Leesa Shrader

Leesa is program director of the AgriFin Accelerate Program at Mercy Corps, which is a 6-year, $24 million program funded by the MasterCard Foundation to expand smallholder farmer access to technology-enabled financial and information services in East Africa. Ms. Shrader joins AgriFin from CGAP, where she served as the senior digital financial services expert for Asia. She has over 20 years global experience working in financial inclusion with leading banks, mobile network operators and institutions, such as CGAP, the World Bank, GiZ, KfW and Women’s World Banking.

By Leesa Shrader

Blog

Microfinance, E-Commerce, Big Data and China: The Alibaba Story

China's Alibaba Group is not only the world's largest e-commerce company, but it is also an innovator in microfinance. Alibaba leverages big data to link rural villages with the goods, sales channels and financial services they need to grow their businesses.
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Innovation in Person to Government Payments in the Philippines

Smart Hub Inc., has developed an epayment innovation in the person to government (P2G) space, called BayadLoad (bayad meaning payment in Tagalog), which attempts to empower more users in the Philippines to use digital channels.
Blog

China – The Future Leader in Branchless Banking for the Poor?

A look at the world's biggest market for branchless banking.
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Indonesia Moves Towards a Cash Light Economy

In mid May 2013, the three leading mobile network operators in Indonesia surprised the financial services industry by announcing they will interoperate their wallets.
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Latest on Branchless Banking from Indonesia

In early May 2013, Bank Indonesia released long-awaited guidelines for banks and mobile network operators to outsource some banking operations to agents, unleashing the potential for branchless banking across the country.