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Blog Series

Impact and Evidence in Financial Inclusion: Taking Stock

Whether and how financial services improve the lives of low-income people remains the subject of intense debate despite decades of evidence-gathering. The evidence to date appears mixed and often contradictory. As a result, different factions in the international development community argue strenuously either in favor of, or against, prioritizing the expansion of financial services among the poor. All cite existing evidence.

In this blog series, we will explore recent efforts to synthesize evidence on the impact of financial inclusion, share our perspective on emerging narratives like financial health, examine how measuring access and use has been necessary but not sufficient for the impact story, discuss whether we are using the right definition and metrics to capture well-being, and discuss CGAP’s current efforts to update the impact narrative.

A woman who sells bean-based meals sifts beans in her kitchen in Lagos, Nigeria
Blog
05 November 2020

Finance Fit for Opportunities and Shocks: What Helps Poor Clients Most

To better understand the impact of financial services on people's lives, providers will need to invest in deeper customer research with the help of the broader financial inclusion community.
Women students in Senegal
Blog
05 October 2020

Measuring the Influence of Financial Services on Reaching the SDGs

Learn about UNCDF Impact Pathways, a tool to measure the influence of digital financial services in reaching the SDGs, in this guest blog.
Photo: Hesham Fathy, 2019 CGAP Photo Contest
Blog
05 February 2020

Financial Inclusion for What?

The global evidence on the impact of financial inclusion consistently shows that poor people use financial services to help them achieve two outcomes that improve their well-being: building resilience and capturing opportunities.
A micro-entrepreneur shows her handiwork in Mexico. Photo: Francisco Javier Soto Plascencia, 2016 CGAP Photo Contest
Blog
18 September 2019

Inclusive Growth vs. Household Finance: A False Choice

What’s better for inclusive economic growth: expanding access to financial services among individuals or businesses? Emerging evidence suggests they’re both critical.
	Woman-dyes-thread-Indonesia-Photo-Debra-Wallace-2017-CGAP-Photo-
Blog
27 June 2019

3 Ways to Deepen Our Understanding of Women’s Financial Inclusion

Researchers can shed new light on the impact of financial inclusion on women by applying three principles in their work.
Photo: Mohammad Saiful Islam, 2013 CGAP Photo Contest
Blog
18 June 2019

Looking Beyond the Average Impact of Financial Inclusion

CGAP's review of over 100 financial inclusion impact studies shows only 1 in 5 offers important contextual information to explain results. Greater focus on context is needed to understand impact.
Photo: Mustafa Shorbaji, 2018 CGAP Photo Contest
Blog
28 May 2019

Is Poverty Reduction the Right Outcome for Financial Services?

Today, the global development community generally accepts that poverty is more than just a lack of income. What do multidimensional concepts of poverty mean for those who see poverty reduction as the ultimate goal of financial inclusion?
Fish merchants in Nicaragua. Photo: Antonio Aragon Renuncio, 2016 CGAP Photo Contest
Blog
07 May 2019

Financial Health and the Impact of Financial Inclusion

Financial health has emerged as a useful framework for talking about whether financial services improve poor people's ability to manage their financial lives. But how can we understand whether better financial management improves people's well-being?
A man smiles after making an M-Pesa transaction. Photo: Daniel Kunyu, 2018 CGAP Photo Contest
Blog
23 April 2019

How Useful Is “Usage” in Measuring Financial Inclusion’s Impact?

Financial account usage rates can tell us a lot about the state of financial inclusion, but high usage shouldn’t be confused with impact on customers’ lives.
Photo: Kelvin Kariithi, 2018 CGAP Photo Contest
Blog
03 April 2019

Learning from Financial Inclusion Research: What Should We Expect?

Impact evaluations, reviews, reviews of reviews— there's no shortage of research on whether and how financial inclusion impacts the poor. What should we expect to learn from this growing body of work?

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