Now reading: Financial Inclusion

Financial Inclusion


With an emphasis on inclusive financial integrity, Cenfri provides technical assistance, tools and skills building to policymakers, regulators, supervisors and compliance heads looking to apply risk-based and outcomes accountable approaches to money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation-financing risk strategies. Combining our understanding of relevant risks, familiarity with the FATF guidelines, knowledge of identity and identity-proofing capabilities and leveraging our competency in risk data analytics, we support financial service value chains undertake assessments from national level to the financial product level, thereby enabling the adoption of appropriate customer due diligence practices. 

Cenfri is committed to assisting countries to move off the grey list responsibly, shaping national risk assessment processes with empirical data and working with remittance services’ compliance managers to ensure that low-income households are not disproportionately affected in receiving low-value remittances. 

We are interested in mitigating the longer-term impact of illicit financial flows using digital technology (regtech, suptech and AI) to evaluate and monitor illicit flows and enhance inclusive financial integrity.

We have worked with BankServ Africa, FSD Africa, GIZ, IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances, UNCDF and AFI on a range of financial integrity and identity projects.

Financial Inclusion

Swaziland’s microinsurance landscape

Microinsurance (or insurance in general) may not be affordable to all Swazis. Below a certain income threshold, non-market interventions such as public social safety nets can play the role of insurance. With this in mind, the market opportunity for microinsurance in Swaziland is estimated to stand at about 633,000 people.

Digital Transformation & Data

Microinsurance innovation in Brazil

These 2011 case studies on microinsurance innovation in Brazil forms part of a series on alternative, innovative microinsurance distribution models. These case studies are focused on retailer, utility and telecommunications distribution of microinsurance. The first case study covers the partnerships between Mapfre, an insurance company, and Casas Bahia and Vivo,

Financial Inclusion

Informal insurance markets

This 2010 presentation tackled the issue of informal insurance markets at the Financial Stability Institute’s meeting on microinsurance.

Financial Inclusion

Microinsurance innovation in Colombia

This 2011 case study on microinsurance innovation in Colombia forms part of a series of case studies on alternative, innovative microinsurance distribution models prepared for the ILO’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility. The case study covers three channels, namely the partnership between Codensa, an electricity utility company, and the insurance company Mapfre;

Digital Transformation & Data

New frontiers in microinsurance distribution

The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Microinsurance Innovation Facility (MIF) commissioned Cenfri to compare innovative distribution models from India, South Africa, Colombia and Brazil. The study was based on several case studies conducted and commissioned by Cenfri. The aim was to create a typology for innovative microinsurance distribution channels and extract

Financial Inclusion

Remittance study on Zimbabwe migrant workers in South Africa

This 2010 study is concerned with the remittance of funds to Zimbabwe from South Africa and assesses the suitability of the 90-day casual worker’s permit issued to Zimbabweans as a tool for financial inclusion with a focus on the remittance of funds to Zimbabwe. Whilst the 90-day permit ceased to

Financial Inclusion

Microinsurance in Mozambique

This body of work aimed to map the landscape of microinsurance in Mozambique with the objective to identify the barriers to and opportunities for insurance market development and to make regulatory and market-related recommendations for future development. This document provides summaries of the regulatory and insurance industry analyses, the take-up

women going shopping in Zimbabwe
Financial Inclusion

Zimbabwe Remittance Corridor

This study, undertaken by Saul Kerzner, was commissioned by Cenfri, on behalf of the FinMark Trust, to sketch a picture of the remittances landscape in the Johannesburg-Zimbabwe corridor. The aim was to build an understanding of the dynamics of remittances sent to Zimbabwe and the drivers of change and to

Financial Inclusion

South Africa: Demand-side analysis of market for medical schemes

During the last ten years, South Africa has achieved remarkable progress in the area of financial inclusion for lower-income households in specifically the banking and, to a lesser degree, insurance markets. Limited progress has been made in expanding medical schemes (government’s chosen vehicle for private health financing) to more South