Kishor NagulaConversational interfaces (CIs) are currently being deployed to help extend access to financial education and services across emerging markets with strong results. In one pilot in Tanzania, CGAP found that farmers who used Arifu’s interactive learning platform saved at rates five times that of farmers who did not use the platform. Although these findings are preliminary, they suggest these tools have a significant potential to change behavior.
Kishor NagulaAs mentioned in the primer, using CIs to interact with customers through freeform African languages can be challenging given the limited amount of localized digital content to source.
Kishor NagulaThough functionally similar, it’s important to understand how SMS and messaging applications differ prior to engagement.
Kishor NagulaAs the cost of accessing the latest in machine learning and artificial intelligence drops, more and more organizations are depending on technology to reduce the cost and improve the quality of core business functions. By leveraging this technology in interactive conversations via conversational interfaces (CIs), customers across different demographics can now receive current, guided assistance, whether they want to know more about the latest agricultural practices or new financial services.
FiDA Partnership China Blog SeriesThis blog is authored by Ashley Lewis, Investment Officer, West Africa and South Africa, Accion Venture Lab with support from Tunde Kehinde, co-founder of Accion Venture Lab portfolio company Lidya.
Niamh BarryThe FiDA partnership launched version 2.0 of the Digital Finance Evidence Gap Map (EGM) in October 2018. With 55 studies examining 60 products, there are many insights to navigate. To show the types of analysis the EGM makes possible, we published a number of impact insights on a range of topics.
Niamh BarryIn previous insight pieces on savings, credit, and, Person-to-Person (P2P) transfers, we synthesized what we learned from studies in the Digital Finance Evidence Gap Map (EGM) using a product lens. However, the product lens is just one perspective, and the digital finance impact landscape is more varied and layered than this. Here we share four factors that digital finance researchers should consider when testing the impact of a digital finance product.
Alina KaiserPlatforms are a hot topic and for good reason. The digital “platformization” of markets is one of the defining forces of change in the shift to digital economies. Facebook and Google have leveraged network effects in social media and search to grow massive multi-sided markets in attention and advertising. Innovators such as Upwork, Uber and Kuhustle are revolutionizing the world of work. Amazon, Alibaba and Jumia are fundamentally changing how merchants sell to customers. These platforms are not only transforming online experiences but have real-world implications for users and the markets in which they work.
Niamh BarryThere were 690 million registered mobile money accounts as of December 2017. The digitization of a pre-existing behavior—sending and receiving money—is clearly valued in many markets. The digital finance community now has more than 10 years of person to person (P2P) experience on which to reflect: What have we learned about the impact of P2P on clients?
Niamh BarryThis post has been co-authored by Niamh Barry from the FiDA Partnership, and Natasha Beale, Carson Christiano, and Alexandra Wall from the Digital Credit Observatory (DCO) at the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA).