All You Need Is … Innovation!
In this Gateway interview, Reda Maamari discusses a new regional award which aims to spur innovation for greater financial inclusion in the Arab World, sharing how the Arab Financial Inclusion Innovation Prize (AFIIP) came about, and what it hopes to achieve.
5 Things You Should Know About Financial Services for Refugees
High repayment rates, technology solutions, and new research tell us that it’s time for the financial industry to think about refugees.
International Remittances: Why Is the Shift to Digital So Slow?
The uptake of digital remittances has been slower than hoped. Are we on the edge of a rapid revolution, or will the switch happen gradually, over many years? And is digital origination a key to driving down remittance costs?
Social Norms Are Difficult To Change, Can Entertainment Help?
Zari is a six-year-old girl who goes to school, skateboards and learns about making healthy choices – and is the most recognized children’s television character in Afghanistan. She is featured on Sesame Garden, the nation’s version of Sesame Street. She is also changing minds around the acceptability of girls’ education in a country with some of the lowest rates of girls’ primary school attendance in the world.
Diving Into Data on Smallholder Families
Until now, reliable data on the financial lives of smallholder families has been scarce. Three new tools from CGAP, Insight2Impact, MIX and One Acre Fund shed light on this massive untapped market for financial services.
Yes, Microfinance Is Alive, But Does It Still Matter?
According to many in the impact investment industry, microfinance is dead - yesterday's solution at best. Fortunately for people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP), no one told microfinance that it has died. But where is it going now and what do MFIs need to do to stay relevant?
New Global Findex: What You Need to Know
The latest Findex shows global progress on access to financial services, but it also illustrates challenges in reaching marginalized groups and increasing usage.
Gateway Guide to Pay-As-You-Go Financing for Basic Services
Learn more about this innovative business model which is helping more low-income customers access essential services such as electricity, water and cooking fuel. Explore FinDev Gateway's latest publications, webinars and blog posts on PAYGo financing.
Productive Versus Consumption Loans: A Distinction That Hurts Rather Than Helps
Water.org explains why water and sanitation loans have high repayment rates and should be prioritized by MFIs, and makes a call to all microfinance professionals to reject the misguided labeling of loans as either productive or for consumption only.
Digitize, Direct, Design (D3): Can These Three Principles Help Close the Gender Gap?
To realize the potential gains of financial inclusion, more intentional efforts are needed to close persistent gender gaps. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has developed three core principles for advancing women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment.