Research & Analysis

Open APIs in Digital Finance

A growing number of digital financial services providers in emerging markets are deciding to open APIs. Are APIs right for your business? How do you implement an open API initiative? This infographic shares key findings from CGAP's work with providers around the world.

Snapshots: MFIs During the COVID-19 Crisis

To help fill the void of publicly available data on how COVID-19 is impacting the microfinance sector, CGAP and Symbiotics – a leading microfinance investment vehicle – have partnered to analyze data on the performance of the more than 300 MFIs in Symbiotics global portfolio.

Inclusive Digital Banking: Emerging Markets Case Studies

What makes digital banking inclusive? CGAP looks at how three digital banks are innovating and driving financial inclusion: Tyme Bank in South Africa, Kotak 811 in India, and UnionBank of the Philippines.

Open Banking: How to Design for Financial Inclusion

While many regulators in emerging and developing markets understand the potential benefits of open banking regimes, they are uncertain how to design them in ways that support financial inclusion. CGAP has identified 12 critical design components.

Consumer Protection and COVID-19: Borrower Risks as Economies Reopen

Lockdowns have put consumers in financial need and providers under stress, setting the stage for consumer protection challenges to emerge around the provision of credit. In this Briefing, we offer preliminary recommendations for policy makers, regulators, and FSPs on how to keep borrower financial needs front and center without putting excessive stress on FSPs.

Microfinance and COVID-19: Principles for Regulatory Response

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, further policy steps have proven necessary, both within and beyond the financial sector, to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on businesses and ordinary people. This Briefing applies five guiding principle to country contexts, and specifically addresses what each principle means for regulatory responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

Microfinance & COVID-19: Examples of Regulatory Responses Affecting Microfinance Providers

This table provides country examples for regulatory responses identified in the Briefing Microfinance and COVID-19: Principles for Regulatory Response.

Debt Restructuring in Microfinance

The twin global crises of a health pandemic and economic lockdowns are severely harming the livelihoods of low-income people around the world. Microfinance providers and funders are returning to the negotiating table to respond to liquidity and, possibly, solvency issues facing distressed MFPs.

Social Assistance Payments in Response to COVID-19: The Role of Donors

Countries worldwide are using social assistance payments as a component of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This briefing addresses how donors and their partners can design and implement social assistance payments that are efficient and secure while providing recipients with reliable, convenient, and safe access to their payments.

How to Build a Regulatory Sandbox: A Practical Guide for Policy Makers

When is a regulatory sandbox the best method for financial regulators to test innovative products and services? And how can they use a sandbox for advancing financial inclusion? CGAP’s new guide leads regulators step by step through the decision-making process.