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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.

In Burkina Faso, the Most Vulnerable DFS Users Need Better Protection

DFS users in Burkina Faso face significant risks. A national survey revealed key challenges: poor network quality, fraud, and user difficulties. The most vulnerable—women and rural populations—struggle the most.

Tackling Gender Norms in Mozambique's Financial Services

Despite progress, women in Mozambique remain less financially included than men. A GIZ, CGAP, and AMB study reveals deep-rooted gender norms as key barriers, sparking targeted efforts to reshape financial systems for women.

The Stories Behind Late Repayment on Digital Credit in Cote D’Ivoire

Borrowers in Cote D’Ivoire had higher rates of loan non-repayment than those in Kenya and Tanzania, and CGAP wanted to know why. Qualitative research results shed more light on the users’ experience and the possible causes of the late repayments.

Journey to Kigali: Four Lessons on Peer Learning for Gender Data

When it comes to strategies on gender-disaggregated data for women's financial inclusion, peer learning, diversity of approaches to gender data collection and use, and creative solutions in advancing gender equality in the financial sector are key.

Transforming Côte d'Ivoire's Cashew Sector with Phygital Empowerment

In Côte d’Ivoire, Wi-Agri empowers women farmers with digital tools and on-the-ground support. By understanding the challenges rural Ivorian women face, Wi-Agri is able to design for them rather than around them.

Surveys Reveal a Path to Responsible Digital Finance in WAEMU

For the first time, there is comprehensive data on digital financial services users in the WAEMU region, and it highlights the need for more responsible digital finance ecosystems. Strengthening consumer protection is crucial.

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.

Facing Climate Events in Nigeria, Farmers Left With Scarce Options

Based on interviews with hundreds of farmers in Nigeria, we unpack how households use financial services in responding to climate events.

What Does Financial Inclusion Mean for Young Women’s Well-being?

Well-implemented financial inclusion (FI) initiatives for various sub-segments of young women can produce positive financial and non-financial outcomes. Current research shows plural programs with FI components can benefit marginalized young women.

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.

Out of the Norm: myAgro Breaks Down Barriers to Serving Rural Women

Gender norms often prevent rural women in Senegal from accessing financial and agricultural services. Pilot projects by CGAP and myAgro are providing insights into how companies can better serve rural women by addressing these norms.

Digital Credit in Côte d'Ivoire: A Double-Edged Service

Digital credit can provide opportunities for financial inclusion and improved resilience, but new survey data from Côte d'Ivoire shows the need for greater consumer protection.

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.