Blog

Financial Inclusion is Key to Fulfilling the Promise of Platform Work

As platforms transform the nature of work in emerging markets, embedding financial services for workers into platforms is pertinent and could point to pathways for including the greater informal economy as well.

Mobile Payments Take Shape in Latin America & the Caribbean

Mobile payments took hold over a decade ago, but Latin America didn't experience the traction seen elsewhere. Since then, two emerging business models for digital payments in Colombia and Haiti achieved particular success. What did they get right?

Can Funders Afford to Ignore Gender Norms in Financial Inclusion?

Gender norms create a financial system where women do not have the same access and opportunities as men. If funders want to go beyond closing the gender gap in access and build more equitable financial systems, they need to address them.

Regulating Platform-Based Finance: Seeing the Big Picture

The scale and scope of platform-based finance extends beyond the powers of a single regulator – cooperation across agencies will be essential.

Consumer Protection: Top Policy Priority for Funders. What Lies Ahead?

Financial inclusion funders have been elevating financial consumer protection as a priority. Our latest blog discusses how funders can turn that interest into action.

Platform-Based Finance: How Can Regulators Preserve Competition?

As big tech platforms enter the financial services space, they could potentially undermine competition in ways that set back financial inclusion. How can regulators preserve healthy competition and harness the potential of platform-based finance?

The Pandemic Wake-Up Call: Gender Norms Matter in Financial Inclusion

COVID-19 is the latest reminder that the norms constraining women’s economic participation need to be addressed in global development efforts, including in financial inclusion.

Savings at the Pump: Financing Solar Irrigation to Support Rural Women

Solar water pumps can be a sustainable, low-cost solution for irrigating farms. Asset financing from organizations like PEG Africa could help more women to obtain these cost- and time-saving tools.

Consumer Associations: A Major Player in Responsible Digital Finance

In this World Consumer Rights Day blog, we discuss the ways consumer associations can make digital financial services more responsible, especially for women and vulnerable customers.

Break the Bias: Evidence Shows Digital Finance Risks Hit Women Hardest

CGAP has identified dozens of consumer risks facing digital financial services users around the world, and emerging evidence suggests women are more at risk than men. Here are some ways to mitigate these risks for women.

How Can We Build on COVID-19 Progress in Women’s Financial Inclusion

COVID-19 has led millions of women to open accounts, spurred investments in digital infrastructure, and built momentum around women’s financial inclusion. By taking the right steps, we can push women’s financial inclusion further than ever before.

Better Business Through Gender Transformative Approaches

Gender transformative approaches are good for business. How can companies accelerate their adoption? Insights from recent CGAP and IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative events point to a number of answers.

Platform-Based Finance: Are Regulators Up to the Data Protection Task?

As big techs and other platforms ramp up their financial service offerings in emerging markets, regulators can look at developments in advanced economies to get a glimpse into the data protection issues they will need to consider.

3 Regulatory Challenges Posed by Platform-Based Finance

Between the global big techs and the local unicorns, platforms will soon be a major force in financial services if they are not already. Here are the three main sets of challenges they pose for regulators.

Pitfalls in MFI Digitization: Overlooking the Regulatory Environment

Digitization can benefit microfinance institutions (MFIs), but it also creates regulatory complexity. Losing sight of the regulatory environment can lead to costly mistakes. Here are three regulatory aspects of digitization for MFIs to consider.

We Agree – Life Stages Likely Impact DFS Usage Among Young Women

Certain life stages have a significant impact on women’s economic empowerment and use of financial services - particularly for young women.

Reflection: Coordinating Responses to Microfinance Solvency Challenges

The reverberating effects of COVID-19 continue to pose challenges for segments of the microfinance sector. Here are three areas where a coordinated response among microfinance stakeholders will be important going forward.

The Essential Role of Finance in Education, Housing and Health Care

CGAP’s research suggests that financial services are important tools for advancing equitable access to quality essential services like education, housing and health care.

Limited by Labor: Rural Women, Hired Labor and Financial Services

Rural women have less access than men to the labor they need to power their farms. This drives a gender gap in agricultural output and constrains women's incomes. Financial services could be part of the solution.

Financial Inclusion for an Inclusive, Greener, More Resilient World

In her first blog post as CGAP CEO, Sophie Sirtaine proposes a global agenda for financial inclusion that leads to an inclusive, greener and more resilient world.