Research & Analysis

Costs and Sustainability of Sharia-Compliant Microfinance

This Focus Note explores the operational costs associated with musharaka and salam products by delving into two case studies: Bank Al Baraka in Algeria and Wasil Foundation in Pakistan.

Digital Finance Plus

Promoting Competition in Mobile Payments: The Role of USSD

Unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), a communications service controlled by mobile network operators, is a critical piece of infrastructure used to provide mobile financial services on most phones, at low cost, and without requiring access to the user’s SIM card.

Digital Cash Transfers and Financial Inclusion in India

The Potential of Digital Data

The amount of electronic data generated by computerization—digital data—is growing at unprecedented rates. Financial services are an information business—can this growing wealth of data be harnessed to advance financial inclusion?

Emerging Risks to Consumer Protection: Key Findings in Colombia

This research sought to understand the perspectives of providers and regulators on consumer protection in digital finance in Colombia.

Operational Innovations in AML/CFT Compliance Processes and Financial Inclusion: Emerging Case Studies

Driving Scale and Density of Agent Networks in Perú

Beyond banking, mobile networks also use agents to sell airtime and offer other payments services. In 2005 Perú enacted agent banking rules, and since then a number of players and models have emerged.

Projecting Impact of Non-Traditional Data and Advanced Analytics on Delivery Costs

Financial Diaries of Smallholder Families