Recent Blogs
Blog
New Accounts in China Drive Global Financial Inclusion Figures
The 2014 Findex found that of the world’s 500 million newly banked adults, more than one third (180 million) live in China. Three positive trends emerge from this data.Blog
Low Financial Inclusion, High Cash Usage in Myanmar
For the first time, Myanmar was included in the Global Findex survey and analysis. Insights show that although usage of formal services also remains low, cash usage remains high.Blog
Setting the Stage for Mobile Money in Myanmar
The rapid growth in telecommunications coverage in Myanmar is laying important groundwork that can support growth of digital financial services for the unbanked.Blog
BanKO: Listening to Customers Helps Drive Growth
Taking a more customer-centric approach to financial services for the poor can help create a better value proposition for customers. BanKO, in the Philippines, is one company utilizing this approach.Blog
Understanding Typical Financial Behavior in Myanmar
A recent survey of 5,500 households is a gold mine of information on the demand and supply of financial services in Myanmar. Providers, policy makers, donors and investors already are starting to use the data to guide their policies.Blog
Digital Finance: Catalyzing New Energy Business Models
Over 1.3 billion people worldwide live without access to electricity. Modern, small-scale solar solutions are now on the market, and digital finance is going a long way toward making these more affordable and accessible in poor communities.Blog
Transforming Payments through mPOS: Perspectives from Indonesia
For traditional merchants in Indonesia, cash is still a mainstay of doing business. CGAP and partners set out to understand what might motivate more merchants to use digital forms of payment, particularly mobile point-of-service (mPOS) devices.Blog
Financial Inclusion in Cambodia is Trending Digital
In Cambodia, where 80% of the population lives in rural areas and fewer than 20% of adults have access to financial services, digital finance could be a financial inclusion game-changer.Blog
What Next for Remittances and Money Transfers in the Pacific?
There is a risk that recent progress in the Pacific region to drive down the cost of remittances will be undone, as money transfer operators are facing increased regulatory pressures.Blog
Power of the Persona: Applied Product Innovation with Bank BTPN
This is the second of a two-part blog series presenting some of the key findings from CGAP’s Applied Product Innovation program with the Indonesian Bank BTPN.Blog
Indonesia: Anatomy of a Successful Human-Centered Design Project
CGAP recently completed an Applied Product Innovation (API) project with Bank BTPN in Indonesia. The goal of such API projects is to develop new financial service offerings that are relevant to customers’ lives.Blog
Killer Apps in China: Social Networks and Financial Inclusion
In China, financial services offered through social media have recently begun to take off, with interesting potential to expand financial inclusion.Blog
Postal Savings Bank of China: Inclusive Finance in Rural China
The Postal Savings Bank of China has five advantages over the "big 4" commercial banks when it comes to serving the rural population.Blog
Bridging the Urban-Rural Corridor in China
Migrant workers remain one of the most financially excluded population segments in China. Without bank accounts, sending money home via remittances can be complicated and expensive.Blog
China and Kenya: Different Models for Scaling Branchless Banking
In China, branchless banking initiatives are starting to reach scale, but the story has different foundations from other country success stories, such as Kenya.Blog
Branchless Banking in China: Will Regulation Support Innovation?
China's pilot of 500,000 banking agents show significant promise for financial inclusion. Allowing these agents to offer a greater variety of services, such as taking deposits and opening new accounts, could lead to faster growth and more usage.Blog
Financial Inclusion in China: Will Innovation Bridge the Gap?
Technology and innovation hold great promise for deepening financial access in China. But despite recent improvements, China is home to a huge unbanked population - second only in size to India.Blog
The Case for Branchless Banking in Thousand Islands, Indonesia
In Thousand Islands, Indonesia, financial access is virtually nonexistent. Since most residents have mobile phones, the introduction of branchless banking could bridge the access gap and help improve the lives of the islands' residents.Blog
Financial Inclusion in Myanmar: 10 Things You Should Know
The financial inclusion ecosystem in Myanmar is changing rapidly. Here are 10 things you should know about financial inclusion in Myanmar.Blog