The SDGs and CGAP’s Future Direction
The approval of the SDGs in September 2015 coincided with CGAP’s organizational strategy refresh. While this strategic thinking process is still ongoing, here are three clear directions for CGAP's future work that build on the themes in the SDGs.
Women’s Financial Inclusion: A Down Payment on Achieving the SDGs
Ensuring that women have access to formal financial services can help to address many of the economic gaps between men and women worldwide. World Bank Group's Gender Strategy puts women’s economic empowerment—and the financial services necessary to achieve it—high on the agenda.
Financial Inclusion Can Reduce Inequality and Bring Peace
Global inequality is on the rise, and it is contributing to growing disenchantment and conflict. There is an opportunity for financial inclusion to address these challenges and to make a difference in fragile and conflict-affected states.
Ending Extreme Poverty: New Evidence on the Graduation Approach
SDG 1 is as exciting as it is daunting: End extreme poverty. The Graduation Approach has resulted in large and cost-effective impacts on ultra-poor households’ standard of living, ultimately enabling a sustainable transition to more secure livelihoods and an exit from poverty.
How Financial Inclusion Can Boost a Nation’s Health & Well-Being
Low-income households often struggle with health expenses, and inadequate access to quality health care can drive families into poverty. To achieve good health and well-being, UN Sustainable Development Goal 3, financial inclusion can and should play a critical role.
Headwinds and Tailwinds in Banking Small Businesses
Rapid “digitization” of business and investment in financial technology have the potential to significantly improve access to finance for millions of micro, small, and medium enterprises worldwide, yet challenges remain. Can FinTech solve the access to finance problem for MSMEs?
The Role of Financial Services in Reducing Hunger
Many of the world's 1.5 billion smallholder farmers lack access to basic financial services, leaving them vulnerable to shocks and prone to low-risk, low-return investments. Improving access to financial services can help farmers increase household income and food security.
Beyond Credit: Risk Management as a Strategy for Economic Growth
Well-functioning financial markets are essential for the growth of firms, including commercial farms. Efforts to improve financial markets in underserved localities must include an understanding of stakeholders’ risk management needs—not just access to credit.
Advancing Financial Inclusion to Improve Access to Education
Worldwide, 124 million children between the ages of 6 and 15 are not in school. While financial inclusion cannot solve the many complex reasons all children are not in school, better financial tools can help families manage educational expenses.