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Transforming How Financial Service Providers and Fintechs Leverage Data: A New Free Tool Aims to Separate the Signal from the Noise
In today’s digital finance landscape, data is one of the most valuable assets. Yet as Sarah Corley at AllianceDFA and Mallory Sheff at DataKind explain, data remains siloed, fragmented and underutilized across the sector — and this challenge is particularly acute in emerging markets. They argue that this isn’t just a missed opportunity, but a structural barrier to inclusion and innovation, and share a free, open-access learning platform designed to help fintechs and other financial service providers turn data into action to fuel customer growth and retention.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Measuring Systems Change in Agricultural Finance in Africa: Practical Metrics and Guidance for Detecting and Tracking Real Change
Despite employing 65-70% of the region's population and contributing 20-40% of national GDPs, Africa's agriculture sector receives less than 3% of its overall commercial credit — and in some countries, that share hasn't changed for decades. But according to Carla Legros, a consultant and strategist in agricultural and inclusive finance, that doesn't necessarily mean that progress has stalled. She proposes a set of metrics for assessing whether systems change is actually happening in the continent's agricultural finance sector.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
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From COVID to Foreign Aid Cuts: How Community-Led Financial Access Can Help Women and Their Communities Weather Crises
The COVID pandemic had a substantial impact on women’s financial access in many emerging economies — an impact that persists to this day. Now, as Kathy Guis at Kiva explains, a new crisis is building, as foreign aid cuts and broader macroeconomic uncertainty reduce funding to financial service providers focused on women’s inclusion. She argues that despite the urgency of other global issues, access to financial services matters, and explores how Kiva hopes to grow its support for women and other vulnerable populations despite the challenging funding environment.
- Categories
- Finance
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Four Key Lessons for Implementing PAYGo 2.0: How the PAYGo Solar Sector Can Fulfill its Potential
In response to the recent NextBillion article by Dan Murphy and Willem Nolens at PAYGo Lab, on how companies and investors can move PAYGo solar toward "PAYGo 2.0,” Yariv Cohen at Ignite Energy Access argues that it's time for deep reflection and realignment in the industry. He explains why PAYGo 2.0 — an approach aimed at boosting repayment rates and profitability through improved customer selection and support — is the only way forward for the sector, and shares four lessons Ignite has learned from its efforts to implement this model.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing
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Unlocking the Investment Potential of Healthcare in Emerging Markets: How New Technologies, Platform Models and Financing Options are Driving Growth
There is a growing need for new sources of healthcare funding in emerging markets: For instance, Africa accounts for around 2% of global health expenditure — despite representing over 18% of the world’s population and over 20% of the global disease burden. As investor Temi Marcella argues, this disparity presents unique opportunities for investors seeking both profit and impact. She explores how investors can unlock the full potential of healthcare investments in these markets by supporting businesses’ efforts to leverage digital health ecosystems, platform strategies and innovative financing solutions.
- Categories
- Finance, Health Care, Investing, Technology
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The Quiet Revival of Microfinance: Why The Sector is Poised for Greater Growth and Impact in 2025 and Beyond
After starting in the 1970s, the microfinance industry had become a global sensation by the early 2000s, only to see its momentum wane over the subsequent decade due to concerns about high interest rates and poor borrower outcomes. But according to Kris Coppock at Five Talents, a number of data points reveal that microfinance has quietly turned a corner in recent years. He explores how the sector is emerging from the malaise that defined the past decade, driven by a lending approach that treats access to capital as just one part of a wider toolkit for building resilience, opportunity and dignity.
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Ending the Vicious Circle in PAYGo Solar: How Companies and Investors Can Move the Sector Toward ‘PAYGo 2.0’
The Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) solar industry is facing decreases in both sales and investment capital, as rising customer default rates are driving a vicious circle of worsened unit economics and higher product prices. However, as Dan Murphy and Willem Nolens at PAYGo Lab explain, some companies are thriving by implementing systems to improve customer selection, education and support — an approach often referred to as "PAYGo 2.0." They analyze the industry’s challenges and share key lessons and best practices that can enhance its operational efficiency, financial resilience and sustainable growth.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing
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Fueling Change: The Multiple Impacts of Increasing Liquefied Petroleum Gas Usage in Rural India
To address the negative impacts of cooking with biomass fuel, the Indian government launched a program in 2018 that offers free access to a clean gas cookstove and a refillable cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). But as Shobhit Mishra and Vaishaly Shrimall at MSC explain, the program faced logistical challenges that limited uptake among rural households. They explore the barriers that hinder the adoption of gas cooking in rural India, and discuss the impact of an MSC program that leverages self-help groups to boost LPG uptake while creating entrepreneurship opportunities for local women.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance
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