Partner Insights
Our Partners work across different areas of digital finance. Find their latest research here.
This publication developed by FinEquity is a reference guide for financial inclusion practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders interested in applying women’s economic empowerment (WEE)...
Between August and September 2020, Venture Lab surveyed 21 early-stage fintechs to understand what tools and systems they use to power their companies’ operations....
How can humanitarian organisations and mobile money providers optimise their cash programming, enhance the user experience, and unlock the wide-ranging benefits of digital and...
This new paper features case studies on fintech startups around the world that have successfully grown their value propositions during the COVID-19 pandemic ....
David Porteous and Arend Kulenkampff on how fintech innovation can help achieve faster inclusive growth in Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. This blog, the...
Published by AVL, this how-to guide offers early-stage fintech companies a step by step approach on how to measure and track metrics for better...
The authors share results and learnings from the UNCDF Impact Pathways tool which provides a way to measure how investments in the digital economy...
The needs of the digital generation, and in particular of the gig and digital economy workers, are unique, and few products in the market...
CGAP’s new research results show that customers’ concerns about data privacy influence how they interact with financial services to a greater extent than has...
Using findings of the 2019 State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money, the authors dig into Arica’s impressive mobile money growth. The authors...
GSMA developed a COVID-19 Response Tracker to monitor mobile money-specific regulatory, policy, government, and provider interventions globally. In earlier insights from the tracker, GSMA...
Read Mercy Corps’ learnings and insights on how to develop and manage a successful digitally-enabled agricultural field force, an approach that was key to...
One of the goals of Ghana’s new digital financial services (DFS) Policy is to close the gender gap by ensuring that at least 85...
MTN Ghana launched a merchant payment service in January 2017 called MoMo Pay to increase mobile money use in markets and drive financial inclusion....
GSMA’s COVID-19 Response Tracker that monitors mobile money-specific regulatory policy, government, and provider interventions globally, is now public. The tracker which is updated weekly...
Gavin Krugel co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer at Digital Frontiers writes about the institute’s five-year journey, the merger with CGAP’s Gateway Academy and...
On July 1, the GSMA Inclusive Tech Lab launched the Interoperability Test Platform, a free and open-source end-to-end test facility for mobile money providers...
In this blog, senior financial sector specialist Antonique Koning reminds financial services providers and regulators of their duty to protect customers especially now during...
In recognition of the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day- June 27- GSMA published a briefing note exploring how mobile money can help informal...
AVL’s new podcast series features industry leaders discussing the impact of COVID-19 on their work. This episode features Jacob Haar, the Managing Partner at...
Imagine that virtually any type of business you can think of could offer banking services to their customers, without having to apply for a...
BFA’s third wave of the rapid online “dipstick” surveys of low- and lower-middle-income respondents in Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK,...
In Senegal, most remittance services operate over-the-counter cash collections but lockdown restrictions are making it hard for people to collect the money sent by...
Microfinance institutions in Rwanda are struggling due to the effects of COVID19. Clients are taking out savings leaving the institutions with less liquidity, according...
In this webinar recording, FSD Kenya and BFA Global present key findings from research on the social, financial, and economic impact of COVID-19 on...
Over the last few months, CGAP has been asking mobile money operators, digital banks, fintechs and other DFS providers across Asia and Africa how...
GSMA’s new report features the interoperability journeys and lessons of six countries. It focuses on mobile money integrations between MMPs and also offers insights...
CGAP's Elizabeth McGuinness argues that for households and families to recover from the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, responses by policy makers and...
Ghana has become the first country in Africa to launch a digital financial services (DFS) policy according to CGAP. The government hopes that the...
A new resource from CGAP on how business leaders can navigate the technology decisions required for an API initiative. The “Technology Building Blocks for...
In 2015, Mercy Corps launched the AgriFin Accelerate (AFA) Programme; a six-year, $24 million project with an ambitious goal of reaching one million farmers...
Inclusive fintech has always had to find a balance between tech and human touch, but the global pandemic is shifting that balance, writes Accion...
As the economic effects of the lockdowns worldwide begin to solidify, businesses large and small are collapsing, write BFA Global’s Coco Dong and Michelle...
According to UNHCR estimates, there are 70.8 million Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs) worldwide. The global COVID19 pandemic will have severe effects on not just...
Senior financial sector specialist Stefan Staschen makes a strong case for open banking in emerging markets and why it would be important especially today...
Accion’s work to build inclusive, resilient communities through access to quality financial services, including credit, savings, and insurance, is more critical than ever. Accion...
An interview with the founder of Flex Finance, a Nigerian app for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Flex Finance which won AVL’s fintech...
CGAP is refocusing its work on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and in particular, paying special attention to four areas that play a vital role...
What questions should policymakers consider to ensure agents reach as many people as possible with assistance during and after the COVID-19 crisis? CGAP notes...
Catalyst Fund shares several examples of how its portfolio are helping customers in emerging economies through the COVID-19 crisis. By using their existing solutions...
India should invest and expand the digital payment and commerce network and use it to facilitate social distancing and quarantine, the authors argue. The...
