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UOB Takes a Human-Centered Approach to Rwanda’s Smallholders

Nick Meakin of Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) discusses how Rwanda's first and largest microfinance bank is using a human-centered approach to designing financial products that better meet the needs of smallholder farmers.

Benin’s Expansion of Digital Finance

The market for digital financial services in Benin shows potential. However, major barriers need to be addressed for digital finance to thrive and contribute to financial inclusion.

When Digital Meets Traditional Banking: A New Concept in Senegal

With the launch of Manko in 2013, Société Générale de Banques au Sénégal (SGBS) is one of the few commercial banks that could potentially disrupt the market and redefine the role of banks in Senegal and WAEMU more broadly.

Digital Finance in Cote d’Ivoire: Ready, Set, Go!

On the surface, Cote d’Ivoire may seem like an unlikely contender to challenge the digital financial success in East Africa. However, the country has great potential to be the next digital finance success story.

Is Digital Finance Hitting its Stride in WAEMU?

Digital finance is advancing in WAEMU, but within the region there are eight countries all with unique markets facing disparate challenges. When it comes to mobile money and financial inclusion, the question for some is "where do you start?"

Digital Currencies and Financial Inclusion: Revisited

Digital currencies are evolving fast, and so is their link with financial inclusion.

Talking Avocados, Spinach & Catfish with a Tanzanian Rice Farmer

Although Gideon, a participant in CGAP's financial diaries of smallholder families research, is technically a rice farmer, much of his income is comprised of income from other crops and and non-agricultural activities.

Regulating for Inclusive Insurance Markets in Ghana

Tremendous gains have been made in Ghana's microinsurance market in recent years. Here's what the National Insurance Commission of Ghana, along with the German Development Corporation, did to help develop the market - and what challenges lie ahead.

Merchant Incentives in the Shift to Cashless Food Aid

Shifting social support benefits through electronic payments instead of cash or in-kind contributions offers many benefits, but evidence from existing programs suggests that the link between these payments and financial inclusion is is challenging to make.

Don’t Abandon Youth Financial Services - Innovate

Providing services for small savers is a challenge for financial institutions. With this in mind, Freedom from Hunger is getting a better understanding of the business case behind financial services to youth, who many financial institutions choose not to serve.

What Does it Take to Build Resilient Households in Burkina Faso?

“Resilience” seems to be the mot du jour among development practitioners these days. In the financial inclusion context, resilience refers to a person or family’s ability to weather shocks. But how do households in Burkina Faso define it?

Understanding our Smallholder Clients, Serving them Better

Smallholder farmers are among the most financially excluded of all client segments. Understanding their particular needs is an important step in helping financial service providers to develop appropriate and effective products that serve them effectively.

Learning from Smallholder Supply Chains in Côte d’Ivoire

IFC and Ecom, a global commodity trading company, interviewed more than 2,000 cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire about their income levels, food security, and other qualitative aspects of their farming lives. The results highlight some key challenges facing smallholder farmers.

CGAP’s National Surveys of Smallholder Households

CGAP is undertaking national surveys of smallholders in Mozambique and Tanzania to identify distinct segments of households and determine their demand for financial services.

10 Myths About M-PESA: 2014 Update

M-PESA and its 12.6 million active customers have fundamentally altered the landscape of financial services in Kenya. Despite its popularity, there are still some misconceptions about how it works.

Simple Messages Help Consumers Understand Big Data

After experimenting with SMS messages with Tanzanian microfinance loan applicants, First Access determined that customers can learn a lot about data and their privacy from simple forms of communication.

Providing Last Mile Customer Service for Solar Home Systems

Off Grid Electric (OGE) is a solar company in Tanzania that provides low-cost energy services to households without energy access. The company is focused on breaking new ground in last-mile service.

Price Sensitivity and the New M-Pesa Tariffs

M-Pesa recently reduced its fees on person-to-person mobile money transfers. How will these price changes affect usage?

When Saving for Tomorrow Necessitates Borrowing for Today

The Kenyan Financial Diaries project found that many poor households prioritized savings over liquidity when it came to their household budgets. Many viewed this as the way to get out of poverty and secure a longer term future.

The Kenya Financial Diaries: 4 Flaws in the Social Network

The Kenya Financial Diaries project tracked the detailed cash flows of 300 low-income families over the course of a year, shedding light on how the poor manage their money.