Recent Blogs
Blog
Funder Support for Regulatory Reform in Financial Inclusion
Funding for regulatory reform constitutes a small but crucial part of funder support for financial inclusion worldwide. Is it having the intended impact?Blog
It’s Time to Change the Equation on Consumer Protection
For financial inclusion to work for the poor, it’s time to move beyond consumer protection frameworks that are more about protecting providers than customers.Blog
Should Digital Financial Services Providers Prioritize Open APIs?
Learn about the step-by-step process one provider took to determine whether APIs aligned with its goals and which APIs to prioritize.Blog
$4.9 Trillion Small Business Credit Gap: Digital Models to the Rescue
CGAP estimates that there is a $4.9 trillion credit gap for micro and small businesses in emerging markets.Blog
Is Poverty Reduction the Right Outcome for Financial Services?
Today, the global development community generally accepts that poverty is more than just a lack of income. What do multidimensional concepts of poverty mean for those who see poverty reduction as the ultimate goal of financial inclusion?Blog
It Pays to Be Patient with Fintech Innovation
Take a look at some fintech pilots that didn't go as initially expected but yielded important insights about how to make better financial products.Blog
Diagnosing Social Norms in Women’s Financial Inclusion Programming
Funders must develop a deeper understanding of how to tackle social norms that restrict women's financial inclusion. Lessons from CGAP’s research in Turkey help point the way.Blog
These Emerging Fintech Innovations Are Centered on Poor Customers
After two years of piloting with 18 fintechs around the world, CGAP has identified several fintech innovations that advance financial inclusion.Blog
Stepping Back: Product, Collections and Credit Risk in PAYGo Solar
While PAYGo solar companies can lower delinquency rates by improving their credit risk management practices, improving repayment starts with even more fundamental factors: having an affordable, quality product and effective collections.Blog
Financial Health and the Impact of Financial Inclusion
Financial health has emerged as a useful framework for talking about whether financial services improve poor people's ability to manage their financial lives. But how can we understand whether better financial management improves people's well-being?Blog
PAYGo Solar Opens Pathways to Microfinance in Rural Senegal
A microfinance institution and pay-as-you-go solar company have teamed up to expand rural, low-income customers' access to microfinance based on their solar loan repayment histories.Blog
Do Regulatory Sandboxes Impact Financial Inclusion? A Look at the Data
CGAP estimates that less than 25 percent of sandbox-tested solutions address financial inclusion. Here's how to change this.Blog
How Useful Is “Usage” in Measuring Financial Inclusion’s Impact?
Financial account usage rates can tell us a lot about the state of financial inclusion, but high usage shouldn’t be confused with impact on customers’ lives.Blog
We Need to Talk About Credit
Digital credit is a testament to the ways in which technology and new business models can assist in the expansion of financial services to low-income households. But it also points to potential hazards of letting a market develop unchecked.Blog
The 10-Year Challenge: How Has Financial Inclusion Funding Changed?
Funding for financial inclusion quadrupled between 2007 and 2017. However, greater coordination is needed to ensure funders focus on filling gaps in the sector without duplicating efforts and they build interventions based on their comparative advantage.Blog
2 Financial Services That Increase Smallholders’ Food Security
Evidence from around the world shows that savings and insurance help smallholder farmers to reduce hunger and manage production risks.Blog
You’ve Opened APIs...Now What?
Ready to launch an open API prod-uct? Here are five tips on building a go-to-market strategy and engaging developers from Sila’s Shamir Karkal.Blog
Learning from Financial Inclusion Research: What Should We Expect?
Impact evaluations, reviews, reviews of reviews— there's no shortage of research on whether and how financial inclusion impacts the poor. What should we expect to learn from this growing body of work?Blog
3 Ways Financial Inclusion Improves Women’s Food Security
There is evidence that financial inclusion improves food security for women in at least three ways.Blog