Blog

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?

Crédito Fácil: Electric Banking in Colombia

Access to electricity does little good if it can’t be used. Learn how an energy utility in Colombia has helped 1.3 million customers to finance appliances and get more value from their energy.

How Does Tech Make a Difference in Digital Banking?

Digital banks have been innovating faster than traditional banks, and the secret to their ingenuity has a lot to do with the agile business cultures made possible by their modern tech stacks.

Finance Fit for Opportunities and Shocks: What Helps Poor Clients Most

To better understand the impact of financial services on people's lives, providers will need to invest in deeper customer research with the help of the broader financial inclusion community.

What Makes Digital Banking Inclusive?

Just because digital banks can reach low-income customers doesn’t mean that they will. But new evidence suggests that in fact some digital banks are becoming more inclusive and sheds light on how they are reaching low-income customers.

Moratoria During COVID-19: How Are They Working Out?

The unprecedented use of moratoria during the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to examine them as a tool for credit market management.

How India’s Paytm Created More Demand for Its Payments APIs

Paytm, India's largest digital financial services platform, processes millions of dollars via its open APIs. But success with open APIs didn't happen overnight. Learn about the company's innovative approach and why it's paying off.

After the Storm: How Microfinance Can Adapt and Thrive

There has been a need for traditional microfinance to face the challenge presented by digital technology for some time, COVID has simply accelerated this process.

Measuring the Influence of Financial Services on Reaching the SDGs

Learn about UNCDF Impact Pathways, a tool to measure the influence of digital financial services in reaching the SDGs, in this guest blog.

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.

The Breaking Point: How Warranties Support Sustainable Asset Finance

Warranties can break down barriers to asset finance for low-income customers. Here's how.

3 Opportunities to Strengthen the Consumer Voice in Financial Services

Consumers International shares strategies its members are using to advocate for financial services consumer protection in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on three strategies that it sees as having great potential.

Elevating the Collective Voice of Poor Consumers in Financial Policy

How can low-income customers be better represented in financial policy making? Here are some opportunities for consumer associations, regulators and funders to make a difference.

Yes, Financial Inclusion and Financial Stability Are Compatible Goals

At a time when policy makers are focused on the stability of the financial system, it is important not to lose sight of financial inclusion. In fact, evidence shows that the stability of a financial system depends, in part, on how inclusive it is.

Microfinance and COVID-19: Is Insolvency on the Horizon?

Global survey data shows a sharp increase in nonperforming and restructured microfinance loans during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, but strong capitalization among most MFIs mitigates the risk of insolvency.

Building Back Better: Designing Cash Transfers for Women’s Empowerment

For government-to-person payments to truly benefit the most vulnerable during COVID-19, they must tackle the inequalities that women are facing due to the pandemic.

How Ghana’s New Digital Finance Policy Can Drive Women’s Inclusion

Ghana launched the world's first digital finance policy earlier this year. Here are five ways the new policy can be implemented to help Ghana close its gender gap in financial inclusion.

Four Ways Microfinance Institutions Are Responding to COVID-19

How are microfinance institutions responding to COVID-19? To what extent are they offering leniency to clients? Have they been forced to lay off staff or close branches? CGAP's pulse survey of microfinance institutions sheds light on these questions.

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.

COVID-19: Risks for Borrowers as Economies Reopen

With COVID-19 lockdowns putting stress on both consumers and lenders, the stage is set for consumer protection challenges around the provision of credit.