CGAP

01/07/2026

In our new video series, Behind the Research, we hear from CGAP experts about the work and insights driving financial inclusion forward. Today, we hear from Sai Krishna Kumaraswamy on why competition matters for financial inclusion.

Despite remarkable progress in financial access over the last 15 years, many financial markets worldwide are not truly competitive—and that limits the value people and small businesses actually derive from financial services.

Competition and innovation are two sides of the same coin. While the financial inclusion community has engaged extensively on innovation, very little attention has been paid to competition.

Sai's message to financial authorities is clear: competition is a powerful driver of financial inclusion, and they already have the tools to promote it without undermining stability, integrity, or consumer protection. The key is applying a competition lens to the work already underway.

When markets are open and contestable, they deliver true choice and value to people and small businesses and ensure that finance truly works for them.

Watch the video below to learn more 👇

In the first episode of our new series, "Behind the Research," CGAP's Sai Krishna Kumaraswamy discusses why competition is essential for financial inclusion—...

01/05/2026

Financial service providers (FSPs) and funders have compelling reasons to ensure young women’s financial inclusion, and distinct roles to play. In addition to the wider social and economic benefits of their empowerment, young women can also be important new long-term customers for financial institutions, and a strong test case to refine strategies for outreach to broader low-income segments.

CGAP’s new Focus Note presents 3 key opportunities for FSPs and funders to meet the real financial needs of young women aged 15-24:

➡ Broaden alternative on-ramps into the financial system
➡ Prioritize savings over credit
➡ Protect financial progress with better health and life insurance

Learn more about how FSPs can realize these opportunities and how funders can ensure that market incentives align to support them: https://cgap.pub/4sbLpTv

01/05/2026

For impact investors, measuring outcomes is essential.

Financial inclusion investments must go beyond outputs to show real improvements for end beneficiaries. CGAP identifies four priorities that can help: build shared understanding, overcome operational challenges, integrate outcomes into decision-making, and make data transparent. Together, these steps align stakeholders across the investment chain and strengthen accountability.

See the video to discover how outcomes-focused IMM can drive meaningful impact.

01/02/2026

For many low-income households, a single disaster can wipe out years of progress. Inclusive insurance can provide the safety net they need to weather crises and invest in their futures.

Yet the inclusive insurance sector is far from reaching its potential. Products do not always match the realities of low-income customers, and many markets lack the regulatory foundations needed to scale.

This is where funders come in. With targeted investment, innovation, and stronger collaboration across the ecosystem, inclusive insurance can become a cornerstone of resilience and inclusive growth.

Learn more in our reading deck (link in comments)!

01/02/2026

AI is transforming financial inclusion, creating new opportunities to expand access for underserved communities while introducing new risks that must be carefully managed

Our blog series explores how AI can bridge financial gaps & promote equity: https://cgap.pub/4pPMeQb

01/01/2026

: By looking at what different National Financial Inclusion Strategies prioritize, we can see how strategies are beginning to shape safer, fairer & more responsible financial ecosystems.

Read our blog here: https://cgap.pub/4o0Vu2D

12/30/2025

When floods, droughts, and extreme heat disrupt livelihoods, they also disrupt the financial lives of those most vulnerable. Repayment rates fall, borrowing declines, insurance becomes harder to price, and providers pull back.

Evidence from Microfinance Network suggests that there is significant reason to worry about growing climate risk undermining the progress made worldwide on .

If we want financial inclusion to keep advancing, we need to urgently support grassroots by strengthening the financial institutions that serve climate-vulnerable communities.

12/29/2025

As we close out 2025, we reflect on the progress made in advancing the lives of people living in poverty through over the past 30 years, and what comes next: https://cgap.pub/4lAuu90

12/26/2025

As evolve from niche climate interventions into a multi-billion-dollar industry, a critical truth is emerging: gender inclusion is no longer optional. It is essential to the permanence, equity, and scalability of carbon projects.

More in this blog: https://cgap.pub/3HskfF9

12/24/2025

To boost , we must recognize & respond to .

CGAP’s new resources can help:

🗒️A practical framework to understand & act on gender norms
🗒️ A diagnostic guide provides a field-tested methodology for diagnosing gender norm constraints
🗒️A design guide offers practical tools to that help shape that better meet women’s needs
🗒️A gender lens regulatory framework helps identify how regulation can impact men & women differently

Together, let’s support a financial sector transition from gender-blind to gender-intentional approaches. Learn more: https://cgap.pub/4pcjvEi

12/23/2025

As 2025 draws to a close, we're reflecting on a year of deep thinking and practical insights on how is increasingly intertwined with some of the world's most pressing challenges.

CGAP published more than 85 blogs this year — from and to , digital public infrastructure, and the future of micro and small enterprises. From exploring the promise of to how can drive competition, our blogs explored how can move beyond access to deliver stronger, more durable outcomes for people and communities.

📖 Read our selection of the top 10 blogs of 2025: https://cgap.pub/3KO1G09

12/19/2025

As advances toward Viksit Bharat 2047, alone will not be enough. The next phase of growth depends on whether the financial system actively strengthens women’s economic power—by giving them real control over money, decisions, and assets across life stages.

Reimagining women’s financial pathways requires moving beyond access to design finance around women’s lived realities: non-linear careers, caregiving responsibilities, and evolving aspirations.

India has built the rails. The task now is to ensure women can use them to build security, exercise choice, and shape their futures.

Read more in our latest blog: https://cgap.pub/4qdjvEJ