Blog

Can Technology Push Microinsurance Further? 4 Reasons to Say Yes

There is great potential to better design and market insurance products for poor customers. A recent study by CGAP suggests that despite progress, four key opportunities across the insurance value chain are underexplored.

10 Insights on Financial Inclusion from the 2014 Global Findex

The newly released 2014 Global Findex covers 800 indicators and draws from survey data covering almost 150,000 people in 143 economies. We present 10 takeaways we think you should know.

From More Accounts to More Account Activity in India

Even as India moves aggressively to close the financial inclusion gap, the picture of financial inclusion in that country as captured in the latest Findex report reminds us that we have a long way to go.

The ‘Ripple’ Effect: Why an Open Payments Infrastructure Matters

As the payment sector contemplates new infrastructure, lessons from open infrastructure approaches give an indication of how to remove barriers in financial services and foster innovation and growth in payments.

Microinsurance: Disrupt, Fail, Repeat?

Many of the most-trumpeted initiatives in the microinsurance industry have failed to survive the past decade. With challenges far outweighing successes, the industry’s soul-searching holds implications for other emerging industries serving the BOP.

Unlocking Access to Critical Services Through Digital Payments

New solutions are emerging that use digital finance to provide essential services for people in places where the traditional models have failed them.

Empower the Customer to Choose and Use Financial Services

A new CGAP Brief reflects on the concept of customer empowerment and its role in increasing uptake and use of digital financial services.

EasyPaisa: Incentivizing Mobile Wallet Usage in Pakistan

The majority of mobile money customers in Pakistan prefer to transact via agents. However, registered mobile money accounts are critical for financial inclusion.

Digital Financial Inclusion in India: Taking Off in 2015

Trends in the Indian financial services landscape are unleashing the potential to fast-track financial inclusion for millions.

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.

Digital Credit: Consumer Protection for M-Shwari and M-Pawa Users

Digital credit products are only going to become a more important element of financial services in emerging markets where expansion of mobile money platforms has created potential borrower segments of millions of consumers that are only an SMS away.

The Complex Smallholder-Arthi Relationship in Pakistan

Arthis (agricultural agents) are an integral part of the financial lives of the Pakistani families taking part in the CGAP Smallholder Diaries research.

Global Findex: Income Gap Persists Amid Rising Account Ownership

The newly updated 2014 Global Financial Inclusion database shows that 700 million adults worldwide have joined the financial system in the last three years. At the same time, the number of unbanked adults dropped by one-fifth, to 2 billion.

Picking Winners in the Great Remittance Disruption

A convergence of forces offers the opportunity to rethink the traditional remittance model, promising more money, time, and peace of mind for customers.

The Second Coming of M-Shwari: Beyond Early Adopters

InterMedia conducted a study of M-Shwari users and found that in just over a year after launch, M-Shwari achieved the highest level of awareness and use compared with other beyond-basic mobile wallet products in Kenya.

Geography Matters When Talking about Smallholders

As a smallholder, geography not only determines the climate of your village and the farm-readiness of your land, but also plays a role in determining how well-connected you are to irrigation, inputs like seeds and fertilizer, buyers, markets, and training.

Why M-Shwari Works

With the rapid uptake of M-Shwari, Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) is the envy of the digital financial services industry. Many factors led to M-Shwari's success, including that it solves a real problem faced by Kenyans: on demand liquidity.

Smallholder Households: A Financial Inclusion Imperative

A new Focus Note provides early insights into the Smallholder Households Financial Diaries project and highlights how smallholders weave together agricultural and nonagricultural sources of income to meet their needs.

Top 10 Things to Know About M-Shwari

CGAP’s latest Forum publication explores M-Shwari and examines what a critical gap it fills for Kenyan households. We highlight 10 facts about M-Shwari that mobile money watchers should know.

6 Insights Driving Digital Design for Smallholders in Zimbabwe

IDEO.org designers have traveled across Zimbabwe to gain an important understanding of the lives and aspirations of Zimbabwe’s smallholder households.