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4 Cyber Attacks that Threaten Financial Inclusion

Cybercrime is a growing problem for financial services providers and their customers in developing countries. Here are four attacks every provider should guard against.

3 Myths About Data Localization

Data localization is often pursued as a way to make financial data safer and easier for the government to access, but it can have unintended consequences for financial inclusion.

Customer Due Diligence and Data Protection: Striking a Balance

If financial services providers are going to work together to improve customer due diligence, more flexibility will be required to exchange customers’ information responsibly.

6 Things You May Not Know About Biometrics

Biometrics are likely the future of identification and identity verification, but it's important to understand their strengths and limitations to ensure they advance financial inclusion.

Protecting Consumers Means Thinking Like Consumers

People often make unexpected, even counter-intuitive, financial decisions. Understanding why is the starting point for good financial consumer protection policy.

The Biometric Balancing Act in Digital Finance

Biometric technologies are facilitating the rise of collaborative customer due diligence. It is crucial to understand all aspects of biometric solutions – security, cost, convenience, inclusiveness and accuracy – and how prioritizing one may come with trade-offs to others.

Kenya’s Rules on Mobile Money Price Transparency Are Paying Off

Kenya's pricing transparency rules have made customers more aware of the costs of using certain digital financial services, according to a new CGAP survey.

Data Privacy and Protection – Providers Share Their Perspectives

Just like customers themselves, providers deeply value the protection and security of the customer data they hold. They just have different reasons.

A Six-Ingredient Recipe for Data Protection

While data breaches in high-income countries dominate the news, data protection is also emerging as a major issue in lower-income countries. Here are six key questions to ask when evaluating a country’s legal protections for its citizens’ personal data.

How Developing Countries Can Prevent Their Own Equifax Breach

The Equifax data breach that exposed 145 million people's personal information holds two big lessons for developing countries: avoid centralized databases and let consumers control their own data.

Digital Credit: Data Sharing Can Improve Product Diversity

In a CGAP and M-Kopa pilot in Kenya, customers with greater control over their credit histories took up more credit and were more likely to pay it off in full.

A Practitioner and a Regulator Talk Digital Credit

Do the benefits of digital credit outweigh the risks for consumers? A practitioner and regulator share their viewpoints.

Innovation in Mobile Money: What Are the Risks?

As mobile money continues to evolve, new kinds of fraud are emerging. Here are some steps that providers and regulators can take to keep up.

India Stack: Major Potential, but Mind the Risks

India’s new financial infrastructure could connect hundreds of millions of people to financial services, but at its core is a biometric ID system that has stirred controversy around data privacy and security. What are the risks, and what can be done to minimize them?

Interoperability and Financial Inclusion: The Regulator’s Role

Interoperability can greatly expand the reach and usefulness of financial services for the poor. What do regulators need to know about the complex interplay between interoperability and financial inclusion?

Leveraging Complaint Data for Greater Consumer Protection

Complaints are stories shared by unhappy customers looking to release anger, seek compensation, or improve service. For financial supervisors in many markets, complaint data collection presents a challenge. Here's how complaint reports can be improved to support effective supervisory action.

3 Steps Policy-Makers Can Take Now on Digital Credit

In emerging markets, policy-makers have often struggled to keep pace with the rapid growth of digital credit. With the establishment of consumer protection authorities unlikely in the short term, here are three steps policy-makers can take now to protect consumers.

Making the Case for Privacy for the Poor

Poor people in emerging economies are rightfully concerned about whether their families are safe, sheltered and adequately nourished. Where does privacy fit into that mix?

503.2 Million Reasons to Tackle Data Protection Now

Conducting financial affairs digitally does not come without risks, evidenced by recent privacy breaches around the world. CGAP is exploring relevant issues in data protection, along with potential solutions that could build trust and improve value for customers, providers and societies.

Kenya Ends Hidden Costs for Digital Financial Services

In Kenya, many digital financial service providers do not disclose to consumers the costs of products. On October 29, the Competition Authority of Kenya announced an important new standard for pricing in digital financial services.