The Gateway sat down with Sybil Chidiac of Grameen Foundation to discuss what works and what doesn't when tailoring savings groups to serve vulnerable populations. 

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.

High repayment rates, technology solutions, and new research tell us that it’s time for the financial industry to think about refugees.

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? 

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.

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.

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?

The latest Findex shows global progress on access to financial services, but it also illustrates challenges in reaching marginalized groups and increasing usage.

Designing and delivering client centered financial products for the poor

Highlighting the importance of agents'’ profitability in the banking correspondent model