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Flipping the Script: Why Small and Growing Businesses Should Lead the Researchers – Not the Other Way Around
All too often, global development research hinges on the interest of researchers, rather than the knowledge needs of small and growing businesses and their impacted communities. This can leave entrepreneurs with plenty of reports, but no practical tools for continuing to collect and use data themselves. Analysts at the William Davidson Institute, Gente Del Futuro, Practical Action and ANDE propose a better approach: letting small businesses lead the way.
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- Technology
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Necessity Is the Mother of Disruption: How Indonesia’s Fintech Startups Can Survive the Do-Or-Die Situation of COVID-19
Indonesia is a silent giant in the startup ecosystem, with over 2,200 startups nationwide – many in the fintech sector. However, with the onset of COVID-19, this progress is at risk of dissipating. Anshul Saxena and Sheila Teta Carina at MicroSave Consulting recommend several measures that can help sustain fintech startups' momentum during the pandemic.
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- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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The Game-Changing Potential of a Regulatory Sandbox: Why Creating a Safe Space for Digital Innovation Is a Necessity for Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh
While Bangladesh has made notable progress in accelerating financial inclusion, around 50% of Bangladeshis still remain unbanked. As Jakirul Islam at Bank Asia points out, this highlights a need for more technological disruption – and more regulatory innovation. He explores the potential of a “regulatory sandbox” approach, in which the government provides a safe harbor for businesses to test inventive new products, services and business models.
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- Finance, Technology
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Digital Identity and Financial Inclusion: How Digitizing Customer Due Diligence Can Strengthen Providers During COVID-19 and Beyond
Customer due diligence requirements are a major barrier to financial inclusion, since in some countries up to half the adult population can't open a bank account because they lack the necessary identity documents. With COVID-19 placing this obstacle in the spotlight, analysts at Cenfri explore how digital ID systems can benefit providers and customers, during the pandemic and beyond.
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- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Why Don’t Small Retailers Adopt E-Payments?: New Research Suggests the Reasons Behind Merchant Aversion – And Solutions for Stimulating Customer Demand
Mexico's 2.1 million 'tienditas' (small shops) drive most of the country's retail sales – yet 83% of them only accept cash, even though e-payment technology is cheaply accessible. Shreya Kankanhalli at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Luz Gomez at Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth explore findings from a field study that's testing ways to promote e-payments.
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- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Combating Cybercrime in Emerging Economies: The Case for Regional Cybersecurity Centers to Protect the Finances of the Poor
Cybercrime is growing in emerging economies, threatening progress toward inclusive finance. And the poorest people tend to be the most at risk – and the least able to afford losing money. Though government and industry bodies have struggled to address the problem, David Medine at CGAP explains that solutions exist – including the formation of regional cybersecurity resource centers.
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- Finance, Technology
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The COVID-19 Pivot: How Five Nonprofits and Community-Based Enterprises Have Adapted in Response to the Pandemic
As COVID-19 has upended entire industries, businesses and non-profits everywhere have had to adapt to survive – sometimes shifting completely from their traditional services. June Sugiyama at the Vodafone Americas Foundation explores how five participants in the OpenIDEO COVID Business Pivot Challenge have quickly adjusted to provide innovative solutions to the crisis.
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- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Health Care, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Avoiding the Downside of Instapay: Five Behavioral Science-Based Principles to Make Paycheck-on-Demand Benefit Low-Income Users
There are numerous apps and employers that allow employees to cash out their paychecks on demand, rather than waiting until their usual payday. But while this may seem like a dream come true for people who need quick cash to deal with financial distress, "instapay" also comes with tradeoffs. Analysts at Common Cents Lab discuss these downsides – and some behavioral science-based solutions.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology