Recent Blogs
Blog
5 Ways Digital Payments can Bring Women into the Economy
When women are locked out of the formal economy, development suffers and growth stagnates. Wiping out gender discrimination in financial access is not easy, but certainly incorporating more digital tools can help bridge the gap between men and women.Blog
Digitizing Agriculture Value Chains: The Story So far
For the 7% of the world's smallholder farmers who work in tight value chains, digitizing the steps required to move an agricultural product from the farm to final customers could be an opportunity to deepen financial inclusion.Blog
20 Years of Financial Inclusion in Europe and Central Asia
In the past 20 years, microfinance in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has become understood under the larger umbrella of inclusive finance. During this shift, several important changes have occurred.Blog
Finding “Win-Win” in Digitally-Delivered Consumer Credit
Digital credit products are expanding rapidly in several markets. While convent for consumers beneficial for providers, the rapid innovation needs to be tempered with responsible delivery and usage.Blog
Tech Relief for the High Cost of Field Research
Client-centered research can be expensive and logistically challenging. How can technology simplify this process?Blog
What Excludes Women from Formal Finance in the Arab States?
Women are less than half as likely as men to have an account in the Arab world. Why such a dismal record?Blog
Four Ways to Boost the Impact of India’s Direct Benefit Transfers
The Indian government is digitizing payments to beneficiaries of government subsidies, seeking to build a digital payment connection with every Indian household. How can these payments be combined with other efforts to help pull people out of poverty?Blog
20 Years of Financial Inclusion in East Asia and the Pacific
China, with its new business models for internet banking, may be the space to watch for financial inclusion progress in East Asia, but a lot has changed in the region over two decades.Blog
20 Years of Financial Inclusion in East Africa: 4 Major Shifts
Four major shifts have occurred in East Africa's financial services landscape over the past two decades.Blog
20 Years of Financial Inclusion Progress in WAEMU; More to Come!
Much has changed in the financial inclusion landscape of the WAEMU region over the last 20 years. Most importantly, it has shifted from primarily offering informal microfinance services to fully regulated and diversified financial institutions.Blog
Six Takeaways from Rwanda’s Financial Inclusion Insights Survey
Even though Rwanda has low rates of technical literacy and handset usage, digital financial services have reached the same levels of active usage as Ghana, which has a much more "mobile-ready" population.Blog
Why do Many Data Solutions Fail to Meet Expectations?
2015 saw a shift in the data and information solutions built to serve the microfinance industry. Many of these solutions failed to meet the expectations of their founders and were shut down or scaled back.Blog
In Ghana, DFS Helps Spur 41% Increase in Financial Inclusion
The digital financial services sector in Ghana is changing for the better, and mobile financial services are finally breaking through in the country.Blog
Youth Programs as a Path to Financial Inclusion in South Africa
An interview with Mmapula Portia Kekana, Director for Employment Assistance at South Africa’s National Department of Social Development, which strives to link social welfare recipients to poverty alleviation programs and economic opportunities.Blog
New Data Finds Mobile Money "On the Cusp" in Rwanda and Ghana
New data provides the most comprehensive picture yet of digital financial services (DFS) access and usage in Ghana and Rwanda.Blog
Adapting the Graduation Model to Reach Indonesia's Ultra Poor
The Indonesian government is testing and adapting the Graduation Approach in both rural and urban areas, targeting women who have participated in existing programs. Here's what they have learned so far.Blog
Crowdsourcing at Work: Mapping Financial Access in Uganda
Dynamic, rapidly changing agent networks translate to a need for sophisticate, real-time location data and analysis tools. The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team is initiating a pilot program in Uganda to crowdsource data on financial services available in Uganda.Blog
Reaching the Ultra Poor in Latin America
An interview with Alexandra N. Barrantes, of the OAS, on opportunities and challenges for the Graduation Approach in Latin America.Blog
Introducing the Graduation Approach in India’s Jharkhand State
An interview with Bishnu C Parida, on how the government of India is integrating the Graduation Approach into its work with the extreme poor.Blog