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Sudan Dispatch: Inclusive Finance in Times of Crisis

Recent fighting in Sudan has turned the economy upside down and displaced thousands. Our latest blog asks what roles financial services are playing in the unfolding crisis, and why? What must happen next for inclusive finance in Sudan?

How Are Fintechs Tackling the Arab World’s $123B SME Finance Gap?

Small and medium businesses are vital to the Arab world’s economic growth but face a massive financing gap. CGAP finds that only 5% of fintechs offer financing to these businesses today. Here are some that do.

Fintech in the Arab World: Toward Gender Parity in 15, Not 150, Years

Gender-intelligent fintech solutions are hard to come by in the region with the world’s largest financial inclusion gender gap. But some fintechs are pointing the way.

Preserving Decades of Development: A Plea for Lebanon

Nadine Chehade reflects on the toll the deepening economic and COVID-19 crises are taking on microfinance borrowers in her country, Lebanon, and what donors can do to help them overcome hardship.

Personas Show How Social Norms Impact Women’s Financial Inclusion

Customer personas rarely reflect the social norms that influence women's financial lives, which limits their usefulness in developing financial services. Here is a five-step process for improving customer personas.

Vulnerable Groups in Lebanon Cite Health as Top Financial Challenge

A study of refugees and host communities in Lebanon points to a pressing need for financial solutions to help households manage health-related shocks.

How Fintechs Could Digitize Store Credit in the Arab World

People in the Arab world rely on store credit almost twice as much as people in other regions. Here are three ways fintechs could digitize this type of credit.

Mapping Fintech Innovations in the Arab World

Where is fintech innovation happening in the Arab world? What types of solutions are emerging? CGAP shares preliminary results from our research on fintech in a region with roughly 140 million financially excluded adults.

To the Future and Back: Financial Inclusion in the Arab World

A new Arab Monetary Fund-CGAP report points to a huge unmet demand for financial services in the Arab world, where 70 percent of adults lack access to an account.

Better Understanding the Demand for Islamic Microfinance

CGAP, Yale University and Tamweelcom have taken a novel approach to the study of demand for Islamic and conventional loans in Jordan. This randomized experiment reveals new insights into the real demand for Islamic microloans, and the findings are striking.

Gender & Geography: Women-Owned SMEs in the Middle East

Women entrepreneurs in the Middle East face greater challenges than men in trying to access financial services. Providing women-owned SMEs with specific types of support will work to promote inclusive economic growth in the region.

Using Randomized Trials for Product Design

People are unpredictable and don't always act in rational ways. Randomized experiments can help businesses and organizations learn more about their own work, improve upon their offerings, and better understand consumer behaviors.

Towards a More Enabling Legal Framework for Microfinance in Iraq

Four Iraqi MFIs, representing 15% of the market closed their doors in recent years due to conflict in the country. This left 20,000 clients with few other options, as Iraq's financial system remains underdeveloped.

20 Years of Financial Inclusion in the Arab World

According to the Findex, the Arab World has the highest percentage of financially excluded adults. What are the regional obstacles? How has the field changed in the past 2 decades?

What Excludes Women from Formal Finance in the Arab States?

Women are less than half as likely as men to have an account in the Arab world. Why such a dismal record?

Financial Inclusion Opportunities and Challenges in Tunisia

Financial inclusion is becoming a priority in Tunisia, and the Ministry of Finance aims at modernizing the entire financial sector by 2020. There are many opportunities, but progress will require public and private entities to work together.

How Speed Dating Led to Progress on Digital Finance in Tunisia

Despite having all the necessary ingredients for digital financial services to take off, less than four percent of Tunisians use mobile financial services. What does it take to move a market beyond stalemate?

Pathways to Self-Reliance for Urban Refugees in Egypt

UNHCR and its Graduation partners Trickle Up and BRAC University decided to test the Graduation Approach with the aim of helping urban refugees in Egypt progress from vulnerability to self-sustainability.

The Importance of Being a Reliable Partner in a Time of Crisis

With a series of crises unfolding throughout much of the Arab world today, the donor community has been challenged to find appropriate ways to address the widespread loss and increasing vulnerability in the region.

Beyond Numbers: How One Gaza MFI Emerged from the Rubble

With unemployment rates in Gaza reaching the double digits and the UN estimating that more than three-quarters of the population depends on aid to survive, it’s little wonder that the services of microfinance institution, FATEN, are in such high demand.