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Digital Currencies and Financial Inclusion: Revisited

Digital currencies are evolving fast, and so is their link with financial inclusion.

Does Information Overload Affect Uptake of Financial Services?

When clients receive too much information about new financial services at once, they may avoid making a decision about it, or make a decision without fully understanding a product.

Consumer Protection at the Crux of Takaful Islamic Insurance

A growing need exists to design insurance products that meet the needs of the world's 2 billion Muslims. Takaful insurance is one possible solution, but consumer protection is a challenge.

How Responsible Is Digital Finance? 10 Global Insights

CGAP conducted a Global Pulse Survey among policy makers, financial service providers, consumer advocates and foundations to gauge perceptions of consumer risks within digital financial services.

Insurance and Financial Inclusion: IAIS and A2ii

Regulation and supervision of insurance markets are key tools to improve access to finance for poor people.

Merchant Incentives in the Shift to Cashless Food Aid

Shifting social support benefits through electronic payments instead of cash or in-kind contributions offers many benefits, but evidence from existing programs suggests that the link between these payments and financial inclusion is is challenging to make.

Don’t Abandon Youth Financial Services - Innovate

Providing services for small savers is a challenge for financial institutions. With this in mind, Freedom from Hunger is getting a better understanding of the business case behind financial services to youth, who many financial institutions choose not to serve.

How Can Group Loans be Provided more Responsibly?

In order for financial products to help people meet their goals, the products need to fit in with a household's natural cash flows and financial situation.

Four Mobile Money Trends from the IMF Financial Access Survey

The expanded IMF Financial Access Survey now includes basic mobile money indicators. The data shed light on four trends that stand out.

Mobile Money Users at Center of New GSMA Code of Conduct

The GSMA launched a Code of Conduct for Mobile Money Providers, and already eleven providers have endorsed it. The code is important to ensure that the customer experience is central to the responsible development of mobile money platforms.

Five Bright Ideas for Responsible Digital Finance

Delivering financial services via digital means is growing at a blistering pace, and many are asking how can be accelerated to reach more underserved customers. At the same time, we must ensure that these services are being delivered fairly, transparently, and safely.

10 Myths About M-PESA: 2014 Update

M-PESA and its 12.6 million active customers have fundamentally altered the landscape of financial services in Kenya. Despite its popularity, there are still some misconceptions about how it works.

Providing Last Mile Customer Service for Solar Home Systems

Off Grid Electric (OGE) is a solar company in Tanzania that provides low-cost energy services to households without energy access. The company is focused on breaking new ground in last-mile service.

5 Sources of Untapped Innovation in Digital Finance

Innovators, often in developed markets, are piloting powerful new value propositions for customers building on digital channel attributes. Many of these solutions do not target the poor, but the implications can be easily extrapolated to poor and low-income customers.

Can Digital Linkages Revitalize a Tried and True Savings Model?

What would it take to link savings groups and digital financial services? A team at BFA investigated the potential tradeoffs and benefits which savings groups and potential private sector stakeholders might encounter on this journey.

Leveraging Mobile Phone Data: Tiaxa’s Balance Advance

Tiaxa's balance advance service is making 50 million advances each month to prepaid mobile subscribers - generally at no extra cost to the end user. How does it work? Big data plays a part.

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.

Price Sensitivity and the New M-Pesa Tariffs

M-Pesa recently reduced its fees on person-to-person mobile money transfers. How will these price changes affect usage?

Educational Transparency through Digital Finance Plus

A chain of primary and pre-primary schools in Kenya offers parents the ability to pay and track school fees with their mobile phones. The service is aimed at increased efficiency and transparency.

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.