Many donors and investors focusing on financial inclusion in the Arab World are considering how to adjust or adapt their work given the level of crisis in the region. This blog series share insights from organizations working in this situation, who…
In the coming weeks we will share with you insights into financial inclusion developments in Sub-Saharan Africa, as we learn more about consumer insights, product development, business models and the enabling policy environment required to improve…
Islamic microfinance is undoubtedly gaining momentum. But despite the doubling of Sharia-compliant microfinance providers since 2006 and the rapid increase in the number of their customers, Islamic microfinance is still dominated by a handful of…
The CGAP-Ford Foundation Graduation Program is a global effort to understand how a series of sequenced interventions - safety nets, livelihoods and access to finance -- can create sustainable pathways out of poverty for the extreme poor. Blogs in…
Near the end of 2011, CGAP published a paper, "Latest Findings from Randomized Evaluations of Microfinance," which summarized empirical evidence from randomized trials that evaluated the impact of microfinance. Many of these studies revealed that…
This blog series focuses on ways in which academic research findings have been used by practitioners and policy makers to increase financial inclusion.
Merchant payments are emerging as an increasing priority for digital financial services providers across emerging markets. The retail space holds the promise of new potential revenue streams, deepened customer engagement and vastly increased…
Despite its acceptance as an important tool in development, market facilitation still lacks sufficient research on how it can be done best and under what conditions, particularly for financial markets. This blog series builds off of a series of case…
Putting customers at the center of your business is smart business for financial service providers who serve low-income customers. Hear from leaders who have done it, in this video blog series featuring speakers from the inaugural CGAP Leadership…
In an effort to get a fuller picture of the evidence base for social cash transfers, e-payments, and financial inclusion, CGAP commissioned Bankable Frontier Associates, on behalf of The Better than Cash Alliance and with support from DFID, to…
In this series, three pioneering insurance supervisors from Ghana, Pakistan and South Africa share their experiences regulating inclusive insurance vis-à-vis the work of the A2ii and the IAIS.
Despite ongoing efforts to serve the world’s 450 million smallholder households—the largest client segment by livelihood of those living under $2 a day—little is known about their financial needs and desires.
That is why we believe that a human-…
Investing in recourse and complaints-handling systems that serve low-income consumers can advance and reinforce responsible financial inclusion, according to the CGAP report, "Making Recourse Work for Base of the Pyramid Financial Consumers." This…
This blog series coincides with the release of comparable cross-country demand-side data on how the world’s poor save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. The World Bank’s Development Research Group, with a 10-year grant from the Bill…
At an estimated USD $8 trillion across the globe and USD $375 billion in low-and lower-middle-income countries alone, person-to-government (P2G) payments make up a significant part of the payments landscape. Digitizing these payments brings benefits…
In conjunction with the focus note "Serving Smallholder Farmers: Recent Developments in Digital Finance," CGAP asked experts who use digital channels to improve smallholder access to financial services for an inside look at how their work is…
