Searching: Research & Analysis

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.

COVID-19 and Disruptions to Vulnerable Rural Livelihoods in the Sahel

The livelihoods of vulnerable rural households in fragile environments such as Niger and the wider Sahel have been strongly affected by the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. A holistic, coordinated approach by stakeholders can help create solutions that make it possible for vulnerable rural households to escape the recurring cycle of emergency food aid and greatly enhance their resilience to future shocks.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A Digital Credit Revolution: Insights from Borrowers in Kenya and Tanzania

To identify who is using digital credit, the purposes for which it is used, and the risks borrowers experience, CGAP, FSD Kenya, and FSD Tanzania undertook the first large-scale surveys dedicated to these topics.

Digital Credit Market Monitoring in Tanzania

Transactional and demographic data on over 20 million digital loans in Tanzania paints a first-of-its-kind picture of the digital credit market, revealing troubling rates of delinquency and default and suggesting that funders should place greater emphasis on consumer protection.

Using Satellite Data to Scale Smallholder Agricultural Insurance

Smallholder families that use agricultural insurance can increase investments in more productive farming and nonfarming ventures as they feel more confident in managing related risks. However, significantly scaling the use of agricultural insurance among smallholders has been difficult in many parts of the world, especially in Africa.

Building Inclusive Payment Ecosystems in Tanzania and Ghana

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, new success stories are playing out, yet little is understood about the approaches many countries in the region have taken to develop inclusive payment ecosystems. CGAP set out to examine pathways to inclusive payment ecosystems in two Sub-Saharan African countries, Tanzania and Ghana, to learn from their experiences.