Research & Analysis

Microfinance and COVID-19: A Framework for Regulatory Response

A framework for identifying and assessing crisis responses must take account of the special characteristics of microfinance which leads to the question of how regulators should respond. A review of current practice in a range of countries suggests there are six key steps to be taken at the level of regulation and policy.

How to Engage Third Parties with Your Open APIs

This slide deck describes different third-party segments a provider may want to target with APIs and introduces engagement strategies and activities that may be effective with these segments.

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

Most “unicorn” companies are platforms. But what exactly are platforms? What are the main business models? Are to what extent are they relevant to financial inclusion for low-income customers? Explore the answers in this slide deck.

Innovations in Asset Finance

With the SDGs facing an estimated annual investment gap of $2.5 trillion, innovations in asset financing offer a more sustainable alternative to transfers, with the potential to drive asset ownership at scale.

Technology Building Blocks for an Open API Strategy

This slide deck is designed to help business leaders who are not IT specialists learn how to 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 digitization of banking and analyzes the connection of three new business models to financial inclusion: fully digital retail banks, marketplace banks and banking-as-a-service.

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.