Blog

Climate Resilience Through Financial Services: Farzana’s Story

Women, especially those in low-income countries, are faced with higher risk, greater vulnerability, and fewer tools to cope with the impacts of climate change. Financial services can empower women to manage climate risks and build resilience.

Setting Up Funders to Advance Inclusive Finance: 5 Recommendations

Development funders play a key role in advancing inclusive finance – they influence the dynamics of financial systems and transform the way they work to serve people living in poverty. Here, we share five actions funders can take to drive change.

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?

Financial Inclusion: An Entry Point to Climate Adaptation for Funders

Development funders are thirsty for guidance and good practices on funding for climate adaptation, not just mitigation. Here, we discuss how funding to support inclusive financial systems may be a great place for them to start.

Five Opportunities for Funding Transparency in Financial Inclusion

Transparency around funding for financial inclusion is critical to effective funder decision-making and coordination, and broader impact. Drawing on findings from our latest Funder Survey, we share five opportunities to improve transparency.

Doing Good by Doing Well: Women Banking Agents in India

In India's Bihar state, women Bank Sakhi agents help enable financial inclusion for rural, vulnerable, and hard-to-reach customers, more so than the traditional agents - but various gender norms constrain how they operate. We discuss solutions.

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.

Crypto Consumer Protection: Why ‘Wait and See’ Is No Longer an Option

What was once an edgy new market with promises of high returns is now better known for scandal and volatile losses. Better protections for crypto consumers are urgently needed, especially for those who are low-income and least able to weather losses.

To Reach its Inclusive Potential, Open Finance Needs Data Protection

Open finance gives consumers control over their personal financial data, leading to more suitable and better-targeted financial services. But this ability to move entire financial histories both empowers consumers and poses risks.

Women Are Being Digitally Excluded Globally – How Do We Fix That?

On this International Women's Day, we reflect on the state of women's digital and financial inclusion globally. At CGAP, we believe digital financial inclusion is a necessary condition for women to be digitally included and economically empowered.

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.

Regulators Eye Digital Credit in India: What Does it Mean for MSEs?

The growth of India’s fintech industry has historically been driven by digital payments, but now digital credit is poised to take the reins. But what is digital credit, and how can its regulation help narrow the credit gap for India’s MSEs?

How Do Gender Gaps in Financial Inclusion Link to Economic Indicators?

The Global Findex 2021 shows that while the gap in account ownership between men and women is closing in some countries, there are still significant regional differences. We explore four factors that might impact the gender gap in account ownership.

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.

Maximizing the Impact of Financial Inclusion for Young Women

Among which segments of young women could investments in improved financial services make the most impact? We highlight findings from a recent CGAP segmentation exercise.

How Did Bancolombia Create a Successful Rural Agent Network at Scale?

Bancolombia is a great example of a provider that's been successful in developing rural agent business models at scale, therefore playing a critical role in furthering financial inclusion. Here, we look at the factors that explain their success.

High Tech, High Touch: Bringing Formal Loans to Rural India

Despite its success developing digital public infrastructure to enable inclusive financial development, India still faces challenges in bringing formal credit to rural and low-income households. A new app supported by CGAP aims to provide a solution.

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.

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2022

Check out the most-read blog posts of 2022.

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.