Blog

Technology Is Key for Open Finance Oversight and Supervision

Open finance offers great potential but requires effective oversight due to its fast-moving data. Traditional reports are too slow; FSAs need high-frequency data and advanced technology to spot issues early, protect trust, and ensure inclusion.

The Dual Binding Constraints to Scaling AI in Finance

Despite rapid advances in AI capabilities, the underlying data foundations have not kept pace. AI adoption is fundamentally constrained by the strength, inclusiveness, and usability of underlying data – not as much by the sophistication of algorithms.

Competition in Financial Services: Three Country Paths, One Bigger Question

While access to finance has grown, market concentration and high costs remain. Brazil, India, and the UK prove that when financial regulators prioritize competition through policy, they can lower prices and improve variety for all consumers.

Smart Fields, Strong Women: Data and AI in Rural India

In rural India, digital tools are bridging the gender gap in finance. By using satellite data and AI to track farm productivity, new agri-tech models help women farmers build credit histories and access the resources needed for climate resilience.

Turning Climate Adaptation Finance into Real Resilience Gains

DFIs are vital for climate adaptation, yet a gap exists between mobilizing capital and proving it actually builds resilience for end-users. We need better data on client outcomes to bridge the divide between impact intent and investment decisions.

What's the Holdup? Regulatory Friction and Inclusive Insurance

To scale inclusive insurance, we must move from creating frameworks to making them investable. Here, we highlight how shifting toward risk-based approvals, cross-agency coordination, and institutionalized public-private dialogue can turn regulatory friction into market-ready solutions.

Closing the Leadership Gap: DFIs and Climate Adaptation Finance

DFIs are uniquely positioned to lead on CAR finance, particularly through financial sector investments. But they are not yet playing that role. So, what is preventing them from leading?

How Does Financial Inclusion Impact Financial Integrity?

Policymakers view financial inclusion and financial integrity as mutually reinforcing policy goals. Since 2011, about 2 billion people have gained access to formal financial services. But how has increased financial inclusion served financial integrity objectives?

Navigating Standalone Licenses in Inclusive Insurance

Over the past two decades, more than 30 jurisdictions have begun offering special licenses for inclusive insurance. By letting newcomers sell affordable and customer-centric plans, they’ve encouraged market expansion and innovation. Now, insurance authorities are refining these rules.

Making Climate Adaptation Finance Work for All in Tanzania

Big banks are leading Tanzania’s climate finance, but adaptation must reach the front lines to be effective. For true inclusivity, climate capital must flow through local FSPs that serve the low-income and vulnerable communities most at risk.

Personal Financial Management Tools Can Boost Financial Health in India

Personal financial management (PFM) apps are emerging as a potential driver of improved financial health. By aggregating data across accounts and generating real-time insights, they promise personalized financial advice. But how is this translating into meaningful outcomes for users?

Commercial Health Insurance Can Complement Public Systems - Here's How

As countries pursue universal health coverage under real constraints, the question is no longer whether commercial health insurance has a role in advancing UHC, but under what conditions it can expand access, affordability, and financial protection for underserved populations.

Mexico's Collective Shift: Redefining Approaches to Women's Inclusion

What does it take to move an entire financial sector toward gender equality? In Mexico, the answer is emerging: shared accountability, institutional reform, and collective action.

She Saves: Designing Savings Products That Work for Young Women

For young women with irregular incomes and limited buffers, savings rather than borrowing is the preferred way to build assets and manage uncertainty. The question is not whether to offer savings, but how to design products that fit young women’s realities.

Young Women Speak: Lessons on Inclusive Finance from Ghana & Tanzania

Based on research and experimentation in Ghana and Tanzania, CGAP identified three opportunities for providers and funders to help close the gender gap that widens between ages 15–24. Broaden on-ramps to the financial system, prioritize secure savings over credit, and protect young women’s financial gains with better life and health insurance.

Beyond the Headlines: EAP's Hidden Inclusion Gaps

While high-level data suggests financial inclusion is rising in East Asia and the Pacific, China’s massive progress often masks disparities elsewhere. Here, we explore the "hidden gaps" facing women and rural communities and call for more inclusive financial systems.

How Can Scaling Inclusive Insurance Close Protection Gaps?

Protection gaps are about people, not just numbers. Here, we propose actionable pathways across customer-centric solutions, policy integration, and proportional regulation to make inclusive insurance viable.

From Digital Adoption to Digital Advantage in Microfinance

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) must move beyond piecemeal digital updates to comprehensive digitization. By evolving their models, MFIs can improve efficiency, reach more last-mile clients, and compete with new fintechs.

The Changing Nature of Consumer Risks in Digital Finance

This blog explores how digital financial service (DFS) risks—like fraud and data misuse—are becoming more complex due to AI, social media, and organized crime, emphasizing the need for stronger market monitoring to protect consumers.

Mapping Credit Gender Gaps With Regulatory Data in Rwanda

Using disaggregated data—by gender, age, and location—can improve financial inclusion. Using CGAP's pilot with NBR in Rwanda as an example, we show how segmented insights help regulators and providers identify gaps, reduce bias, and better serve vulnerable groups.