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Reading Findex With A Consumer Protection Lens

This year, the Findex database provided new information on the quality of customers’ journeys in accessing and using financial services, including some of the risks consumers face, and the outcomes they experience - we break down the numbers.

Growth of Digital Finance in Côte d’Ivoire is Not Without Risks

While digital financial services are driving financial inclusion in Côte d’Ivoire, we are also seeing the emergence of significant consumer risks that will require concerted action from all stakeholders in the digital finance ecosystem to counteract.

Consumer Advisory Panels: a Tool to Bridge the Regulator-Consumer Gap

How can FCP authorities bridge the regulator-consumer gap and ensure the financial marketplace is fair and balanced for all consumers? One promising solution is consumer advisory panels, which elevate the collective consumer voice.

Mitigating DFS Consumer Risks: Insights from Sub-Saharan Africa

Emerging evidence shows digital finance consumer risks are increasing and, if not mitigated, could undermine users’ trust. We highlight risks that affect digital financial services users in Sub-Saharan Africa and measures to mitigate them.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Is It Possible to Estimate Financial Stress Before It Harms Borrowers?

A tool piloted by CGAP and 4G Capital reliably measures changes in borrower behavior to detect financial stress. If stress indicators are found to predict future repayment, the tool could also serve as an early warning system for issues like default.

Analyzing Social Media to Spot Digital Consumer Credit Risks in India

Last year, news reports emerged of aggressive debt collection amid India's digital credit boom. New research shows that early warning signs on social media preceded the reports, highlighting the value of social media for consumer protection.

Digital Consumer Credit in India – Time to Take a Closer Look

As media reports of abusive lending practices emerge amid India’s digital consumer credit boom, the country can steer digital credit in a more promising direction by ramping up its efforts to listen to consumers and taking the necessary actions.

How Peru Is Elevating the Collective Consumer Voice

The steps Peru has taken to ensure consumers have a strong voice in financial consumer protection regulation may be instructive for other countries working to protect vulnerable consumers.

3 Ways to Elevate the Consumer Voice in Financial Regulation

When consumers have a say in the financial regulations that affect them, it usually makes regulations more impactful. Here are three opportunities to ensure consumers' voices are heard.

Debt Moratoria in the Next Pandemic: Be Prepared, and Be Fair

Moratoria have been an important part of the COVID-19 response for millions of low-income borrowers. Reflecting on the COVID-19 experience, here are four ways moratoria could work better in a future crisis.

Data Privacy Concerns Influence Financial Behaviors in India, Kenya

For digital financial services providers looking for a competitive edge in developing economies, better data privacy features could be the answer, according to CGAP research from India and Kenya.

COVID-19: Risks for Borrowers as Economies Reopen

With COVID-19 lockdowns putting stress on both consumers and lenders, the stage is set for consumer protection challenges around the provision of credit.

Study Shows Kenyan Borrowers Value Data Privacy, Even During Pandemic

Research in Kenya shows that low-income borrowers value data privacy so much that most are willing to pay higher interest rates for better privacy protections, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial Consumer Protection: 3 Steps to Better Customer Outcomes

Here are three steps that regulators can take to advance a customer outcomes-based approach to financial consumer protection.