Remittances, a vital contributor to the SDGs
Remittances are a valuable lifeline for Africans, with over USD 100 billion flowing into the continent annually from a migrant workforce of 40 million individuals
29 September, 2023
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Impact from the Remittance Access Initiative
KYC and CDD requirements can inhibit access to remittances for low-income, rural households and women. These are our findings from the Remittance Access Initiative where
27 September, 2023
Data and Analytics
Catalysing the use of data and digital technology for tourism in Ghana
Ghana’s tourism industry presents an exciting landscape for growth, offering significant potential for youth employment and entrepreneurship. However, an effective digital presence is a prerequisite
21 September, 2023
Payments and Remittances
Mutual digital infrastructure could drive formalised, inclusive payments in SADC
Interoperable payment systems improve the efficiency and effectiveness of retail and cross-border payments. Cenfri worked with BankservAfrica on a white paper that assesses the state
24 August, 2023
Data and Analytics
Public sector data frameworks
If properly catalogued, classified and shared, public sector data can be leveraged to increase access to services, make service delivery more efficient and inform policymaking.
3 August, 2023
Digital Africa
An assessment of customer due diligence and identity regulatory frameworks
Innovation opportunities for enhanced remittance access As part of our Remittance Access Ininitative (RAI), Cenfri conducted a regulatory assessment of seven countries (Ghana, Kenya, Morocco,
19 May, 2023
Digital Africa
Understanding CBDC and its application in emerging markets
Central banks have cited several reasons for considering or piloting central bank digital currencies (CBDC). These include a desire to enhance financial stability and monetary
3 March, 2023
Payments and Remittances
Digitisation contributes to improved remittance access and a better customer experience
The Remittance Access Initiative (RAI) is a programme set up through a partnership between IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR) and Cenfri. Cenfri is working
23 February, 2023
Data and Analytics
Open Finance in Africa: Designing context-appropriate approaches for the financial sector
Open Finance can be defined as the sharing of consumer data between financial service providers (FSPs) and/or third-party providers on the basis of consumer consent.
10 February, 2023
Payments and Remittances
Tailored CBDC technical assistance in emerging markets
Recognising the importance of digital payments as a contributor to financial inclusion, central banks in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) are increasingly looking to address the remaining
8 February, 2023
Microinsurance and Health Financing
5 lessons for designing fit-for-purpose health microinsurance
Gakere is a 49-year-old mechanic from Nairobi, and like 77% of adults in Kenya, he does not have National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) or private
31 January, 2023
Payments and Remittances
State of instant and inclusive payment systems in Africa
Real-time retail payments that enable consumers to send and receive cross-border and domestic transactions digitally are on the rise globally. The increasing proliferation of
30 January, 2023
Digital Africa
Revealing the consumer experience of digital finance in low- and middle-income countries
Consumers face several frustrations with the potential to affect their experience of digital financial services. These include system glitches, inappropriate design, fraud, cybercrime, data breaches,
24 January, 2023
Insurance for development
Insurance regulation and innovation: An assessment of 8 African insurance markets
To support regulatory authorities in sub-Saharan Africa in promoting inclusive insurance market development, there is a need to strike a balance between innovation and the
24 November, 2022
Policy and Regulation
Consumer protection in digital finance
The authors of this report would like to acknowledge the support of the International Dialogue on Consumer Protection in Context of the SDGs, coordinated by
18 November, 2022
Data and Analytics
Data insights in achieving retail growth in Rwanda
The retail and trade (merchant) sector is one of the priority sectors for the Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme. The sector and its upstream activities generate
14 November, 2022
Data and Analytics
Enhancing identity verification for refugees in Uganda
In Uganda, refugees and asylum seekers struggle to cash out their remittances due to challenging and time-consuming identity verification processes. This is one observation from
21 October, 2022
Capacity Building
Training improves ability to unlock value from data
Capacity-development is a vital part of the Rwanda Economy Digitalisation programme and beyond the hosting of training courses, the aim is to cultivate a hub
13 October, 2022
Insurance for development
What will it take to build innovative insurance markets in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Despite the best efforts of sub-Saharan African (SSA) insurers, most African citizens and small businesses do not yet have insurance. Our recent research in eight
6 October, 2022
Payments and Remittances
Lessons on improving remittance access in Africa
Learnings from the Remittance Access Initiative (RAI) in partnership with IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances Cenfri, in partnership with IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances recently
23 September, 2022
Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme
Agriculture an important policy priority for Rwanda
Agriculture plays a major role in the Rwandan economy: close to 75% of the population’s livelihood depends on farming. However, the majority of these farmers
21 September, 2022
Payments and Remittances
The potential of CBDCs for financial inclusion
Will CBDC solve your financial inclusion woes or further exclude the vulnerable? Central bank-backed digital currency (CBDC) may alleviate financial exclusion barriers, but it comes
9 September, 2022
Digital Africa
Cenfri joins the Smart Africa Alliance
Kigali, Monday 29th August 2022 – The Smart Africa Alliance welcomes Cenfri as an international non-profit member to advance Smart Africa’s digital transformation initiatives. With
29 August, 2022
Policy and Regulation
Responsive and responsible regulation
The value of non-legally binding guidance Regulation is the regulator’s strongest and most fundamental tool; but it can take years to be published. In Zambia,
11 August, 2022
Payments and Remittances
CBDC for emerging markets: realities and expectations
Cenfri has deepened its work on CBDC amid growing interest from central banks Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) has emerged as a key consideration for
4 August, 2022
Data and Analytics
What is data-driven decision making and what does it mean for Rwanda?
