Blog

Reflection: Coordinating Responses to Microfinance Solvency Challenges

The reverberating effects of COVID-19 continue to pose challenges for segments of the microfinance sector. Here are three areas where a coordinated response among microfinance stakeholders will be important going forward.

The Essential Role of Finance in Education, Housing and Health Care

CGAP’s research suggests that financial services are important tools for advancing equitable access to quality essential services like education, housing and health care.

Limited by Labor: Rural Women, Hired Labor and Financial Services

Rural women have less access than men to the labor they need to power their farms. This drives a gender gap in agricultural output and constrains women's incomes. Financial services could be part of the solution.

Financial Inclusion for an Inclusive, Greener, More Resilient World

In her first blog post as CGAP CEO, Sophie Sirtaine proposes a global agenda for financial inclusion that leads to an inclusive, greener and more resilient world.

Pitfalls in MFI Digitization: Underestimating Change Management

Microfinance institutions are often unprepared to manage the changes that come with digitization. The good news is that through effective change management, they can digitize successfully and generate value for themselves and their customers.

Agritech Can Empower Women to Build Stronger, Inclusive Value Chains

The new Wi-Agri platform in Côte d’Ivoire is showing how agritech can help rural women to improve their livelihoods and build stronger, more inclusive agricultural value chains.

Growing Up, Growing Informal: Gender Differences in Financial Services

Teenage men and women in Kenya and South Africa adopt formal savings accounts at similar rates. But when they hit their 20s, men continue to adopt formal services while women begin gravitating toward informal services. Why?

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2021

Check out the most read blog posts of 2021.

As PAYGo Solar Matures, Funders Can Do More to Close the Energy Gap

Pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar has enabled energy access for around 27 million customers. Funders can help PAYGo providers further close the energy access gap — while advancing financial inclusion — by focusing on these priorities for the sector.

For AgroMall, Extending Credit to Women Requires First Convincing Men

With customer data and a credit scoring algorithm, AgroMall set out to offer ag financing to women. The challenges it encountered show why the biggest barrier to women’s financial inclusion isn't always lack of tech or data: it's often social norms.

Let’s Talk About Resilience

While the need to expand opportunity for the poor has historically animated the financial inclusion community, it is high time we recognize the equally critical role of resilience building and expend similar effort in service of that goal.

COVID-19 and Microfinance: How Digitization Helps Build Resilience

When done right, with a focus on creating value for customers, digitization can improve the resilience of the people microfinance providers serve.

MFI Digitalization: How Can DFIs and IFIs Contribute?

From funding digital innovation to boosting digital literacy, here are some ways that development finance institutions and international financial institutions can accelerate the digitization of microfinance in Africa.

No Time to Waste: Financing Biodigesters to Save Time for Rural Women

Sistema.bio has been expanding rural women's access to biodigesters, saving women time and creating economic opportunities. The secret? A financing option and a gender-intentional sales approach.

Pakistan: Gender-Intentional Policy Can Make Agent Banking Work Better

Many women in Pakistan remain financially excluded, partly because social norms limit their access to banking agents. Policy makers and regulators can help change this with a gender-intentional approach to agent banking.

Pitfalls in MFI Digitization: Getting Bogged Down in Technology

Rushing into technology solutions, without having the institutional capability in place to commercialize them, is a common mistake microfinance institutions make when digitizing. Here's how to avoid this costly misstep.

COVID-19 and Microfinance: Managing Trouble with Restructuring

What have microfinance institutions and their investors accomplished so far in their restructuring deals? What have they learned? And how can they improve readiness for the next crisis?

Inclusive Finance Can Help the World Achieve COP26 Goals – Here’s How

Amid the talk of national climate plans, net zero timelines, and the Paris rulebook, we should not forget about the need for practical tools — including financial services — that enable low-income populations to participate in the climate transition.

MTN Mobile Money Opened APIs – Was It Worth It?

MTN launched open APIs for its mobile money service in 2018. Today, its APIs are being used by over 900 partners to offer everything from pay-as-you-go solar to e-commerce apps — generating revenue and new use cases for financial services.

COVID-19 and Microfinance: What’s Next for Equity Investors?

Access to funding has been a top priority for microfinance providers during COVID-19 . Debt investors have played a key role in supporting providers through the crisis. Now, as providers focus on recovery and growth, equity capital is needed too.