Searching: Research & Analysis

Digital Financial Inclusion

This Brief aims to provide national and global policy makers with a clear picture of the rapid development of digital financial services for the poor and the need for their attention and informed understanding.

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.

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.

AML/CFT and Financial Inclusion

This Focus Note provides an overview of recent relevant FATF standards and guidance, highlighting opportunities for financial inclusion-friendly policymaking to fight money laundering and terrorist financing.

Informed Consent: How Do We Make It Work for Mobile Credit Scoring

This report explores what consumers understand about their mobile data, and how it is being used by financial service providers and what methods for informed consent might help ensure that individual borrowers understand how their information is used.

Highlights from the 5th Arab Policy Forum

This paper presents highlights of the 5th Arab Policy Forum, which convened more than 70 policy makers to work toward a common vision for achieving more inclusive—and more equitable—financial systems in the region.

Applying Behavioral Insights in Consumer Protection Policy

This Focus Note presents emerging evidence on behavioral biases relevant to financial consumer protection, their consequences, and how market conduct regulation and other measures might best reduce abuse and produce better services for consumers.

Observations and Lessons for the I‐SIP Methodology from Pakistan

Pakistan is the second country selected for an I-SIP rapid research exercise. The main objectives of the research were to develop and refine the I-SIP Methodology, raise awareness of I-SIP linkages, and help Pakistani policy makers adopt the I-SIP Methodology.

Embedding Social Performance Management in Financial Service Delivery

This Brief highlights the case for social performance management and illustrates how financial services providers can embed responsible finance practices into service delivery and contribute to healthy market development.

Mobile Payments Infrastructure Access and Its Regulation

This research shows USSD access is an important competition issue in many countries since there are no effective substitutes that have been proven at scale.