What Makes Digital Banking Inclusive? Case Studies from Emerging Markets

Digital technology has greatly expanded access to financial services over the last decade, but the quality and range of services available to low-income customers remains limited. While mobile money providers, microfinance institutions, and other financial inclusion champions face regulatory and operational constraints on their capacity to deepen financial inclusion, many traditional banks are encumbered by legacy management cultures, technologies and business models.

Can the new generation of digital banks change this situation and bring better services to excluded customers? And do they offer lessons for mobile money providers, microfinance institutions and traditional banks? In this webinar, CGAP addressed these questions and more using our analysis of digital banks serving the underserved in India, Mexico, the Philippines and South Africa. We also discussed the potential of "neobanks," a new type of non-bank player competing with traditional banks.

Resources

Presentation slides

"Inclusive Digital Banking: Emerging Markets Case Studies" working paper

Speakers

Ivo Jenik | Financial Sector Specialist, CGAP Ivo Jenik has over a decade of experience in finance, primarily in retail financial services regulation. He currently leads CGAP's research on inclusive digital banking and has led work on regulatory innovation (crowdfunding, regulatory sandboxes) and capacity building for policy makers (regulation and supervision of digital financial services) across continents.

Arisha Salman | Financial Sector Analyst, CGAP Arisha Salman works with CGAP’s policy team. She has also supported CGAP’s work on digital business models with a focus on inclusive digital banking and the digital divide. Before joining CGAP, she worked for over five years on digital financial inclusion, small and medium enterprise development and gender mainstreaming in South and Southeast Asia.