Searching: Blogs

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?

As More Low-Income People Generate Digital Trails, Women Lag Behind

Women are lagging behind men in digital access and the generation of digital footprints, which can lead to further disadvantages in financial access and usage. We discuss how financial service providers and authorities can address these gaps.

G2P Recipients Are Worth Competing For

Open G2P systems have great potential to connect recipients with a host of PSPs from which they can choose to receive their transfers. TymeBank realized the profitability potential of G2P customers and turned it into a core aspect of their strategy.

In Senegal, Supporting Rural Women Starts with Reshaping Gender Norms

MyAgro partnered with CGAP and Dalberg Design to explore how they could expand their outreach to Senegalese women and weren’t surprised to learn that social norms were the number one barrier standing in their way.

Can Disruptive Innovation Favor Financial Inclusion in Côte d’Ivoire?

Côte d'Ivoire's mobile money market is an excellent opportunity to reflect on whether market disruptions contribute to financial inclusion, given a recent revamp of mobile money business models in the country.

How are Mobile Money Agents Protecting Customers’ Data in Uganda?

Recent qualitative research in Uganda conducted by CGAP and MicroSave Consulting (MSC) identified good practices for responsible agents in safeguarding their customers’ data and the role that providers can play in promoting these practices.

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.

Findex 2021 Insights: Boosting Financial inclusion in Africa

Global Findex 2021 shows Sub-Saharan Africa has made progress in financial account ownership and usage over the past decade but lags behind in closing the financial inclusion gender gap and indicators around the value of financial services.

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.

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.

Savings at the Pump: Financing Solar Irrigation to Support Rural Women

Solar water pumps can be a sustainable, low-cost solution for irrigating farms. Asset financing from organizations like PEG Africa could help more women to obtain these cost- and time-saving tools.

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?

MFI Digitalization: How Can DFIs and IFIs Contribute?

From funding digital innovation to boosting digital literacy, here are some ways that development finance institutions and international financial institutions can accelerate the digitization of microfinance in Africa.

MTN Mobile Money Opened APIs – Was It Worth It?

MTN launched open APIs for its mobile money service in 2018. Today, its APIs are being used by over 900 partners to offer everything from pay-as-you-go solar to e-commerce apps — generating revenue and new use cases for financial services.

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.

Africa Is Top Recipient of Financial Inclusion Funding

For the first time since CGAP began its funder survey, Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019 received more financial inclusion funding than any other region, with $7.6 billion in commitments. But new pressures on development budgets could impact the region.

The Benefits of G2P Choice: Zambia Leads the Way

In 2017, Zambia introduced a government-to-person (G2P) payments model that lets beneficiaries choose the provider they want to use to receive their payment. Today, the benefits to the recipients, providers and government are clear.

Flipping the Switch: How Locking Assets Unlocks Credit for the Poor

A new study out of Uganda offers strong evidence that lock-out technology can enable providers to sustainably lend to low-income customers, who may need credit for school fees and other critical expenses.

In Uganda, Solar Home Systems Help Students Stay in School

A pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar provider in Uganda is proving that an often-overlooked benefit of PAYGo – financial inclusion – can also affect education outcomes by keeping kids in the classroom.