Recent Blogs

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2017 Global Findex: Behind the Numbers on Rural China

What does (and doesn't) the latest Findex tell us about China's urban-rural divide in financial inclusion?
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Measuring Women’s Financial Inclusion: The 2017 Findex Story

Despite global progress toward universal access to financial services, the gender gap remains at 9 percentage points in developing countries. Here's a look at what the 2017 Global Findex tells us about women's access to financial services.
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New Global Findex: What You Need to Know

The latest Findex shows global progress on access to financial services, but it also illustrates challenges in reaching marginalized groups and increasing usage.
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The Many Faces of Social Exclusion

FinScope consumer data shows how people experience social exclusion differently and points to groups that are especially excluded, including farmers, women and youth.
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Women’s Financial Inclusion: What the Gallup World Poll Tells Us

Gallup data shows that 81 percent of women worldwide own a mobile phone. Yet regions with high ownership rates have some of the lowest rates of women's financial inclusion.
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Can Uganda Reduce Financial Exclusion to 5% in 5 Years?

Here's what you need to know about Uganda's new financial inclusion strategy, which aims to cut financial exclusion from 15 to 5 percent by 2022.
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Who Are Kenya’s Financially Excluded?

In Kenya, where nearly everyone knows about mobile money and a majority live within walking distance of an agent, why do nearly 2 in 10 adults lack access to formal financial services? And what can be done to reach them?
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Bridging the Humanitarian and Development Divide

Building financial inclusion goals into humanitarian programs could have long-term benefits for aid recipients.
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20 Years of Financial Inclusion in the Arab World

According to the Findex, the Arab World has the highest percentage of financially excluded adults. What are the regional obstacles? How has the field changed in the past 2 decades?
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20 Years of Financial Inclusion in Europe and Central Asia

In the past 20 years, microfinance in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has become understood under the larger umbrella of inclusive finance. During this shift, several important changes have occurred.
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20 Years of Financial Inclusion in East Asia and the Pacific

China, with its new business models for internet banking, may be the space to watch for financial inclusion progress in East Asia, but a lot has changed in the region over two decades.
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20 Years of Financial Inclusion in East Africa: 4 Major Shifts

Four major shifts have occurred in East Africa's financial services landscape over the past two decades.
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20 Years of Financial Inclusion Progress in WAEMU; More to Come!

Much has changed in the financial inclusion landscape of the WAEMU region over the last 20 years. Most importantly, it has shifted from primarily offering informal microfinance services to fully regulated and diversified financial institutions.
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Six Takeaways from Rwanda’s Financial Inclusion Insights Survey

Even though Rwanda has low rates of technical literacy and handset usage, digital financial services have reached the same levels of active usage as Ghana, which has a much more "mobile-ready" population.
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Technology Must Solve Real Problems for Low-Income Customers

We are just scratching the surface of what digital technology can do for low-income consumers. Mobile has been a game changer, but what's next? There are even more powerful digital tools in the pipeline.
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The Road to Financial Inclusion: Solid Progress, Big Challenges

It is not poverty that generates financial exclusion, but rather the opposite: financial exclusion generates poverty.
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The Five Most Dramatic Changes in 20 Years of Financial Inclusion

Since CGAP was formed 20 years ago, there have been dramatic changes in the progress of financial inclusion.
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From Microfinance to Financial Inclusion: Reflections on 20 Years

2015 marks a good year for financial inclusion and provides an opportunity for reflecting on what has happened in the sector in the past two decades.
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Financial Inclusion in Myanmar: 10 Things You Should Know

The financial inclusion ecosystem in Myanmar is changing rapidly. Here are 10 things you should know about financial inclusion in Myanmar.