Greg Chen

Gregory Chen served as CGAP’s Policy team lead through October 2021. The team helps policy makers adapt to the fast-changing world of digital finance, including developing and executing a strategy to engage multiple countries, regions, and global bodies—and oversight of the work of more than a dozen staff and consultants.

Gregory has 25 years of financial inclusion experience and deep regional experience in South Asia. His work has focused on hands-on start-up pioneer microfinance institutions, digital finance players, and FinTech. He has been part of forging new institutions and regulatory environments to support financial sectors. This includes work with the Aga Khan Development Network, BRAC, Telenor, and Dvara. He also has experience as a corporate banker at Bank of America and led the establishment of the financial services consulting firm Enclude in South Asia.

Gregory is a frequent speaker and lecturer on microfinance and digital finance in academic circles at BRAC University, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Yale, and American University. He has been interviewed by BBC and quoted in the Economist. He has a Master’s degree in International Development from Harvard’s Kennedy School and an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University.

By Greg Chen

Research

Financial Access 2011: An Overview of the Supply-Side Data Landscape

Financial Access 2011 provides an overview of data sources and discusses select methodological supply-side data issues. It includes a discussion with leading experts on financial inclusion data.
Research

The Pursuit of Complete Financial Inclusion: The KGFS Model in India

This paper explores the KGFS model as it is applied in various parts of India.
Blog

Branchless Banking in India: More Reasons for Optimism

In keeping with this optimistic view of a still uncertain India venture, we conclude with three more positive items to highlight. Two reflect new changes by the government and one goes back to the fundamentals.
Blog

Eko’s Mobile Banking: A Basic Payments Product

Eko was the first company dedicated to a mobile phone-based basic savings account and payment service for the unbanked in India. Launched in 2007, Eko has carefully developed a mobile-based service usable on the most basic of handsets and continually revised and re-fashioned its approach.
Blog

Beam in India Demonstrates the Power of Convenience

Beam is one example of a mobile phone based service that offers something much simpler and lies at the far end of the spectrum of financial services.