The Decade of the Client
An exciting dialogue is underway that is leading to a collective agreement that putting clients at the center of all decisions is key.
Three Myths about SME Finance
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are again at the center of attention – and this is excellent news because in many countries these businesses are the backbone of the economy and they employ large numbers of people. Unfortunately, the environments in which SMEs operate are not always conducive for their growth and development.
The Poor Need Better Payment Services
Poor people’s need for domestic payments is often large, whether it is spurred by migrant labor remittances, informal support networks of friends and family, government welfare payments, or utility payments.
Counting SMEs and Their Demand for Financing
How difficult can it be to count how many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) there are in the world, and to estimate what their demand for financing really is?
Financial Capability at the Base of the Pyramid
Financial inclusion is expanding, bringing access to financial products and services to millions of previously unbanked, low-income consumers. Managing your money also brings risks however, many of which are difficult for even experienced consumers to handle, and much more for new market entrants.
What Do Clients Really Want from Insurance?
Some say that insurance does not have a natural ‘fit’ with financial behaviors of low-income households, given that benefits are deferred in time and limited to just those few who claim. But, the shocks experienced by those lacking good risk-management tools have such devastating effects on livelihoods, that it is important not to abandon insurance as a development tool only because the ‘fit’ is not obvious.
Behavioral Invention: A Practitioner’s Perspective
All the research and field experience suggests that savings accounts needed to be easily accessible, flexible, and cheap to ensure adoption.
Savings and Investment Needs of Rural Inhabitants
Taking a closer look at specific client segments to understand their sources and flow of income and expenses and their strategies for investment and savings can help providers develop financial products they meet their needs and complement the solutions they already employ.
Refocusing on Client Experiences and Their Struggles
By learning to better protect customers struggling with their debt, we will automatically improve the risk management and thus portfolio quality of MFIs.