Searching: Research & Analysis

Resilience and Health Shocks

Based upon the findings of a field experiment conducted in rural Burkina Faso, this working paper suggests that health savings accounts and health loans have the potential to help the poor better manage health shocks and build resilience.

How Do You Know “Resilience” When You See It?

The findings presented in this working paper are based upon research conducted in Burkina Faso. They provide unique insights into the set of factors, if reinforced by financial institutions and development practitioners, that are likely to strengthen household resilience.

The Proliferation of Digital Credit Deployments

This Brief provides an introduction to the fast-evolving landscape of digital credit and illustrates common features of this new digital finance offering.

Understanding Demand for Sharia-Compliant Loans

This Brief explores the findings and their implications from the study in Jordan. While the results are only valid for the Jordanian market, if similar studies were done elsewhere, we may begin to see a clearer picture of demand for sharia-compliant services.

Competition in Mobile Financial Services: Lessons from Kenya & Tanzania

This working paper aims to provide insights on the role that effective competition and competition policy play in developing MFS, and in turn promoting financial inclusion using Kenya and Tanzania as case countries.

Costs and Sustainability of Sharia-Compliant Microfinance

This Focus Note explores the operational costs associated with musharaka and salam products by delving into two case studies: Bank Al Baraka in Algeria and Wasil Foundation in Pakistan.

bKash Bangladesh: A Fast Start for Mobile Financial Services

bKash launched in the second half of 2011, grew to 2 million accounts by the end of 2012, and shot up to 11 million registered accounts by the end of 2013.

The Business Case for Youth Savings: A Framework

This paper offers a framework for understanding how different influences or “levers” affect costs and revenues for youth savings and uses examples to explain how the framework can be applied as a decision-making tool.

Bitcoin Versus Electronic Money

This Brief provides information about Bitcoin and contrasts Bitcoin with e-money to avoid alarm about the former to the detriment of the latter.

The Emerging Global Landscape of Mobile Microinsurance

This Brief describes CGAP’s initial supply-side scan of the emerging trend of mobile microinsurance. It analyzes the different provider models and explores the role played by mobile channels to date, with a view to providing an initial basis for understanding these developments