CGAP

12/18/2025

Women agents, like Bank Sakhis in , play an essential role in advancing and fostering trust in digital financial services (DFS) within their communities.

In this paper, we examine the benefits of increasing the number of women agents, the challenges faced by women in this role, and potential solutions to make the DFS sector more inclusive for women and other vulnerable customer segments: https://cgap.pub/45OxJRN

12/17/2025

The gender gap in still appears between ages 15-24 in LMICs – but young women’s use of is rising faster than men’s.

shows why: government transfers now drive account use more for young women, even as education & wage effects have largely equalized.

Learn more:

Young women’s use of financial services jumped 9 points since 2021. Findex 2025 data suggests government transfers now play a bigger role in shaping young women’s financial behaviors, narrowing the gender gap despite stable education and wage trends.

12/16/2025

How do modern keep up with rapid innovation? By rebuilding their regulatory DNA: clear vision, adaptive policy, digital infrastructure, and data-driven SupTech.

Our blog breaks down the strands shaping the future of financial regulation: https://cgap.pub/48Bkvg8

12/15/2025

Savings groups like are a lifeline for women's even in fragile contexts. But requiring all groups to register & comply with strict rules risks doing more harm than good.

A proportionate, low-risk approach can protect consumers and preserve what makes these groups work.

Read our blog here: https://cgap.pub/4j06g8g

12/12/2025

CGAP invites to join an initiative measuring digitization’s impact on customers & business.

Help build evidence unlocking transformational improvements in unit economics, operational efficiency, product relevance & service quality.

Submit your EOI by Jan 2, 2026: https://cgap.pub/3MwmUju

12/11/2025

Systemic crises can erase years of progress on financial inclusion, hitting vulnerable households and small businesses hardest.

Our new paper shows how financial safety net authorities can protect stability while preserving access to finance during crises.

Learn more: https://cgap.pub/3YkQXgF

12/10/2025

For women like Isata, mangroves aren’t just part of the landscape — they’re central to her livelihood.

In Sierra Leone’s coastal communities, families depend on mangrove ecosystems to earn a living. But without income stability or access to financial services, they often have no choice but to cut mangroves as a short-term survival strategy.

For the past year, CGAP and blue carbon project developer West Africa Blue have been exploring how inclusive finance can change this. As highlighted in our latest blog by X, approaches like Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are helping communities build more stable incomes and shift toward sustainable practices.

For Isata, joining a savings group meant she could access a small loan — one she used to invest in her phone-charging business, providing a critical service and a steady income that bolsters her family's resilience.

Read more here: https://cgap.pub/3MuOKfV

12/08/2025

In , and systems continue to run on separate tracks. This fragmentation forces civilians to register multiple times, juggle different payment tools, and navigate overlapping programs, while facing the pressures of living in a conflict setting.

Bridging these systems doesn’t mean compromising mandates. It means finding practical, context-sensitive ways to coordinate delivery so support is faster, cheaper, and easier for recipients. Ukraine now has an opportunity to reduce duplication, streamline payments, and build systems that will endure long after emergency aid recedes.

Read more in our latest blog: https://cgap.pub/4pZ0s11

12/05/2025

Fifteen years ago, nearly half the world’s adults had no access to formal finance. Today, digital financial services have helped cut that number in half.

But access alone does not guarantee inclusion. In many markets, a lack of competition still limits choice, keeps prices high, and slows innovation. This is especially true for women, low-income households, rural communities, and micro and small enterprises.

Our new working paper, Competition for Financial Inclusion: A Conceptual Framework, explores how financial authorities can use a competition lens to create markets that are more dynamic, innovative, and responsive to customer needs.

Watch the video below to learn more, and read the paper here: https://cgap.pub/4iLZzqc

12/03/2025

Open finance can spur more innovation and competition, enhance customer empowerment, and foster inclusion in the financial sector.

As more countries design or implement open finance frameworks, success will hinge on getting the details right — from governance and data protection to enabling broad participation of financial services providers.

Below are our top 10 key considerations for open finance for designing an inclusive open finance framework that reaches and benefits underserved populations.

12/02/2025

Two new reports from the EAT-Lancet Commission and FAO reinforce what many in the sector already see: transforming is not only urgent—it’s entirely possible.

Beyond big-picture reforms, retail-level financial innovation can unlock the potential of farmers, agri-SMEs, and value chain actors who are central to producing nutritious, sustainable, and locally affordable food. CGAP’s new framework highlights practical ways , , donors, and agribusinesses can design and scale the tailored financial solutions that make this transformation real.

With the right financial systems in place, high-impact value chains can thrive—and so can the communities who depend on them.

Read more at the link in the comments:

12/01/2025

In 2021, CGAP worked in collaboration with financial sector authorities in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal on a Consumer Protection Lab. This research project designed and implemented national DFS risk surveys that established a solid evidence base which raised awareness and enabled actors across the digital finance ecosystem to collaborate effectively. Financial sector authorities in all three countries developed national action plans that led to improved outcomes.

To learn more about the impact of CGAP's DFS Consumer Protection Lab, read our influence story 👇