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New Accounts in China Drive Global Financial Inclusion Figures

The 2014 Findex found that of the world’s 500 million newly banked adults, more than one third (180 million) live in China. Three positive trends emerge from this data.

Low Financial Inclusion, High Cash Usage in Myanmar

For the first time, Myanmar was included in the Global Findex survey and analysis. Insights show that although usage of formal services also remains low, cash usage remains high.

Setting the Stage for Mobile Money in Myanmar

The rapid growth in telecommunications coverage in Myanmar is laying important groundwork that can support growth of digital financial services for the unbanked.

BanKO: Listening to Customers Helps Drive Growth

Taking a more customer-centric approach to financial services for the poor can help create a better value proposition for customers. BanKO, in the Philippines, is one company utilizing this approach.

Understanding Typical Financial Behavior in Myanmar

A recent survey of 5,500 households is a gold mine of information on the demand and supply of financial services in Myanmar. Providers, policy makers, donors and investors already are starting to use the data to guide their policies.

Digital Finance: Catalyzing New Energy Business Models

Over 1.3 billion people worldwide live without access to electricity. Modern, small-scale solar solutions are now on the market, and digital finance is going a long way toward making these more affordable and accessible in poor communities.

Transforming Payments through mPOS: Perspectives from Indonesia

For traditional merchants in Indonesia, cash is still a mainstay of doing business. CGAP and partners set out to understand what might motivate more merchants to use digital forms of payment, particularly mobile point-of-service (mPOS) devices.

Financial Inclusion in Cambodia is Trending Digital

In Cambodia, where 80% of the population lives in rural areas and fewer than 20% of adults have access to financial services, digital finance could be a financial inclusion game-changer.

What Next for Remittances and Money Transfers in the Pacific?

There is a risk that recent progress in the Pacific region to drive down the cost of remittances will be undone, as money transfer operators are facing increased regulatory pressures.

Power of the Persona: Applied Product Innovation with Bank BTPN

This is the second of a two-part blog series presenting some of the key findings from CGAP’s Applied Product Innovation program with the Indonesian Bank BTPN.

Indonesia: Anatomy of a Successful Human-Centered Design Project

CGAP recently completed an Applied Product Innovation (API) project with Bank BTPN in Indonesia. The goal of such API projects is to develop new financial service offerings that are relevant to customers’ lives.

Killer Apps in China: Social Networks and Financial Inclusion

In China, financial services offered through social media have recently begun to take off, with interesting potential to expand financial inclusion.

Postal Savings Bank of China: Inclusive Finance in Rural China

The Postal Savings Bank of China has five advantages over the "big 4" commercial banks when it comes to serving the rural population.

Bridging the Urban-Rural Corridor in China

Migrant workers remain one of the most financially excluded population segments in China. Without bank accounts, sending money home via remittances can be complicated and expensive.

China and Kenya: Different Models for Scaling Branchless Banking

In China, branchless banking initiatives are starting to reach scale, but the story has different foundations from other country success stories, such as Kenya.

Branchless Banking in China: Will Regulation Support Innovation?

China's pilot of 500,000 banking agents show significant promise for financial inclusion. Allowing these agents to offer a greater variety of services, such as taking deposits and opening new accounts, could lead to faster growth and more usage.

Financial Inclusion in China: Will Innovation Bridge the Gap?

Technology and innovation hold great promise for deepening financial access in China. But despite recent improvements, China is home to a huge unbanked population - second only in size to India.

The Case for Branchless Banking in Thousand Islands, Indonesia

In Thousand Islands, Indonesia, financial access is virtually nonexistent. Since most residents have mobile phones, the introduction of branchless banking could bridge the access gap and help improve the lives of the islands' residents.

Financial Inclusion in Myanmar: 10 Things You Should Know

The financial inclusion ecosystem in Myanmar is changing rapidly. Here are 10 things you should know about financial inclusion in Myanmar.

Using Mobile Banking for New Microfinance Business Models

BanKO is starting to blur the lines between microfinance and mobile banking by leveraging a network of agents to manage remote customer registration and due diligence, helping it to run more efficiently and at lower costs.