UNCDFIn 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 relatives abroad. Even as remittances dwindle due to lockdowns in the countries where the migrant workers are based, UNCDF says more action is now needed to develop and scale up digital
AFRMicrofinance institutions in Rwanda are struggling due to the effects of COVID19. Clients are taking out savings leaving the institutions with less liquidity, according to a recent rapid assessment of how MFIs and SACCOs have been affected by the Coronavirus in Rwanda. According to the assessment by Access to Finance Rwanda, 95% of the microfinance
CGAPOver the last few months, CGAP has been asking mobile money operators, digital banks, fintechs and other DFS providers across Asia and Africa how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting their agent networks. Two key findings COVID-19 is changing DFS transaction types, which could force providers to revisit pricing and fee strategies. There has been a
GSMAGSMA’s new report features the interoperability journeys and lessons of six countries. It focuses on mobile money integrations between MMPs and also offers insights into the experiences of these markets, which are at different stages of an interoperability process. The report highlights how industry leaders in markets such as Tanzania and Madagascar proactively pursued mobile
CGAPCGAP'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 funders must consider which financial products can contribute to the resilience of which groups and under what conditions.
CGAPGhana has become the first country in Africa to launch a digital financial services (DFS) policy according to CGAP. The government hopes that the policy can support various measures it is taking to leverage DFS in its COVID-19 response. Developed with technical support from CGAP and funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
CGAPA new resource from CGAP on how business leaders can navigate the technology decisions required for an API initiative. The “Technology Building Blocks for an Open API Strategy” draws on the experiences of five DFS providers in opening APIs in emerging economies. “While implementing open APIs is about more than good technology, inappropriate technology decisions
MercyCorps AFAIn 2015, Mercy Corps launched the AgriFin Accelerate (AFA) Programme; a six-year, $24 million project with an ambitious goal of reaching one million farmers with digital financial services across Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. This blog focused on Zambia tells the story of the program between 2015 and 2019 during which AFA and a network of
AVLInclusive fintech has always had to find a balance between tech and human touch, but the global pandemic is shifting that balance, writes Accion Venture Lab’s Amee Parbhoo. In this blog, Parbhoo writes that during this time, fintechs have to continuously engage and support their customers especially low-income communities for whom in-person interactions are the
CGAPSenior financial sector specialist Stefan Staschen makes a strong case for open banking in emerging markets and why it would be important especially today in a COVID-19 world. Open banking, he writes, could advance financial inclusion in emerging markets by dealing with some of the pain points related to spending, savings, and credit, usually experienced