Recent Blogs
Blog
The Global Distribution of Smallholder and Family Farms
The terms "smallholder farm" and "family farm" are often used interchangeably, but technically refer to different dimensions of agriculture. Getting better clarity on the basic composition of the world's farms is challenging, but critical.Blog
CGAP’s National Surveys of Smallholder Households
CGAP is undertaking national surveys of smallholders in Mozambique and Tanzania to identify distinct segments of households and determine their demand for financial services.Blog
Capacity Building Markets: Few and Far Between
Why are there so few vibrant capacity building service markets for financial services providers? And why are these “few” so far ahead of the rest?Blog
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.Blog
Simple Messages Help Consumers Understand Big Data
After experimenting with SMS messages with Tanzanian microfinance loan applicants, First Access determined that customers can learn a lot about data and their privacy from simple forms of communication.Blog
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.Blog
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.Blog
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.Blog
It's Time to Listen to the Voice of the Consumer
Credit-scoring consumers via advanced analytics on non-traditional data sources has tremendous potential for expanding the boundaries of financial inclusion. Done right, it can deliver cheaper, better financial services to under-served consumers in emerging markets.Blog
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.Blog
How Analytics Drive Innovative Financial Services for the Poor
Advanced data analytics can be used in a variety of ways to support financial services for the poor. Agent network optimization and creating more effective marketing strategies are just two examples among many possibilities.Blog
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.Blog
Big Data for Financial Inclusion: Is Boring Better?
Big data has the potential to solve important pain points in financial services for the poor - especially through identity verification and real-time validation of credentials.Blog
Learning from Practitioners on the CGAP Board
Enlisting industry experts and learning from their experiences is at the core of CGAP's governance structure.Blog
Hype or Hope? Implications of Big Data for Financial Inclusion
Financial services traditionally delivered in-person are increasingly going to be complemented by virtual models of financial service delivery. Data will be a key enabler.Blog
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?Blog
When Saving for Tomorrow Necessitates Borrowing for Today
The Kenyan Financial Diaries project found that many poor households prioritized savings over liquidity when it came to their household budgets. Many viewed this as the way to get out of poverty and secure a longer term future.Blog
The Kenya Financial Diaries: 4 Flaws in the Social Network
The Kenya Financial Diaries project tracked the detailed cash flows of 300 low-income families over the course of a year, shedding light on how the poor manage their money.Blog
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.Blog