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Are Climate-Related Financial Sector Policies Inclusive for All?

Climate-driven financial policies could inadvertently end up undermining financial inclusion efforts. Authorities and funders must understand the pathways through which risks could occur and the opportunities for supporting green finance effectively.

Supply-Side Gender Data is a Game Changer for Financial Inclusion

Gender-disaggregated data is the cornerstone for designing strategies and interventions that not only help increase women’s use of financial services to be more resilient and prosperous but also empower them to be stronger market players.

How Can Regulators Enable Last-Mile Agent Networks?

Extensive and inclusive cash-in/cash-out (CICO) agent networks are key to ensuring DFS access in rural areas. Regulators play an essential role here by enabling DFS providers to innovate agent network models that are sustainable in rural areas.

How Are Climate, Financial Inclusion & Financial Stability Linked?

As financial authorities across the world develop plans to respond to the changing climate, they have opportunities to create a positive feedback loop of expanded financial inclusion and reduced climate risk.

Crypto Consumer Protection: Why ‘Wait and See’ Is No Longer an Option

What was once an edgy new market with promises of high returns is now better known for scandal and volatile losses. Better protections for crypto consumers are urgently needed, especially for those who are low-income and least able to weather losses.

Regulators Eye Digital Credit in India: What Does it Mean for MSEs?

The growth of India’s fintech industry has historically been driven by digital payments, but now digital credit is poised to take the reins. But what is digital credit, and how can its regulation help narrow the credit gap for India’s MSEs?

Can Open Banking Support Financial Inclusion in Nigeria or Elsewhere?

Open banking initiatives must be well designed to deliver the benefits they promise consumers and financial service providers - Nigeria’s framework offers a look at both the opportunities and potential pitfalls of implementing such a scheme.

Regulating Platform-Based Finance: Seeing the Big Picture

The scale and scope of platform-based finance extends beyond the powers of a single regulator – cooperation across agencies will be essential.

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?

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.

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.

Is Mexico’s “Fintech Law” Leading a New Trend in Fintech Regulation?

Some regulators are looking to Mexico's so-called "fintech law" as an example of how to respond to the full range of fintech innovations in a single law. But this isn't what the Mexican law does, and there are good reasons for this.

Some Countries Have Digital Bank Licenses, Others Have Digital Banks

Some regulators are creating custom banking licenses for digital banks. Others are licensing digital banks with existing licenses. What's the better way to encourage digital banking?

How Can Licensing Regimes Keep Up with Financial Innovation in 2020?

Tech giants, digital banks, e-money issuers, fintech startups — as more diverse players enter the financial services space, they are becoming harder for regulators to classify and license. Here are four ways regulators can respond in 2020 and beyond.

Last-Mile Agent Networks: Why Public-Private Partnerships Matter

Building out rural agent networks isn’t just about harnessing digital innovations. Global experience shows that it’s also about the public and private sectors working together.

Deposit Insurance: The Last Line of Defense for E-Money?

Should deposit insurance cover e-money? The answer may not be the same for every country, but here are two lessons that apply across markets.

Cloud Computing for Financial Inclusion: Lessons from the Philippines

For the first time, the Philippine central bank has allowed a bank to move its core banking operations to the cloud. Its approach, balancing caution with forward thinking, holds lessons for regulators in other countries.

Regulator’s Friend or Foe? Cloud Computing in Financial Inclusion

When regulated and supervised properly, cloud computing can be a boon to financial institutions trying to reach underserved customers. Here are some tips for regulators and supervisors in emerging markets.

Running a Sandbox May Cost Over $1M, Survey Shows

CGAP and the World Bank surveyed regulators across 30 countries to find out how and why they’re using regulatory sandboxes and what it takes to run one.