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Reaching Informal Savings Groups with Formal Financial Products: A Study’s Unexpected Findings Reveal the Challenges of Digitizing Transactions
Formalizing the financial activities of informal savings groups has long been a priority in financial inclusion. Since 2015, the Savings at the Frontier program has worked to deepen the relationships between these groups and formal financial service providers, on the assumption that this would lead group members to open individual accounts and reap the benefits of digital transactions. But as Raksha Vasudevan explains, the results of a program evaluation have challenged these assumptions. She explores these findings, and their implications for efforts to digitize informal savings groups.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment, Technology
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Deconstructing the Monolith: Why Understanding Women’s Individual Needs is Key to Closing the Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion
How can financial service providers tailor their products to boost women's financial inclusion? Scott Graham and Anahit Tevosyan at FINCA discuss the findings of a survey of 2,800 financial consumers in the DRC, which showed – perhaps counterintuitively – that focusing on gender as the defining characteristic of a female client is exactly the wrong approach. They explore why it's necessary to “deconstruct the monolith” of female clients by digging into sub-segments of the market to understand their specific needs and constraints.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance
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Press Release: Architect Capital Launches with $100 Million to Provide Asset-Based Financing to Technology Companies in the U.S. And Latin America
Architect Capital, an asset-based lender to early-stage technology businesses, announced that it has launched with over $100 million to provide non-dilutive or less-dilutive financing solutions to high-growth and technology-enabled businesses.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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Analysis: Nigeria Is Making Progress With Financial Inclusion: Here’s How
In developing economies, many people are excluded in various ways from financial services. Including them is necessary for three main reasons.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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India’s Cred Raises $81 Million, Buys Back Shares Worth $1.2 Million From Employees
CRED is one of the most talked about startups in India, in part because of the scale at which its valuation has soared and the amount of capital it has been able to raise in such a short period.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Giving and Receiving: Understanding the Financial Flows Between Young People and Their Parents
Young people in many emerging markets tend to live in their parents’ homes until their mid-20s, leading to a complex, dynamic interplay of financial support between generations that's particularly relevant during COVID-19. Guy Stuart at Microfinance Opportunities discusses the results of a study exploring the implications of this support for financial service providers and financial inclusion in Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Report: Nigeria Has Most Active Fintech Market In Africa
The global body of mobile operators, GSM Association (GSMA), has described the fintech ecosystem in Nigeria as the most active in Africa.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Cash Is King: An Overlooked Way for Foundations to Multiply the Impact of their Investments
The top 1,000 U.S. foundations alone have over $31 billion in cash deposits – and according to Catherine Berman at CNote, that money could be used to amplify their impact. She argues that foundations could drive massive change – and advance their missions – by moving these funds out of traditional accounts and into community development financial institutions and credit unions.
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