Rafe Mazer

Rafe Mazer works with CGAP's Policy Team on applying behavioral research to consumer protection and financial inclusion. For more than five years he has been designing and leading behavioral research projects with policymakers, providers and donors to help understand how our behaviors impact financial decisions and outcomes.

Research issues Rafe has explored include: Does digital delivery credit change how we borrow and save? Why do financial sales staff sometimes give the right advice, and others times mislead consumers? Do consumers really care about their data privacy in financial inclusion? Why do some consumers choose to complain about a problem, while others remain silent?

This research has been used to develop a range of financial inclusion solutions, including interactive SMS for mobile savings and credit, key facts statements and disclosure regulations, complaints handling regulations, data disclosure messaging, and regulations for consumer protection in digital financial services. He has led research in markets including Ghana, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Tanzania.

By Rafe Mazer

Research

Fraud in Mobile Financial Services

Mobile financial services (MFS) have rapidly become a conduit for fraud and other criminal activity. Various fraud types have been noted in key MFS markets, including consumer-facing fraud from agents and third parties and fraud perpetrated against agents.
Blog

Do Peer-to-Peer Lenders Understand Risk?

A growing number of novice investors are starting to lend to their peers on digital platforms. New research out of Kenya suggests that providers may need to fundamentally rethink how they inform these lenders about risk.
Blog

3 Steps Policy-Makers Can Take Now on Digital Credit

In emerging markets, policy-makers have often struggled to keep pace with the rapid growth of digital credit. With the establishment of consumer protection authorities unlikely in the short term, here are three steps policy-makers can take now to protect consumers.
Blog

Kenya Ends Hidden Costs for Digital Financial Services

In Kenya, many digital financial service providers do not disclose to consumers the costs of products. On October 29, the Competition Authority of Kenya announced an important new standard for pricing in digital financial services.
Blog

Interactive SMS Drives Digital Savings and Borrowing in Tanzania

Financial education is often delinked from customer actions–they may learn about interest rates now, but won’t need to borrow for months or even years. In rural Tanzania, an interactive SMS project brought information to farmers' phones, enabling customized learning in real time.