Blog

Ehrbeck on the Value of Financial Access for the Poor

With increasing amounts of private money being invested in microfinance institutions, CGAP CEO Tilman Ehrbeck talks about the role of public money in improving access to finance for poor people around the world.

India’s Microfinance Bill and Financial Inclusion

The draft Microfinance Bill placed by the Ministry of Finance on its website on 6 July 2011 represents a major step forward in the government’s engagement with the microfinance sector.

Financial Inclusion in the U.S.:Spending Time In Our Own Backyard

As we look globally for innovative business models and technologies, it’s a shame how little we (as two Americans) focus on our backyard in the U.S. Despite our comfort drawing similarities and lessons across markets as different as Brazil, India, and Kenya, we seem to assume that the U.S., with its technology and banking infrastructure, relative wealth, and uniquely complex regulatory context, is truly different. To test this and see what we might uncover “locally,” we attended the 6th Annual Underbanked Financial Services Forum in June to learn more about the state of the art in the domestic financial inclusion world and look for ways where global and local conversations overlap and can be integrated.

So Where Are We in the Link Between G2P and Financial Services?

The link to financial inclusion is one that can often get forgotten in the quest for payment efficiency.

Measuring Aid Effectiveness Effectively

It is hard to say whether aid has really helped to raise growth or reduce poverty or contribute to the Millennium Development Goals.

State Bank of Pakistan Removes Barriers to Branchless Banking

In March 2008, the State Bank of Pakistan introduced some of the first regulations anywhere in the world designed specifically to encourage branchless banking. The regulations allowed a number of different business models and permitted agents to deliver financial services on behalf of banks.

India’s Microfinance Bill Answers Most Questions

The bill is an important first step; several more steps in translating the bill to action are required before we reach a stage that restores the vitality of the sector.

India Microfinance Bill – The Good and The Bad

India’s microfinance bill is a very positive development for the microfinance sector because it brings the sector into the ambit of organized financial services.

The Cost-Benefit of Electronic Payment Systems: The Case of India

Electronic payments hold particular promise, and the key question is: What is the cost-benefit for a government to connect all households to an electronic payment system.

How to Run With Mobile Money and Not Fall

In this post, Dalberg colleague, Matt Shakhovskoy, identifies some internal challenges at MNOs that prevent them from delivering success with mobile money.

Islamic Microfinance Challenge: A Summary

A business model for Islamic microfinance: what does it need?

The Last Frontier for Branchless Banking: State of Play in WAEMU

Access to finance in WAEMU is very low, even by comparison to other regions of Africa. The rate of bancarization announced by the BCEAO in December 2010 was 9.5% and 12.7% of the population had an account with an MFI.

Improving Access to Finance

Within the field of financial sector development, microfinance components in multi-sector programs often perform poorly and in some cases undermined existing financial service providers.

Looking For a “Killer App” For the Poor? Sell Stress Reduction

We need to start treating willpower as a scarce and important resource. That’s the point pushed in a recent New Republic piece on “What can’t more poor people escape poverty?” And it’s a product opportunity for those designing financial services for the poor.

Can Collecting Savings in Rural Areas Be Profitable?

The importance and role of savings with respect to the economic and social development of developing countries and of African countries in particular have long been recognized.

Branchless Banking in South Africa

South Africa has often been used as a case study by those with an interest in financial inclusion. The country has an advanced banking infrastructure with nearly 10,000 ATMs and over 100,000 POS devices deployed.

Does Savings Help Protect MFIs from Political Interference?

Until recently, microfinance in India (really microcredit) had been driven by innovators and entrepreneurs, but also enabled by government policies such as of priority sector lending and regulatory restrictions prohibiting deposit mobilization for most MFIs.

Does Branchless Banking Reach Poor People? The Evidence from Mali

This is the third posting in a mini-series in which we present new evidence from three countries on whether branchless banking is reaching poor people. This post looks at Orange Money in Mali. Previous posts looked at India and Pakistan.

A Little Willpower Can Have a Big Impact

When Women’s World Banking (WWB) started our savings and financial education program for girls in 2008, we were excited about the potential to provide a sustainable, scalable way to encourage girls to build assets and become better money managers.

Why Distributing Mobile Money Is Harder than Airtime for MNOs

It’s often said mobile network operators (MNOs) have the advantage over banks in creating agent networks from their dense carpet of prepaid airtime sellers. But is this true?