Research & Analysis

Nonbank E-Money Issuers vs. Payments Banks: How Do They Compare?

A special licensing category for nonbank e-money issuers is considered a key regulatory enabler for inclusive digital financial services. This Technical Note compares the EMI license with the payments bank license that India, Mexico and Nigeria have created.

Is Data Privacy Good for Business?

Do poor customers value data privacy? Six experiments in India and Kenya indicated they do and are willing to pay for it. For providers, this suggests that offering products with privacy and protection features can give them a competitive market edge.

The Trillion-Dollar Question

What must providers do differently to make digital payments work better than cash for merchants and their customers? Peter Zetterli’s search for an answer led him to a surprising question: What if trying to be better than cash is the wrong approach?

Fair Play: Ensuring Competition in Digital Financial Services

In addition to the behavior of market actors, regulation can have a substantial impact on the dynamics of competition in digital financial services markets. CGAP examines some regulatory levers that policy makers can deploy to promote more competition in emerging economies.

A Tale of Two Sisters: Microfinance Institutions and PAYGo Solar

Decisions on whether to compete or collaborate with new types of financial services providers and how to do so are some of the biggest challenges that MFIs face. Two global microfinance groups, Baobab and FINCA, have concluded that PAYGo financing can help them reach additional clients.

Agent Networks at the Last Mile

Most digital financial services users require agents to help them switch between worlds of cash and digital currency. Global evidence suggests six principles for building viable agent networks in rural areas home to poor, financially excluded populations.

Deposit Insurance Treatment of E-Money: An Analysis of Policy Choices

The expansion of digital financial accounts among poor customers has raised the question of whether e-money should be covered by deposit insurance and if so, how. This Technical Note examines the options while arguing that deposit insurance should not be the first line of defense in many emerging markets.

Risk-Based Customer Due Diligence: Regulatory Approaches

Regulators face a challenge in balancing policies on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism against their financial inclusion goals. This Technical Note provides guidance on using risk-based approaches to customer due diligence, with examples from around the world.

Building Cross-Sector Partnerships to Amplify Impact

In The Gambia, UNCDF’s two practice areas and the International Trade Center (ITC) are addressing several development challenges: climate change adaptation and mitigation, low levels of financial inclusion, and the lack of job opportunities for youth and women.

Toward a New Impact Narrative for Financial Inclusion

The global development community has debated the question of how financial services impact the lives of poor people for decades. Recently, CGAP has developed a theory of change to guide the financial inclusion community toward an updated narrative that shows the many ways financial services can impact the lives of poor people.