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What Keeps People from Paying with Their Phones?

To find out why more people aren't going digital in Ghana, CGAP partnered with pay-as-you-go solar company PEG Africa and mobile network operator Tigo Ghana.

Transactions Want to Be Free

Imagine a world where anyone could move money instantly across providers at no cost. Three trends are making free transactions more likely today than ever before.

A Practitioner and a Regulator Talk Digital Credit

Do the benefits of digital credit outweigh the risks for consumers? A practitioner and regulator share their viewpoints.

Traders in Refugee Camps: Overlooked Opportunity in Bulk Payments

Lolem Boyo Emilat is a trader in Kenya’s Kalobeyei settlement, where mobile payments have transformed her small business. Could bringing mobile money to more traders like Lolem be an overlooked opportunity to advance financial inclusion?

Remittance Frontiers: Banking Without Borders

TransferWise has launched “borderless” accounts, bringing cross-border banking to a new level. Could similar products serve communities in developing countries that depend on international remittances?

Can Emergency Cash Transfers Lead to Financial Inclusion?

From partnering with the right providers to removing policy constraints, there are several things development and humanitarian actors can do to forge a stronger link between humanitarian cash transfers and financial inclusion.

Using SMS Messaging to Strengthen Your Agent Network

Agents are an important element of mobile financial services, but managing a large agent network can be challenging. In Paraguay, SMS messaging proved a cost-effective solution.

Disaster Risk Insurance to Promote Resilience

A growing body of evidence suggests that disaster insurance makes low-income people more resilient to floods, earthquakes, and other disasters. What challenges must be overcome to make disaster insurance more widely available?

Are PAYGo Solar Companies a New Type of Microfinance Institution?

Are PAYgo solar companies a new breed of microfinance institution (MFI)? Many are engaged in a number of MFI-like activities and could benefit from lessons learned in the more mature MFI sector.

How SMS Messaging Can Change Financial Behaviors

Pilots with mobile money providers in the Philippines and Paraguay showed that simple SMS messaging can increase mobile wallet transactions.

Innovation in Mobile Money: What Are the Risks?

As mobile money continues to evolve, new kinds of fraud are emerging. Here are some steps that providers and regulators can take to keep up.

Schools in Africa Aren’t Taking Advantage of Mobile Money – Why?

Mobile money can make paying school fees easier and cheaper, so why aren't more schools adopting it? Part of the solution could involve a simple app for inexpensive smartphones and tablets.

How Do Mobile Money Fee Structures Impact the Poor?

Pricing data from leading mobile money providers shows significant diversity in pricing models.

Can Digital Savings Reduce Risks in Digital Credit?

An experiment in Tanzania suggests that offering savings and credit on the same mobile wallet can lead to more responsible borrowing.

Meeting Education Finance Needs in Rural Uganda

In Uganda, CGAP partnered with a solar company to better understand the education finance needs of rural customers and explore how pay-as-you-go solar companies can get into education financing.

Open APIs in Digital Finance: We Opened Up, Here’s What Happened

Is “going open” worth the risk for payment providers? A money transfer business in India shares how allowing other companies to deliver financial services based on its systems has fueled its recent growth.

4 Ways Digital Finance Can Help Bring Clean Water to All

Over 3 billion people lack access to piped water in their homes. There are a number of ways digital financial services can help achieve access to clean water and sanitation for all.

Digitizing Smallholder Finance for the 93 Percent

Most digital financial services for smallholders target the 7 percent of farmers who already have buyers for their crops. What about services for the other 93 percent?

Digital Credit’s Evolving Landscape: 3 Things You Need to Know

Digital credit is on the rise in many developing countries. Here are three things you may not know about this fast-evolving form of lending.

Solar Energy: A New Frontier for Microfinance

What if the institution that financed your business could also light up your house? Microfinance institutions are getting into pay-as-you-go solar, bringing microfinance into consumer lending.