Blog

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.

Can Free Phones Close the Digital Gender Divide?

Mobile phone affordability — the focus of most programs to distribute free phones to women — is far from the only barrier to women’s use of mobile phones.

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.

How Can Funders Promote Interoperable Payments?

Interoperability can make digital payments more convenient and useful for low-income customers. Find out how funders can support the development of interoperable payments systems.

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.

Beyond Access and Usage: Financial Services for Livelihoods

Not only have financial services have changed dramatically over the last 30 years, so have the ways people earn a living.

Comparing India’s UPI and Brazil’s New Instant Payment System, PIX

Many countries are pressing forward with new systems to enable better, faster digital payments. Brazil's instant payment system, PIX, is among the newest and most exciting. How does it compare to India's well-known UPI system?

Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment in Financial Inclusion

Get answers to common questions about how to measure the impact of financial inclusion initiatives on women's economic empowerment.

Let Her Choose: Supercharging G2P for Women

Government-to-person (G2P) programs can reach millions of women. What if instead of requiring women to receive payments from a single provider, they enabled women to select among several options and to reward good service with their business?

Is Mexico’s “Fintech Law” Leading a New Trend in Fintech Regulation?

Some regulators are looking to Mexico's so-called "fintech law" as an example of how to respond to the full range of fintech innovations in a single law. But this isn't what the Mexican law does, and there are good reasons for this.

How Social Norms for Men Restrict Women’s Financial Inclusion

Addressing social norms that affect men’s role in society and influence their behavior is an important — but largely overlooked — aspect of advancing women’s financial inclusion.

Finding Opportunity in “Interesting Times”

What did 2020 teach us about financial inclusion? Greta Bull reflects on what was, for most people, an especially difficult year and offers her perspective on the year ahead.

Harnessing Fintech in the Arab World: An Opportunity Worth Billions

New research suggests that fintechs in the Arab world could help millions of people and small businesses and generate billions in revenue by serving excluded customers.

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2020

This year's top blog posts reflect the financial inclusion community's need for reliable information about COVID-19 and commitment to supporting an effective global response.

How Financial Services Can Help the Poor in the Climate Transition

Early evidence suggests that the financial sector could play a key role in helping low-income people prepare for and participate in climate transition. However, greater coordination among funders and other sector stakeholders is needed.

The Digital Gender Divide Won’t Close by Itself – Here’s Why

Men and women engage differently with digital services - including digital financial services - because of, among other factors, gendered social norms that don't change nearly as fast as technology.

How Can Funders Avoid Chasing Data as the Latest Shiny Object?

How can the financial inclusion community get more out of data to achieve sustainable impact? Here are four recommendations.

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.

COVID-19 Testing Resilience of Informal E-Commerce in Pakistan

E-commerce conducted on social media has created economic opportunities for many women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Now, this same type of e-commerce is helping some women adapt to the challenges of COVID-19.

Some Countries Have Digital Bank Licenses, Others Have Digital Banks

Some regulators are creating custom banking licenses for digital banks. Others are licensing digital banks with existing licenses. What's the better way to encourage digital banking?