greta Bull, in the first in a series of CGAP leadership essays, takes stock.