Research & Analysis

Electric Bankers: Utility-Enabled Finance in Sub-Saharan Africa

Without appliances, people cannot make use of electricity. But how can low-income households afford costly electrical appliances? One answer is for utilities to offer consumer financing.

Platform Business Models

Internet platforms are taking the world by storm, making it easy for third parties to exchange goods and services. Adding financial services can improve the experience, but what risks should financial service providers and regulators consider?

Innovations in Asset Finance

This slide deck introduces innovative business models that asset finance providers are deploying to overcome obstacles to serving low-income customers, explaining how they work and what makes them inclusive.

Technology Building Blocks for an Open API Strategy

For financial services providers opening APIs, it is key to have the right technologies in place. This deck is intended to help business leaders who are not IT specialists make informed decisions about the technologies supporting their open APIs.

Humanitarian Cash Transfers and Financial Inclusion

Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan receive more than one quarter of their humanitarian assistance in the form of cash and vouchers. Leveraging this aid delivery to connect refugees to the formal financial system requires the host country to have widespread digital financial ecosystem in place and coordination among governments, aid agencies, and financial service providers.

Assets Matter to Poor People

CGAP has undertaken a comprehensive review of the available evidence to understand (i) how asset ownership can lead to improvements in well-being for poor households and (ii) whether obtaining an asset through a loan or lease as opposed to a transfer, grant, or outright purchase affects the benefits associated with ownership.

Digital Banks: How can they deepen financial inclusion?

This slide deck sheds light on the digitalization of banking, describes the three new business models, and hypothesizes about their potential impact on financial inclusion.

The Use of Agents by Digital Financial Services Providers

Agents play a crucial role in lowering the cost of delivery to reach the unbanked and underbanked population. An increasing number of countries, especially emerging markets and developing economies, allow a diverse array of banks and nonbank institutions to distribute digital financial services through agents. This Technical Note focuses on regulating agent models within an enabling framework that fosters financial inclusion.

Making Data Work for the Poor

The consumer consent model for data privacy and protection is broken. It’s time for a new data paradigm whereby financial services providers and data collectors take greater responsibility for protecting customers’ data.

I Do Not Accept These Terms & Conditions

CGAP's privacy and consumer financial services expert David Medine discusses the risks that millions of low-income consumers face in developing countries as they start using digital financial services