Cenfri has broad experience in fit-for-purpose payment systems in emerging markets, particularly in Africa. We work towards making retail payments a public good, assisting central banks, payments operators and payment system participants navigate domestic and cross-border payments modernisation in a manner that contributes to economic inclusion. We have worked extensively in instant/faster retail payment systems and in improving access to remittances for low-income households. Other projects range from diagnostic and landscaping studies, developing a national payments vision, to analysing payments legislation and regulation, and feasibility studies on central bank digital currency (CBDC). The convergence of payments and identity, as well as the focus on digitising the entire value chain rather than limited use cases, is central to our theory of change in digital payments. We have worked with IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances, the World Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, AfricaNenda, FSD Africa, FSD Kenya, GIZ, UNCDF, BankservAfrica, Finmark Trust, the African Union and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion. |
Many people have had their 2020 plans ruined by COVID-19, but the cross-border remittance opportunity in Nigeria is even more enticing right now. The World Bank expects cross-border remittances to drop dramatically in 2020, but many African players are experiencing a sharp increase in digital person-to-person flows as cash is
What challenges exist around remote onboarding? COVID-19 has caused significant disruptions to insurers’ operations, as they still have traditional business models and rely heavily on physical engagement for distribution. The lack of digitisation across the continent has emerged as a key barrier from our research on the impact that COVID-19
In partnership with Organisation of Eastern & Southern Africa Insurers (OESAI) and FSD Africa, we have undertaken a survey to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on organisations operating in the insurance sector across Eastern and Southern Africa. This survey was augmented by 33 semi-structured telephonic interviews with different insurance
Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) in conjunction with Cenfri and supported by FSD Africa are pleased to officially launch the Inclusive Financial Integrity Toolkit. Countries in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region have been on a development curve in setting up effective Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism
COVID-19 containment and mitigation measures in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have restricted the movement of people, goods and services. This has affected insurers’ operations, which, to a large extent, have traditionally required physical engagement. It is also affecting insurers’ ability to launch new products, conclude new sales, collect premiums, service existing
Modern financial crime has evolved significantly over the last few decades. Detecting these global networks of sophisticated crime has become more complicated than solving a thousand-piece puzzle in minutes and with half the pieces missing; humanly impossible. This is the kind of complexity that faces the authorities and institutions at
In an age where we can send mail electronically in seconds at no cost rather than going to the post, it seems odd that people still walk around with pieces of metal and paper in their pockets to pay for things. Yet cash has remained the undisputed king of payments
Payment facilities underpin scaling of Africa’s digital platforms. Digital platforms, also known as multi-sided marketplaces, are seamlessly matching customers to suppliers of goods and services in e-commerce and other emerging industries, thereby creating new pathways for individuals to participate in the digital economy. At the heart of the rapid rise
Webinar: The impact of COVID-19 on the sustainability of African insurance markets Our research in partnership with FSD Africa shows that many insurers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) were already vulnerable before the onset of COVID-19 and that the effects of the pandemic will heighten this vulnerability. What are the medium
