A financial sector that works for consumers has a suite of products and features that are suitable to consumers’ needs, are safe from cybercrime and that protect consumers’ privacy. Ideally, empowered consumers exercise an informed choice, understand the information disclosed to them, and have their voice heard in their interaction with financial services providers and agents.
The reality is often different. Cenfri’s consumer outcomes work aims to bridge the gap. We have worked with Consumers International, CGAP, GIZ, FSD Kenya, FSCA South Africa and the SADC Secretariat. Our track record includes policy briefs, regional consumer protection guidelines, financial inclusion measurement, measurement of consumer outcomes, and country-level consumer protection technical assistance.
We also have a significant body of work on behavioural science and its application in the financial sector.
Our work at Cenfri rarely follows the typical rhythms of the calendar year, yet, as 2024 draws to a close, we thought it would be good to reflect on what we’ve achieved. It’s been a busy few months: we’ve worked on around 50 projects and undertaken work-related travel to 19
Consumer outcomes: the holy grail. If you think about it, consumer protection is the ultimate raison d’être of all financial sector regulation. But what is “success” in consumer protection? The approach to financial consumer protection regulation has evolved over time. In recent years, more regulators have started to shift from a
Fintechs have the potential to significantly improve the options available to financially underserved individuals. Many fintech start-ups in Africa, however, struggle to reach the scale and level of maturity that would make them viable alternatives to the offerings from traditional financial service providers. This is particularly true for fintechs launched
Digital financial services are transforming global financial service provision and access. Rapid developments in fintech are disrupting and transforming financial landscapes worldwide, leading to new partnerships, including those with traditional financial service providers, to better serve existing customers and reach previously underserved consumer segments. However, the benefits of DFS are
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, opaque pricing, and more. The Digital finance: The consumer experience, 2023 report, which Cenfri developed for Consumers International, provides an assessment of the scale of
How to seed connections with customers through SMS and DMs The last two decades have seen extraordinary growth in digital connectivity, particularly due to the growth in mobile technologies. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), for example, 93% of the population had mobile cellular subscriptions in 2020, up from 76% in 2015
After conducting a systematic review of how behavioural science can be used to drive financial inclusion, our team was inspired to continue our efforts in the field. We provided training on the behavioural design process, assisted companies with consumer research and user experience design and conducted an end-to-end behavioural design
Behavioural science studies how people behave and tries to answer why they behave in the way they do. This is done by looking at how people process information and how context affects our decisions. Being aware of their customers’ decision-making processes can help financial services providers develop products that really
How can we strengthen female resilience in a COVID-19 context? The COVID-19 pandemic and related measures are affecting women’s lives disproportionately and differently to those of men. This is due to several reasons; generally, women earn less, hold less secure jobs, and are more likely to be employed in the
Expanded smartphone access in Africa underpins evolving consumer behaviour. Smartphone uptake in Africa is growing rapidly. GSMA reported that smartphone adoption in sub-Saharan Africa reached 45% in 2018 – nearly half a billion people – and is projected to reach 66% by 2025. To put that further into perspective, 623
Our work at Cenfri rarely follows the typical rhythms of the calendar year, yet, as 2024 draws to a close, we thought it would be good to reflect on what we’ve achieved. It’s been a busy few months: we’ve worked on around 50 projects and undertaken work-related travel to 19
Consumer outcomes: the holy grail. If you think about it, consumer protection is the ultimate raison d’être of all financial sector regulation. But what is “success” in consumer protection? The approach to financial consumer protection regulation has evolved over time. In recent years, more regulators have started to shift from a
Fintechs have the potential to significantly improve the options available to financially underserved individuals. Many fintech start-ups in Africa, however, struggle to reach the scale and level of maturity that would make them viable alternatives to the offerings from traditional financial service providers. This is particularly true for fintechs launched
Digital financial services are transforming global financial service provision and access. Rapid developments in fintech are disrupting and transforming financial landscapes worldwide, leading to new partnerships, including those with traditional financial service providers, to better serve existing customers and reach previously underserved consumer segments. However, the benefits of DFS are
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, opaque pricing, and more. The Digital finance: The consumer experience, 2023 report, which Cenfri developed for Consumers International, provides an assessment of the scale of
How to seed connections with customers through SMS and DMs The last two decades have seen extraordinary growth in digital connectivity, particularly due to the growth in mobile technologies. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), for example, 93% of the population had mobile cellular subscriptions in 2020, up from 76% in 2015
After conducting a systematic review of how behavioural science can be used to drive financial inclusion, our team was inspired to continue our efforts in the field. We provided training on the behavioural design process, assisted companies with consumer research and user experience design and conducted an end-to-end behavioural design
Behavioural science studies how people behave and tries to answer why they behave in the way they do. This is done by looking at how people process information and how context affects our decisions. Being aware of their customers’ decision-making processes can help financial services providers develop products that really
How can we strengthen female resilience in a COVID-19 context? The COVID-19 pandemic and related measures are affecting women’s lives disproportionately and differently to those of men. This is due to several reasons; generally, women earn less, hold less secure jobs, and are more likely to be employed in the
Expanded smartphone access in Africa underpins evolving consumer behaviour. Smartphone uptake in Africa is growing rapidly. GSMA reported that smartphone adoption in sub-Saharan Africa reached 45% in 2018 – nearly half a billion people – and is projected to reach 66% by 2025. To put that further into perspective, 623
