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India Stack: Major Potential, but Mind the Risks

India’s new financial infrastructure could connect hundreds of millions of people to financial services, but at its core is a biometric ID system that has stirred controversy around data privacy and security. What are the risks, and what can be done to minimize them?

Should Other Countries Build Their Own India Stack?

India’s new financial infrastructure, including its biometric ID system, has been making headlines lately. But what exactly is "India Stack"? Should other countries replicate it?

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.

Is the Unbundling of Payments from Banking Regulation Imminent?

The unbundling of payments from banking is well underway in countries like India. Is the unbundling of payments from banking regulation soon to follow?

Wari to Buy Tigo in Senegal: Opportunity for Financial Inclusion?

Wari recently announced plans to acquire Tigo in Senegal, a move that would combine Senegal’s largest over-the-counter agent network with Tigo’s e-money wallet. This acquisition could disrupt the digital finance market in a way that benefits low-income customers.

5 Keys to Addressing the Needs of API Consumers

Learn about five steps digital financial services providers can take to design open API products that appeal to third-party developers in their markets.

Daily Energy Payments Powering Digital Finance in Ghana

New evidence from Ghana suggests that pay-as-you-go solar customers are becoming more active mobile money users.

Will Brazil Go Digital?

Small and medium banks in Brazil are starting to take advantage of new regulations that make it easier to adopt fully digital business models. What impact might this development have on financial inclusion in the longer term?

Will Universal Basic Income Replace Safety Net Payments in India?

India is currently considering a universal basic income (UBI) scheme in which the government would guarantee a minimum income for all citizens. What are the key points of the UBI debate? What could UBI mean for financial inclusion in India?

Responsible Digital Credit for Merchants: Insights from Kenya

As digital credit expands rapidly in East Africa and elsewhere, offering credit responsibly is becoming increasingly important. These insights from Kenyan merchants who use Kopo Kopo’s Grow cash advance product point toward some best practices for digital merchant credit.

Are Open Platforms Smart Business for Payments Providers?

Many industries have seen businesses grow after opening APIs. Learn why open APIs could also be a boon for financial services providers in emerging markets.

The SDGs and CGAP’s Future Direction

The approval of the SDGs in September 2015 coincided with CGAP’s organizational strategy refresh. While this strategic thinking process is still ongoing, here are three clear directions for CGAP's future work that build on the themes in the SDGs.

India Has Built the Rails — Will Passengers Climb Aboard?

India has put in place virtually all of the supply-side factors that should make low-cost financial services available for all. But the big question right now is the customer. The next year will be telling in how the adoption of digital financial services unfolds.

3 Customer Insights for Better Mobile Money UI/UX in Pakistan

Smartphone use in Pakistan has grown steadily, but low-income, less educated, and female customers lag in smartphone adoption and ownership. GRID Impact's user research lends insights into how to better serve and design for these population segments.

Interoperability and Financial Inclusion: The Regulator’s Role

Interoperability can greatly expand the reach and usefulness of financial services for the poor. What do regulators need to know about the complex interplay between interoperability and financial inclusion?

What Does the Future Hold for Youth Savings in Ethiopia?

Over the past five years, PEACE MFI S.CO's Lenege youth savings product has increased access to savings for low-income youth in Ethiopia. What can other financial service providers learn from its experience?

A Public-Private Partnership to Digitize Bus Fares in Rwanda

Digitizing high-frequency or high-volume payment flows–especially to and from government–can support the growth of a national payments ecosystem and progress towards universal financial inclusion. In Rwanda, several initiatives are developing technology-enabled delivery of government services and digitization of corresponding payments.

Digital P2G Initiatives: 5 Best Practices for Financial Inclusion

Person-to-government (P2G) payments receive considerably less attention from the global financial inclusion community than payments such as person-to-person or government-to-person. A new report aims to address this gap and to provide a roadmap for future P2G payment digitization efforts.

Interoperability: More Than a Technological Challenge

For most practitioners, interoperability brings to mind the technical tools that allow modern payment systems to work together. CGAP’s new global scan on digital financial services interoperability makes it clear that exchanging payments is about much more than technical connections.

Women’s Financial Inclusion: A Down Payment on Achieving the SDGs

Ensuring that women have access to formal financial services can help to address many of the economic gaps between men and women worldwide. World Bank Group's Gender Strategy puts women’s economic empowerment—and the financial services necessary to achieve it—high on the agenda.