CGAP’s new publication examines the opportunities for humanitarian actors in Lebanon and Jordan to use the cash and voucher assistance (CVA) programs as a...
The Kenyan government can and should capitalize on the country’s unique digital financial infrastructure and provide direct cash transfers to help people weather the...
The number of mobile money accounts globally surpassed one billion according to the 2019 State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money published in...
While international funders increased their commitments to women’s financial inclusion by 16 percent between 2016-2018, the funding gap between programs with a gender focus...
In 2019, BFA and FSD Uganda launched the Financial Inclusion for Refugees Project to gain insight into the financial lives of refugees- their incomes,...
This product testing guide by Accion Venture Lab is made for early-stage fintech companies who want to test, evaluate, and implement new ideas. Companies...
GSMA’s new Mobile Money API Industry Report shares how mobile money providers are moving towards seamless integrations. The report is based on survey responses...
Refugees and host communities in Lebanon are faced with high levels of financial exclusion, a situation that is usually made worse by health-related shocks. ...
CGAP’s financial sector specialists argue that risk-based supervision is key to financial inclusion especially for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDE) where supervisory capacity...
In Benin, the introduction of PAYG led to increased mobile network operators subscriber activity according to a study by the GSMA, shedding light on...
For the last five years, AgriFin Accelerate(AFA) and partners designed and deployed digital platforms that enabled farmers in Tanzania access finances, information and learning...
In Zambia, smallholder farmers do not have to travel long distances to transact if they opt to use Agripay, a digital banking platform. The...
AVL’s new investment officer for Latin America shares insights into the trends shaping the fintech and financial inclusion in the region. These trends have...
“Financial health does not exist in a vacuum. It is inextricably linked to the real economy. Financial health contrives good personal health and education...
BFA Global’s Catalyst Fund launched its official presence in Nigeria last year. At the launch, key ecosystem players shared what is needed for Nigeria’s...
Solar and alternative energy products are providing relief to millions of Zambians who have no access to electricity. However, even with growing adoption of...
Check out CGAP’s new resource for providers on how to manage the risks that come with Open APIs. CGAP recommends that providers use fair,...
What have unicorns and super-platforms in Indonesia done to appeal to and convince MSMEs to digitize merchant payments? GSMA’s Mobile Money Programme’s Live Learning...
DFI shares the results of an independent assessment of its impact on practitioners, institutions, and countries. The case studies include two countries (Zambia and...
BFA Global’s FIBR team breakdown four areas that PAYGo companies should consider improving repayment among customers. One, customer education, onboarding, and support is important....
Five years ago UNCDF launched the MM4P programme in Senegal, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to fast-track digital financial inclusion. UNCDF’s approach –...
To enhance our financial services and in order to reach the marginalised, it is imperative that we make an effort to create a digital...
Agent banking is more appropriate than mobile money for linking informal savings groups to banks, due to the difficulties around validation for the latter....
Young entrepreneurs will be more likely to succeed if they are provided with integrated services that empower them with the technical know-how to put...
Global nonprofit Accion announced that its seed-stage investment initiative Accion Venture Lab is adding $33M to its initial capital pool, with the launch of...
Destacame, an online platform—and Accion partner—through which consumers manage and build their financial health—is speaking about the important role data plays in opening doors...
By pooling resources, cloud providers allow financial institutions to avoid the heavy investments otherwise needed to store, manage, and process data by storing, managing,...
AFR and FSD Africa, through Umutanguha Finance Company and MTN Rwanda, have developed and launched a savings and loan product that responds to the...
MercyCorps’ AgriFin Accelerate program worked with the Zambia National Commercial Bank, as an innovation partner by developing a farmer-centric product and business modeling as...
The emergence of Fintech lenders has created a rift and a warzone between traditional lenders and fintech lenders, with banks and credit unions questioning...
Walking along the streets of Lusaka Zambia, you see mobile money kiosks on almost every corner of popular streets. The roads are filled with...
Sub-Saharan Africa: The enduring epicentre of mobile money—Part 1 discusses how, while the adoption of mobile money has grown across the globe, sub-Saharan Africa...
To support the industry with inclusive innovations, the GSMA are committing to a bold new endeavour shaped by experimentation and a willingness to take...
The GSMA is assessing the true potential of Libra’s financial inclusion objectives and highlights the factors—such as geographical reach, identification, and the connectivity gap—that...
CGAP recently partnered with the Busara Center for Behavioural Economics to find out how low-income Kenyans use M-PESA. Findings highlighted that M-PESA remains primarily...
The Annual Provider Survey provides a comprehensive view of the state of the DFS market in Sierra Leone. Key challenges hindering the expansion and...
HaloYako is a digitally enabled saving service in Tanzania offered by Halotel, an MNO in partnership with FINCA Microfinance Bank and supported in part...
The Annual Provider Survey provides a comprehensive view of the state of the DFS market in Zambia. The main challenges for providers include customer...
Mercy Corps AgriFin Accelerate found, 90 percent of farmers ages 18 to 35 in Kenya have high levels of engagement with information and communication...
Sub-Saharan Africa: The enduring epicentre of mobile money—Part 1 discusses how, while the adoption of mobile money has grown across the globe, sub-Saharan Africa...
