Blog

A New Wave of E-Money in Latin America

In Latin America, the banking sector is highly rooted in the economy, and to think about non-bank issued electronic money is almost heretic. But things are changing.

Loan Defaults Versus Over-indebtedness in Rural Tamil Nadu

As research in Tamil Nadu shows, defaulting on microloans might not always be due to over-indebtedness.

Comparing Branchless Banking in Bangladesh and Pakistan

What can be learned from benchmarking Bangladesh to the regional leader Pakistan which had begun two years earlier in 2009? Both have similar populations, mobile penetration and income levels making the comparison even more interesting.

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?

A National Experiment: Sharia-Compliant Finance in Sudan

Sudan's banking system went Islamic in the 1980's and can offer several lessons on delivering Sharia-compliant financial products to the poor.

A History Lesson for Advancing Interoperability in Mobile Money

What can we learn from the past in markets like the United States and Japan that can help advance interoperability between financial service providers?

CGAP: Looking Ahead For Financial Inclusion

There aren’t many institutions - intergovernmental, or international organizations - that donor members have set up and then let go in terms of self-interest.

It’s Not About Savings, Credit or Insurance. It’s About Clients

In the next five years, our engagement to understand demand will hopefully unpack what it takes for financial service providers to be more client-centric.

From Diagnostic to Action: Developing Microinsurance in Nigeria

A Microinsurance Country Diagnostic in Nigeria revealed that while there is a huge opportunity for the development of a microinsurance market, low-income people in the country have limited knowledge of insurance and the value it can deliver.

Building An Enabling and Protective Policy Environment

The blog post describes CGAP's approach to building an enabling and protective policy environment for financial inclusion.

Consumer Lending and Financial Inclusion in Latin America

Regulators in Latin America are starting to build regional consensus and sharing successful policies across markets on consumer lending.

The Future of Provider Ecosystems for Financial Inclusion

CGAP’s five-year strategy recognizes that in most countries poor people are more likely to get financial services from a range of commercial and public sector actors.

Financial Innovation for Smallholders: A New Priority for CGAP

CGAP is pursuing a new workstream centered on financial innovation for smallholder families, the largest global segment by livelihood living on less than $2 a day.

Islamic Microfinance in Pakistan: The Experience so Far

There is huge potential for microfinance providers to expand outreach in the niche market of Sharia-compliant financial services in Pakistan. This could be achieved by diversifying products as well as expanding geographic outreach.

Gabriel Davel Proposes Tests for Credit Bubbles

Davel helped create South Africa’s National Credit Regulator, one of the world's most capable financial consumer protection agencies. In a new Focus Note, Davel draws on a number of debt crises and distills his own experience into practical guidance.

Anti-Money Laundering Regulation and Financial Inclusion

The Financial Action Task Force is making significant strides in providing more granular guidance to country regulators on balancing anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regulations with financial inclusion goals. This guidance impacts financial service providers in several ways.

Access to Insurance Through Regulation and Supervision

Adequate regulation and supervision enhance policyholder protection. That is the ultimate objective of insurance supervision and regulation according to the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).

Islamic Microfinance in Yemen: Challenges and Opportunities

In an effort to foster hope and stability among Yemen’s poor, who have been disproportionately affected by the country’s turmoil, Al-Amal Microfinance Bank is working to introduce a range of Sharia-compliant microfinance products aimed at reaching the unbanked.

Inclusive Finance and Segmenting Smallholder Farmers

Not all smallholder farmers are the same. Of the 500 million smallholders in low- and middle-income countries, many need specialized financial services tailored to their agricultural activities.

External Evaluation of CGAP’s Work to Advance Financial Inclusion

Next week, at our Annual Meeting in Amsterdam, CGAP will finalize and formally adopt a new strategic direction for the next five years. To help us put together this strategy, we commissioned an independent evaluation of our previous years’ work.