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 discussions around retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) today revolve around ambitious policy-focused use cases. Most recently, in the face of potential competition from a growing assortment of innovative private crypto-assets like Bitcoin and stablecoins such as Facebook’s Libra, central bankers around the world have been consumed with the
International migration has become such a pressing global issue that one can hardly read or watch the news without hearing about it. Migration is typically driven by economic interest or forced displacements. Though it often delivers substantial benefits to the migrants themselves, it has also led to social upheaval and
Policymakers, development organisations and sometimes even private sector players, often rely on financial inclusion data uncovered through consumer or ‘demand-side’ surveys. However, insight2impact has been exploring the analysis of financial transaction data to generate new insights on people’s financial behaviour. We have partnered with government institutions and commercial banks to
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of people, and the financial and other systems that underpin much of our daily existence. Remittance recipients in Africa are likely to be particularly hard hit by both the immediate and longer-term effects of the pandemic. In 2018 alone, personal remittance flows to
The impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa – The effect on remittances Cenfri hosted an Africa digital dialogues series in partnership with the Digital Frontiers Institute (DFI) to explore the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa. The first of the three-part series focused on the impact on migrants
The slowdown in economic activity brought about by the spread of Covid-19 has already been felt in the Northern Hemisphere where restrictions to the movement of people and goods are having significant adverse impact on economic growth and individual livelihoods. But what will the impact be on the Global South
The need for complementary private health insurance offerings in sub-Saharan Africa For many Africans, the ability to withstand and recover from health-related shocks remains fundamental to ensuring financial resilience. According to the latest FinScope Surveys across 11 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries [1], approximately a third of individuals who faced a
A significant portion of the population in Africa is underinsured, leaving them exposed to risks and unable to manage and recover from them. Less than 10% of the adult population in nine sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have private insurance, as shown by Figure 1, despite 54% (122 million individuals) of
This report reveals the findings from our qualitative and quantitative research with remittance senders who live in the United Kingdom and send remittances to either Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria or Uganda. Remittances act as key sources of financial support for households: They reduce the likelihood of impoverishment, contribute to improved health
