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Filter PostsFinancial Authorities’ Tools Must Evolve to Catch Up with “Digital Multinationals”
The movement of big tech into financial services calls for a digital transformation of financial authorities, new SupTech tools, and open data commons.
Financial Inclusion Week and My Emoji Roller Coaster Ride
Grateful, curious, tempted, connected, tired, sad, and inspired: Mayada El-Zoghbi reflects on all the emotions from an exciting Financial Inclusion Week 2020.
COVID-19 Ushers in New Challenges for Consumer Protection
Digitization of financial services was already evolving at a rapid pace, and now the pandemic has escalated both the pace of change and the urgency to protect consumers, especially those interacting with digital products for the first time.
Data for Inclusive Finance: Delivering on the Promise for Consumers
The most pressing topics in financial inclusion with regard to data and how CFI will approach them
Reimagining Inclusive Finance With Women In Mind
CFI’s new strategy puts advancing women’s financial inclusion at the foreground.
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Financial Services are Needed to Help Low-Income People Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change
The why and the how of CFI’s choice to examine challenges and unknowns in order to support the promise of financial services
Reflecting on the Past and Charting a New Direction
CFI previews its new strategy to kick off Financial Inclusion Week 2020
Nigerians Are in Desperate Need of Relief as COVID-19 Reduces Wealth and Stresses Coping Strategies
A review of five surveys, including CFI’s first wave of data on MSMEs in Lagos, reveals consistent evidence of significant reductions in earning ability and capacity to cope.
DFIs, Financial Inclusion and the COVID-19 Response: A Q&A with Machal Karim of CDC
This is the third in an occasional series of interviews with professionals from development finance institutions, international financial institutions, and donor agencies supporting inclusive finance during these challenging times.
Implications of COVID-19 for the Most Vulnerable: A Snapshot of Views from CFI’s Advisory Council
The repercussions of COVID-19 will be varied and far-reaching. From food security to women’s economic empowerment and beyond, a sampling of CFI’s Advisory Council weighs in with thoughts on what some of the greatest risks may be and where to focus our efforts in response.
The Time Has Come for Gender Transformative Approaches
Advancing women’s financial inclusion requires incorporating an understanding of social norms into the development of solutions that don’t just seek to bypass the barriers they present for women but instead to address them head on.
MSMEs in Indonesia Are Surviving but COVID-19 Leaves Little Margin for Error
The data suggests a large drop in profits is being offset by reductions in employment, changes in business practices, and drawing down financial resources.
From Crisis to Opportunity: How Can Lenders Help Build Resilient Agri-SMEs
Agri-SMEs play a critical role in food security, and COVID-19 is presenting them with a new set of challenges beyond those they were already facing. However, there are various ways in which lenders can support agri-SMEs in not only overcoming the immediate effects of the pandemic, but also in becoming more resilient to those that will come in the future. The solutions developed and lessons learned in this current crisis may serve to strengthen food security in the long run.
Including Women Customers in “Inclusive Fintech”
New data helps to inform ways in which inclusive fintechs can advance women’s financial inclusion by tackling the gender gap in their customer base.
Are Moratoriums Good Policy and Good for FSPs?
Moratoriums have been indispensable pressure valves during the COVID-19 crisis, but their implementation and effects have not been all positive. This post expands on a discussion about moratoriums in a recent CFI policy brief.
Including Women in “Inclusive Fintech”
Five observations, from data on early-stage fintechs, that shed light on current gender disparities in the fintech industry.
Have We Been Here Before?
Recent research shows a concentration of funding flows for digital financial services (DFS) providers, a pattern that resembles funding for the microfinance sector a decade ago. What can funders and DFS providers learn from microfinance to ensure that funding is channeled to optimize impact?
Improving Consumer Protection Market Conduct: Lessons Learned in Benin
Where does market conduct supervision fit in the consumer protection landscape? What makes for successful intervention in supervisory conduct? As the Smart Campaign winds down, this third and final post in a farewell series reflects on the lessons learned from a multi-year initiative to strengthen market conduct supervision in Benin and other Sub-Saharan African countries.