Blog

Does Financial Inclusion Impact the Lives of the Poor?

A growing body of evidence is emerging on financial inclusion. The lack of a cohesive, nuanced story to bring the evidence together is leading to wildly different and overly simplistic interpretations.

Digital Payments Matter More for Public Services: 3 Reasons Why

Water utilities and other public service providers can benefit in at least three ways from digital payments.

Could e-Commerce Bring Women’s Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh?

Closing the financial inclusion gender gap is about more than account access. It’s about making sure accounts unlock real opportunities for women. In Bangladesh, linking mobile money to informal e-commerce could meaningfully advance women’s financial inclusion.

From Smartphones to Solar Panels: Are Asset Finance Advances Pro-Poor?

Can asset financing improve the lives of low-income customers? And if so, which assets and financing approaches hold the most promise?

Should Funders Support Switches for Mobile Payment Interoperability?

Mobile payment switches aren’t the only path to interoperable financial systems – and they aren’t always the best path. Here are three questions funders should ask before they commit to building a switch.

I-SIP Approach Helps Russia Shape Inclusive Financial Policy Making

Find out how Russia's central bank is using the I-SIP approach to promote financial inclusion.

How the Philippines Applied I-SIP Approach to Basic Deposit Accounts

Learn how the Philippine Central Bank is advancing financial inclusion using a new CGAP toolkit for policy makers.

A Growing Trend in Financial Regulation: Thematic Sandboxes

More regulators are experimenting with "thematic sandboxes" that are designed to advance a specific policy goal. Here are three types of thematic sandboxes we've seen emerge over the past year.

Pictures from Africa Show How Digital Technology Transforms Lives

This year's winning photo powerfully conveys how digital technologies can bring new opportunities for women.

Is Digital Banking Better Banking for the Bottom of the Pyramid?

Digital banks are emerging in many developing countries. Can they do a better job than traditional banks of providing low-income customers with useful financial services?

Is Banking Becoming Modular? A Glimpse into the Future of Finance

There's a growing sense in developed markets that the next few years will see profound change in financial services. What are these changes? And what are the implications for financial inclusion?

6 Data Protection Rights for Empowering People in the Digital World

The digital economy presents an opportunity to provide greater rights to individuals exactly when it matters.

Great Expectations: Fintech and the Poor

Fintech has attracted off-the-charts hype in the development community. But lost in all the excitement is a cool-headed assessment of what these shiny new things are really delivering for poor people. Greta Bull, in the first in a series of CGAP leadership essays, takes stock.

Building Open APIs for Digital Finance? Think Sprints, Not Marathon

Digital financial services provides are finding that traditional software development approaches are not ideal for opening APIs. Here’s a better approach.

8 Lessons from Using a Messaging Platform to Support Digital Payments

Here are eight insights on how to use messaging platforms to increase financial literacy among smallholders.

Let’s Free Up Cash Networks by Rethinking Agent Regulations

Regulations often give big financial institutions near total control over mobile money cash-in/cash-out networks. Changing the rules would enable small entrepreneurs to play a bigger role in building last-mile cash networks.

It’s Time to Deregulate Agent Cash In/Cash Out

Agent regulations often treat agents like extensions of bank branches. But the reality is that many agents conduct a far more limited range of financial activities and should be regulated differently.

3 Data Protection Approaches That Go Beyond Consent

Consent forms are the backbone of data protection efforts worldwide, but there’s a problem: no one reads them. To protect people’s data, policy makers must go beyond consent.

What’s Financial Health Got to Do with It?

Financial health can be a useful concept for those working toward financial inclusion, but it also presents challenges.

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2018

The most popular posts of 2018 go beyond the hype that often surrounds digital innovations to ask important questions about their applicability and impact on financial inclusion.