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Is a move toward digital savings a better answer to the financial needs of poor women than continuing to roll out robust savings associations? An excellent paper just published by Women’s World Banki...
From its modern beginnings with Grameen Bank, microfinance has focused on women. This made so much sense: they were traditionally underserved and financially disadvantaged, had clearer financial prior...
… are greatly exaggerated. This is very significant for financial inclusion. Many people are rightly considering how much easier financial inclusion would be, especially in rural areas, if we had a so...
A major challenge for full financial inclusion is extension to the poorest households in rural areas. Even in the presence of access to mobile services, the lack of financial literacy, unawareness of ...
Is that arrogant enough? But what if we could create a generalized digital lending platform that is specifically designed for the needs of the world’s poorest people? Is that remotely possible? What m...
Should financial institutions offer lines of credit (such as overdraft facilities) for the very poor? The question is prompted by some comments on a couple of my earlier posts, in which concern is exp...
We often talk about whether banking the poor can be profitable, as though that’s the only thing stopping banks from providing the financial services the poor need. But in reality, the bigger challenge...
The US Financial Diaries, which have been collected and analyzed over the past year or so by the Center for Financial Services Innovation in tandem with NYU Wagner’s Financial Access Initiative (FAI),...
There is a tendency to talk about savings for the poor rather generically, as though there really is just one thing called “savings”. With credit, it is more obvious that there are short-term and long...
Can we reach full financial inclusion in 5 years? Given the World Bank FI2020 goals, apparently our world leaders think the answer is yes. But those of us working in the commercial banking segment see...
With the current huge focus on Financial Inclusion at the global level and in an increasing number of governments, as well as rapid developments in technology, opportunities to provide financial servi...
or Spare a Thought for the Poor Can’t-Win Regulators. Regulators are about as popular among Financial Inclusion enthusiasts as a football (soccer) referee. Referees get credit for slowing the pace of ...