Blog

Savings, Credit, and Harvests: Cooperatives for Rural Women

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the gap between women's labor and access to resources limits agricultural output. SACCOs and FPOs can bridge this gap—provided they deliver relevant, reliable services to their members.

Smarter Credit Can Be A Powerful Lever For Africa’s Jobs Challenge – If We Get It Right

In this op-ed for CNBC Africa, CGAP explores why precision finance should be at the heart of efforts to better serve Africa’s MSMEs and help address the continent's jobs challenge in the future.

What Are the Real Barriers to Health Insurance in Guatemala & Namibia?

What if the biggest barriers to health insurance coverage for informal workers are not the ones insurers assume? Findings from Guatemala and Namibia challenge assumptions insurers and authorities had about why health protection gaps exist.

What Makes Microcredit Work, And for Whom? Introducing the CHIPS Data Set

The Credit's Heterogeneous Impact Pathways Study (CHIPS) data set explores whether existing data could be used in new ways to find answers to lingering questions about the impact of microcredit, among other financial services, on customers.

Fighting Fire With Fire – Can AI be Used to Combat AI-Powered Fraud?

As criminals weaponize AI for sophisticated financial scams, institutions are fighting back. Explore how authorities are using analytical and generative AI to combat fraud and safeguard consumers.

7 Lessons on Designing Insurance Sandboxes for Impact

Drawing on CGAP’s review of insurance sandbox approaches across several countries and discussions with supervisors through the CGAP–A2ii Learning Circle, we offer seven lessons for insurance supervisors designing regulatory sandboxes.

Changing Financial Institutions for Women Through Collective Action

What does it actually take for financial institutions to serve women better? CGAP's work in Mexico & Morocco shows it takes institution-level change— but collective action across institutions can accelerate it.

Local Currency Stablecoins: Revolution? Not Yet!

We explore four emerging use cases where local currency stablecoins may add value, from cross-border remittances to tokenized asset settlement, and examine the practical challenges and key questions policymakers should address before developing a regulatory framework.

Is Integrity First, Data Protection Second a Wise Approach?

Should financial integrity take precedence over data protection? The Financial Action Task Force’s latest Travel Rule guidance suggests yes—but we make the case that there is a bigger picture worth considering.

Kickstarting Change to Scale Inclusive Insurance in Mexico

Mexico's financial inclusion is growing, but insurance is lagging. Only 23% of adults hold a policy, with a stark gender gap. This blog highlights how public-private collaboration and user-centered regulation can build true financial resilience.

Five Unexpected Findings Collective Action Made Possible in Morocco

How did Morocco shift its financial sector to better serve women? CGAP’s new coalition has shown that collective action does more than coordinate—it makes systemic change possible.

What if Insurance’s Biggest Job Is Preventing Claims?

For too long, the worlds of disaster risk reduction, anticipatory action, and insurance have shared the vocabulary of resilience but rarely spoken the same language. Evidence from the Pacific Islands to Cuba's cooperative farms suggests that change is possible.

Closing the Gender Protection Gap in Brazil Starts with Better Data

This blog examines gender gaps in insurance coverage and industry leadership, highlighting recent data from Brazil and Latin America. It emphasizes the need for standardized gender-disaggregated data to guide regulatory action and expand market access.

From Bean to Bar and Beyond - Traceability and Women's Financial Visibility

Tony’s Open Chain uses traceability data to unlock women's financial visibility, creating verified credit profiles to drive inclusion in Côte d’Ivoire when paired with digital payments and protective literacy.

Fraud in Digital Finance: a Crisis Calling for Ecosystem Solutions

Global financial fraud is a rising challenge, but solutions are emerging. We explore how cross-border collaboration, AI-driven detection, and coordinated regulation can protect digital finance users and secure global financial inclusion.

It’s Time for Customer-Centric Client Protection Certifications

Financial consumer protection must shift from policy-based certification to outcome-focused evaluations, using direct customer feedback to ensure genuine safety and responsible finance in a digital world.

From Pilots to Scale: The Next Frontier for Climate-Responsive Credit

A new type of pre-arranged credit is helping farmers stay on their feet after climate shocks and giving financial institutions a reason to stay with them.

The Microfinance Debate Is Missing the Point

For too long, policymakers, economists, and investors have focused on whether microfinance actually helps people, reducing a complex issue to a meaningless yes-or-no verdict. The most important questions concern how loans are designed, delivered, and regulated, who receives them, and what they are used for.

Is Tokenization the Answer to Financial Inclusion Challenges?

The relevance of tokenization for financial inclusion is unexplored. Could tokenization help lower barriers to investment, expand credit access for small businesses, or improve cross-border payments? This blog explores key tokenization use cases that may advance financial inclusion.

How Carbon Markets Could Help Expand Affordable Housing Finance

Construction accounts for 37% of global CO2 emissions, yet millions of people in EMDEs lack access to affordable green housing. Carbon markets could lower green building material costs, while also breaking down barriers to inclusive housing finance and helping to scale access to affordable, eco-friendly homes.