<p>Virginia managed CFI’s communications and stakeholder engagement activities &#8212; including CFI’s digital portfolio, collateral, publications, and email communications &#8212; until April 2020.</p>
<p>For information on CFI communications activities and knowledge products, contact Ezra Mannix at emannix@accion.org.</p>


Former Director of Communications

Tess Johnson

Virginia Moore

Financial Inclusion: For What? Podcast

Podcast

For Financial Inclusion Week 2019, CFI sought out a small group of financial inclusion thought leaders to comment and take a position on this year’s theme, “Financial Inclusion: For What?” CFI Director of Communications Virginia Moore sat down with Bobbi Gray (Grameen Foundation), Till Bruett (DAI), and Shivani Siroya (Tala) to discuss the theme and evaluate our four proposed answers to it: financial health, sustainable development, equity, and the bottom line. They examine ways in which these answers complement or conflict with one another, and assess how the industry should measure its success, among other topics.

Blog Post

This September marks 10 years since CFI’s launch in 2008. We are happy to be able to celebrate by releasing CFI’s new website, which will carry us forward into the next decade.

Since the beginning of this year, our team has been working behind the scenes and in coordination with Accion to deliver a better digital experience on our website and blog. Following months of research, collaboration, and hearing from our audience, we’ve arrived a better place digitally. During the process, we gave ourselves a mini-makeover (out with brown and beige, and in with a fresh, bright green), new technology (hello, WordPress), and better alignment with <a href="https://www.accion.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Accion</a>. But, most importantly, we hope this redesign will also make it easier for you to interact with our content, get to know our thought leaders, and get involved with our mission.
<h2>Interacting with our content just got a lot easier</h2>
We’ve consolidated our former website and the CFI Blog with this redesign. No more having to look in one place to read a report and in another to read a blog post. You can find our blog in our main navigation. This will make it easier to see our work all in one place.

Additionally, we’re giving you an option to filter our research and related content by <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/topics">topics</a>, <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/types">types</a>, and <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/regions">regions</a> right from the navigation. Our index pages also give you these options—plus a filter for author. So, if you know the topic you’re interested, or the country, or author, you can get to it much faster and more directly now.
<h2>With our new site, you’ll get to know our thought leaders and staff</h2>
Behind all the good content that we offer on the site are talented, knowledgeable, approachable people I’m fortunate to call my colleagues. To help you get to know our people a little better, we’ve tagged experts for many of our topic areas and geographies, and authors are clickable. This way, you can put a face to a name and connect with our team more easily.
<h2>Working with us is easier than ever</h2>
We’ve done a couple of things to facilitate the process of interacting on a deeper level with CFI:
<ul>
 	<li>You can see our current and past programs at <a href="https://centerforfinancialinclusion.org/about/what-we-do" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What We Do</a>.</li>
 	<li>You can learn about our capabilities and successes via new<a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/types/case-studies" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> case studies</a>.</li>
 	<li>You can support our work by <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/get-involved/institutional-partnerships/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partnering with us</a> or <a href="https://give.accion.org/page/contribute/cfi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donating to CFI</a>.</li>
 	<li>You can join our <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/get-involved/#industry-engagement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stakeholder groups</a> or apply to our <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/get-involved/#fellow-exec-ed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fellowship and executive education opportunities.</a></li>
 	<li>You can find <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/careers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">career opportunities</a> listed right on our site.</li>
</ul>
Our website redesign is a function of a coordinated organization-wide effort at Accion—where we’re working to catalyze financial inclusion. Accion’s new site offers many of the same features and functionality, but you might be interested in learning how Accion is pursuing <a href="https://www.accion.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">global challenges</a> like saving money and building credit, the <a href="https://www.accion.org/get-involved/donate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stories we’ve collected</a> from around the globe, and our organization’s rich <a href="https://www.accion.org/about/history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">history and legacy</a>.

While we’re thrilled to be live with a new and improved website, our revamp is not yet fully complete. Over the next few months, alongside our partner and digital agency <a href="https://isl.co">ISL</a>, we’ll be learning how the new site performs and making refinements and enhancements—some of which you may notice and others you won’t. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy exploring the site and getting to know us all over again—and a little bit better this time.

We've Got a New Look, But We're Still The Same CFI

CFI and LendIt USA partner to launch its very first financial inclusion track

<img class="alignright wp-image-23240" style="border: 0 solid #000000" src="https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/img_0005.png" alt="" width="331" height="248" />Last week, the <a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/">Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion</a> (CFI) participated in <a href="http://www.lendit.com/usa/">LendIt USA</a>, an annual conference that brings together leaders and startups in fintech, lending, and venture capital to discuss trends, innovations, and the future of the industry.