Nothing illustrates the incredible power of data-driven decision-making more than the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Lamenting the disparities in genomic sequencing data from high versus lower-middle
25 July, 2022
Insurance for development
Holistic risk solutions for MSME resilience in Egypt
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Egypt Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a fundamental role in the Egyptian economy – they drive more
21 July, 2022
Data and Analytics
Building a data skills foundation is necessary to achieve meaningful digitalisation
One of the reasons so much emphasis is placed on digitalisation is that people hope digital technology will solve common, but hereto unresolved, challenges. While
15 July, 2022
Insurance for development
Private sector partnerships for MSME resilience: Learnings from Africa
Opportunities await insurers and tech providers who are willing to work together Insurance is a key tool that provides businesses with protection and resilience against
8 July, 2022
Insurance for development
Insurance Innovation Dialogue
About the Insurance Innovation Dialogue To support insurance regulatory authorities in sub-Saharan Africa strike a balance between innovation and risk, FSD Africa set up the
6 July, 2022
Microinsurance and Health Financing
The role of different partners for effective MSME insurance
Insurers can partner with digital platforms, lenders and insurance aggregators to offer better products that matter for MSMEs. Despite being heavily underfinanced, micro, small and
24 May, 2022
Payments and Remittances
Delivering remittances at the last mile
The role of enabling identity regulation in Ghana Recent data shows that remittances continue to play a critical role in Ghana. According to Ghana’s 2020
12 May, 2022
Technology and Innovation
Applying a gender lens to trade finance
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are considered engines of economic growth and development, especially in developing economies, yet they continue to be disproportionately rejected from
3 May, 2022
Data and Analytics
Data scientists contribute to data-driven policymaking in Rwanda
The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme aims to support the Government of Rwanda in its vision of building an inclusive digital economy using data-driven policymaking. To
20 April, 2022
Payments and Remittances
Enhancing risk assessment processes for improved remittance access
Early insights from IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances and Cenfri Our work with IFAD to improve remittance access across seven African countries has shown that
12 April, 2022
Resilience
The role of women and finance in climate action
A changing climate affects everyone, but it’s the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, predominantly women and girls, who bear the brunt of environmental, economic and
8 March, 2022
Insurance for development
Opportunities for remittance-linked insurance products in SSA
A demand-side perspective of the risk management and resilience needs of remittance senders from South Africa to Ghana, Malawi and Zimbabwe Remittance-linked insurance products (RLIPs)
22 January, 2022
Policy and Regulation
Digitalizing farm to table supply chains in Asia
On-demand transport services and insurtech Whether as a customer or a business, digital platforms that connect people and services are ubiquitous today. The adoption of technology in food
25 October, 2021
Empowering people to solve problems that matter
How Cenfri makes systemic change happen In helping to build a world of opportunity and greater equality, where people and societies thrive, and where the
21 October, 2021
Capacity Building
Developing capacity to boost data-driven decision-making in Rwanda
In recent years, Rwanda has embarked on a transformative journey towards digitalisation to fuel economic growth and innovation. The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme, implemented by
17 July, 2023
A snapshot of our impact
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guidelines, frameworks and regulations changed across Africa, Asia and Latin America
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partnerships between policymakers, regulators and the private sector
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private-sector business models supported
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regulators upskilled and trained
1
million
people can access financial services due to removal of barriers and interventions
