Recent Blogs
Sowing the Seeds of Resilience: Can AI Empower Women in Agriculture?
AI is everywhere. But can it boost rural women’s agricultural income? While not a silver bullet, AI can potentially create value for rural women in agriculture. We discuss 4 key areas where there is action and opportunity around AI for women in ag.
Everyone Loves Drama: Changing Financial Norms With Edutainment
Edutainment does more than entertain. It shapes our understanding of the world and sparks change – and even the use of financial services. Compelling characters in engaging stories can increase account ownership, savings, and financial planning.
Driving Change: Hello Tractor and ABERA
CGAP, IDH, FSD Network & FSD Kenya are working with Hello Tractor as part of ABERA, which empowers rural women in agriculture. We aim to address gender and climate challenges while strengthening Hello Tractor's business and financial service links.
Good News for Young Women’s Financial Inclusion in East Africa
Young women in East Africa are demanding and using financial services earlier and faster than a decade ago, according to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation analysis of Findex 2021 and 2011 data. The second blog in our series unpacks these findings.
Lessons From 4 Examples on the Leading Edge of Climate-Focused G2P
All G2P programs contribute to climate adaptation to some extent, with examples in India, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Philippines showing us how specific program design features can support greater climate adaptation for recipients and their households.
Regular Savings from Irregular Income: How Platforms Can Help
CGAP partnered with fintechs and platforms across Sub-Saharan Africa to understand how they are using digital rails to offer savings products to low-income gig workers. Here, we share what we found.
Maximizing the Impact of Financial Inclusion for Young Women
Among which segments of young women could investments in improved financial services make the most impact? We highlight findings from a recent CGAP segmentation exercise.
Can Kenya’s Fintech Boom Address the MSE Finance Gap?
Kenya has seen an explosion of fintechs and nano credit providers, but they have yet to meaningfully serve MSEs in the country. We explain how fintechs could have a wider reach and distinct value proposition for MSEs in Kenya beyond digital credit.
We Agree – Life Stages Likely Impact DFS Usage Among Young Women
Certain life stages have a significant impact on women’s economic empowerment and use of financial services - particularly for young women.
Growing Up, Growing Informal: Gender Differences in Financial Services
Teenage men and women in Kenya and South Africa adopt formal savings accounts at similar rates. But when they hit their 20s, men continue to adopt formal services while women begin gravitating toward informal services. Why?
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.
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.
Financial Services for Platform Workers: Lessons from Partnerships
Platforms in Kenya are partnering with licensed financial services providers to offer credit, insurance and savings to their workers. Here are some lessons emerging from these partnerships.
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.
The Wrong Kind of Credit: Why Loans to Gig Workers Must Reflect Income
Volatile gig income and inflexible loan repayment schedules can be a dangerous mix, as this ride-hailing driver in Nairobi learned from experience. His story serves as a cautionary tale to lenders and borrowers in the gig economy.
Financial Services for Gig Workers: An Intersection of Needs in Kenya
Gig workers in Kenya cite savings, loans and medical insurance as top financial services they would like to access via gig platforms. While platforms across Africa increasingly offer credit and insurance, savings appears to be under-supplied.
Kenya’s Expansion of G2P Becomes Lifeline During COVID-19 Crisis
Kenya offers higher fees to providers that facilitate digital government-to-person payments in underserved areas. Today, this makes it easier to reach hundreds of thousands of low-income people with assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.
COVID-19 Exposes Risks and Opportunities in Kenya's Gig Economy
Gig workers in Kenya report major disruptions to business and depleted savings due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), while platforms signal eagerness to facilitate government-to-person payments or loans to hard-hit workers.
How Are Kenya’s Youth Experiencing the Gig Economy?
The gig economy is on the rise in Africa. What does this mean for youth? In Kenya, CGAP interviewed young people to get their perspectives.