So, what were we doing there? We attended to help introduce what we do to this audience of over 5,000 people, partnering with LendIt organizers to launch its very first financial inclusion track. CFI managing director <a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/about/leadership/121-elisabeth-rhyne">Elisabeth Rhyne</a> spoke on a panel about responsible credit along with representatives from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Marketplace Lending Association, LendStreet, and AEO. Championing the <a href="http://www.smartcampaign.org/">Smart Campaign</a> and consumer protections, Beth brought a global perspective on what responsible credit looks like in practice. She also debated the elephant in the room—or as she put it, “the dead cat on the table:” interest rates. Our director of research <a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/about/staff/675-sonja-kelly">Sonja Kelly</a> also moderated a lively session on how smartphones in emerging markets are expanding access to credit with executives from Branch, Cignifi, Juvo, and PayJoy. We’ll have more on these sessions soon.

It was exciting and satisfying to see so much interest in financial inclusion from conference attendees who may not readily know the definition of financial inclusion, appreciate its value, or recognize how they’re contributing to it.


<h3><strong>What Is the Value of Financial Inclusion to Fintech and Investor Communities?</strong></h3>
As our readers know well, financial inclusion is all about making sure that everyone has the financial tools they need to manage and improve their lives. CFI exists to engage and challenge the industry to make this a reality for 3 billion people worldwide who are currently underserved. This unmet demand for quality financial tools and services represents a significant market opportunity for fintechs and investors even as it opens opportunities to consumers—take for instance <a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2017/03/01/mobile-money-in-myanmar-going-directly-from-cash-to-digital/">mobile money in Myanmar</a> or <a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2017/02/15/kenyan-government-expands-insurance-and-social-security-via-digital-finance/#more-23068">Huduma cards in Kenya</a>. Responsible investments in capital markets, financial institutions, and fintechs are making better financial tools and services <a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2016/01/27/the-impact-investing-landscape-in-west-africa/">available to more people</a>. Fintechs and investors are involved in financial inclusion, whether they know it or not.
<h3><strong>Key Learnings</strong></h3>
<img class="alignright wp-image-23234" src="https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/cfi-signage_rotate.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="367" />We were grateful for the opportunity to help bring the financial inclusion track to fruition this year, but more than that, we were proud to help define and operationalize financial inclusion, consumer protection, and responsible credit for the LendIt crowd. Amid a full agenda packed with interesting sessions on Blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, we were able to help bring focus back to people—particularly those at the base of the pyramid in emerging and frontier markets. We learned a few things in the process too:
<ul>
 	<li>Financial inclusion needs a champion in fintech. The term is not native to or fully understood in the fintech space—in countries where we work globally or in the U.S. At the very least, financial inclusion needs to be reframed so that it resonates more clearly with the fintech community.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
 	<li>We need to change our language. The buzzwords at LendIt included terms like “innovation” and “disruption”—not our typical vernacular: “client voice,” “responsibility” and “consumer empowerment and protection.” Judging from the investor pitches some of us witnessed, we know that startups are keenly aware that they must listen to their customer and fill a market void lest they fail. We want to more effectively bridge the language and conceptual barriers or perceived barriers to better align fintechs/venture capitalists and financial inclusion.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
 	<li>Demographics and culture matter. In contrast to our financial inclusion community, and particularly the CFI team, the preponderance of men, suits and ties (even a tailor in the exhibition hall), and the overall glamour of the event were striking. We were proud to showcase women leaders in technical roles at LendIt, where they were noticeably under-represented, and we hope that we brought a socially-conscious vibe to the show.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Have you read?</strong>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2016/09/08/the-new-wave-of-partnership-models-between-banks-and-fintech-startups/">The New Wave of Partnership Models Between Banks and Fintech Startups</a>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2017/03/02/5g-not-so-fast/">5G? Not so fast.</a>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2017/03/01/mobile-money-in-myanmar-going-directly-from-cash-to-digital/">Mobile Money in Myanmar: Going Directly from Cast to Digital</a>

CFI at LendIt USA – Bringing Financial Inclusion to a Fintech Conference

A look at the top performers over the 10-year history of the Global Microscope report series.

