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Transitions from OTC to Wallets: Evidence from Bangladesh

Despite being a relative newcomer in the mobile financial services arena, Bangladesh is already making its mark.

Could India’s Unique ID be a Financial Inclusion Game-Changer?

The Indian government’s plan to provide every resident with a unique biometrically linked identity number is an exciting development for those of us dedicated to broadening financial access to unbanked people worldwide.

India’s Unique ID Could Generate Big Boost in Financial Access

Aadhaar, the effort to give every Indian resident a unique identification number for the purpose of accessing services and social benefits, is at the center of India's progress towards financial inclusion.

Working with The Poorest Women in Pakistan

The design firm Continuum Innovation found that simplified ATM receipts and photographic instructions helped poor women in Pakistan access their money with more confidence.

Literacy a Hidden Hurdle to Financial Inclusion

Literacy is often a hidden hurdle to bringing financial inclusion to the unbanked. This means that the onus is on the designer of financial systems to make sure clients can use them confidently.

Electronic Delivery of Cash Transfers in India: The Agent Story

The G2P ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh offers an opportunity to advance financial inclusion, and also offers many lessons as direct benefit transfers are rolled out across India.

Technology is not Actually a Barrier for Very Poor G2P Recipients

For recipients of social cash transfers in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, technology - whether a smart card or mobile phone - is rarely a barrier to use for recipients.

Can MFIs Leverage Mobile Banking to Serve Customers Better?

When given the choice of using a mobile payment platform - bKash - or a traditional bank branch, 42% of business borrowers in a BRAC pilot chose to use both options for making payments.

Mobile Wallets: Is a Transition Underway in Bangladesh?

E-wallet use is becoming more common in Bangladesh. However, OTC transactions are still very popular and will likely remain so until the process of opening an e-wallet account and using it regularly become easier for and more attractive to the poor.

The “EasyPaisa” Journey from OTC to Wallets in Pakistan

While the founders of EasyPaisa guessed that they would reach a reasonable volume of customers through OTC services, they did not guess that OTC remittances would be the dominant activity by far for EasyPaisa's customers.

Financial Inclusion 2.0: India’s Business Correspondents

In India, the lack of access to financial services still poses a major challenge. FINO aims to close the access gap by extending services right to people's doorsteps.

The Journey to Client Centricity in Financial Inclusion

CGAP's partnership with Janalakshmi Financial Services seeks to learn more about understanding customers, designing effective product delivery, and making the economics behind client-centric financial services for the poor work.

Why Some Bangladeshis Don’t Love Their MFIs

A series of 43 household interviews in rural Bangladesh uncovered the complex financial lives of the interviewees and their seemingly souring view of MFIs.

Micro Health Insurance: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?

Micro health insurance clients are increasingly being served by government-backed services. Does this mean that the trend is to move away from private providers?

Branchless Banking in Pakistan: the Glass Half and Full View

Branchless banking is flourishing in Pakistan, which is on track to become the most competitive mobile money market in the world.

Financial Inclusion In 2012: South Asian Highlights

Recent trends in South Asia reveal measured growth for microfinance, and a steady increase in branchless banking networks, across the region.

Savings in Afghanistan: Gold, Grain, Goats...and Banks?

A small team from frog, a design and innovation consultancy, traveled to Afghanistan in 2012 to research attitudes and practices towards savings in Afghanistan. Through fifteen in-depth interviews, the team discovered that access and liquidity are key factors of Afghan financial products.

The Growth of Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh

In early 2010, we blogged about the steps identified for mobile financial services to take off in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has moved partly down this path. A newly released overview report on Mobile Financial Services by Bangladesh’s Central Bank highlights the progress achieved two years on.

Does Client Protection Matter to Clients?

What do microfinance clients think about client protection? Do client protection principles really matter to them?

Unlocking the Potential of Mobile Money in New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country so complex it defies easy description. A place of such diversity it hosts 850 distinct languages for a population of about 7 million. The population figure, mind you, is only a guess as nobody really knows.