For the last 10 years, the <a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/microscope"><i>Global Microscope on Financial Inclusion</i></a> has systematically reported what it takes to create an enabling environment for financial inclusion. The good news is that the global financial inclusion community increasingly understands what works and is designing essential reforms. But the rate of progress is gradual and uneven, and in some areas, still lacking. The latest <i>Global Microscope</i> takes a closer look at what it takes to create an inclusive financial sector—and where intensive effort is most needed.
<h2>The Leaderboard</h2>
Tying for first place in the global rankings are Peru and Colombia, scoring 89 (out of 100). Second place is also a tie, with two Asian countries, India and the Philippines, each scoring 78. Pakistan earns third place with a score of 63. The spreads between first, second and third place are wider than they are between any other consecutive rungs in the index, but the top-ranking countries are in fact the same as last year. Peru, Colombia, the Philippines, India and Pakistan are longtime financial inclusion institutional and regulatory leaders.

With this much consistency in the leaderboard, the more fascinating stories may lie with this year’s “most improved players”: India, Costa Rica, Honduras and Egypt. Each country has made notable progress on financial inclusion, but none more than India. With a national biometric identification system in place, continued progress on access and usage of bank accounts, an improved institutional framework and commitment to digital payments, India—already among the top countries—is increasingly seen as a model for ongoing progress.
<h2>Keys to Success</h2>
<strong>Commitment and consistency matter. </strong>An enabling environment for financial inclusion does not happen overnight. Colombia’s and India’s financial inclusion policy efforts predate even the first <i>Global Microscope</i>. Peru and Philippines signed on to the Maya Declaration, the first global platform for commitment to financial inclusion, back in 2011, with a small group of only 15 other countries. In short, it has taken years of concerted effort and political will for the top countries to earn and keep their spots in the <i>Global Microscope</i> index.

<b>Broad-based policy pays off. </b>The <i>Global Microscope</i> measures 12 components of the financial sector, ranging from level of government support to strength of dispute resolution mechanisms. None of the leading countries scored below 50 percent in any of the 12 components, and all but India achieved 100 percent in at least four components. (Colombia achieved perfect scores in a whopping eight components.) The leading countries demonstrate that you have to proceed on multiple fronts simultaneously to make meaningful progress in financial inclusion.

<b>Consumer protection is a winning strategy. </b>Treating consumers right is an essential part of successful financial inclusion, but when it comes to fair treatment, especially mechanisms for airing and resolving customer complaints, most countries are underperforming. By contrast, leading countries prioritize consumer protection, and their scores show it. Colombia and Peru receive perfect scores in the consumer protection-focused components, and the rest of the leading countries rank in the top eight. Prioritizing consumer protection, as the leading countries have done, is a key to expanding financial inclusion.
<h2>Remaining Challenges</h2>
<b>Enforcement is limited. </b>Rules don’t mean much if you can’t enforce them, and that’s the story for many countries’ financial sectors. The average score for regulatory and supervisory capacity for financial inclusion, which spans credit portfolios, deposit-taking activities, insurance for low-income people and branch/agent models, is only 48 out of 100.

<b>Consumer protection is especially weak. </b>Again, consumer protection is an area of particular weakness, constituting some of the lowest average scores in the index. For example, monitoring of consumer protection for insurance for low-income people netted an average score of just 15 out of 100. Most countries are grappling with widespread lack of market transparency and predatory sales and collection practices.

<b>Usage still lags policy. </b>Countries like India and Philippines have successfully enacted policies to increase access to formal banking, but are still exploring how to get people to actually use the accounts they open. Those countries are pursuing tactics like government-to-person (G2P) transfers to build familiarity and instill the habit of using accounts. On the other hand, countries like China that are experiencing the fallout from unregulated peer-to-peer (P2P) lending are now exploring how to protect investors without prohibiting the flow of capital.

As the financial sector expands thanks to digital advances and new product offerings, the policy environment will also need to evolve accordingly. The <i>Global Microscope</i> continues to report what the policy environment for financial inclusion should entail.

<em>This post originally appeared on <a href="http://partners.wsj.com/metlife/multipliers/articles/financial-inclusions-best-in-class/">Multipliers of Prosperity</a>. </em>

<strong>Have you read?</strong>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2015/12/04/global-microscope-2015-progress-on-the-financial-inclusion-front/">Global Microscope 2015: Progress on the Financial Inclusion Front</a>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2015/12/09/where-the-best-place-is-to-be-an-insurance-providerand-other-insights-from-the-microscope/">Where the Best Place Is to Be an Insurance Provider... and Other Insights from the 'Microscope'</a>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2014/11/10/the-global-microscope-2014-results-and-surprises/">The ‘2014 Global Microscope’: Results and Surprises</a>

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Virginia Moore

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