Cenfri contributes to building the fundamentals of welfare-enhancing digital economies. We prioritise digital transformation that is inclusive, sustainable, opportunity-creating and has appropriate safeguards. Digital transformation underpins much of our work and ranges from payments digitalisation to digital economy diagnostics, and digital skills assessments to direct digitalisation support.
Cenfri also collaborates with policymakers and other public and private sector stakeholders in data-driven decision-making that is calibrated to the data available and is designed to strengthen the existing skills and data governance processes within these organisations. The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme is our flagship evidence-informed policymaking and data-for-decisions intervention, but we have considerable experience in using evidence to generate insights and inform policymaking and business decision-making with a view to improved economic development outcomes. Our expertise in data, payments and digital identity enables us to contribute to current DPI (digital public infrastructure) conversations.
How different types of alternative and traditional client data solve key challenges in inclusive insurance provision This publication adds depth to the discussion of the use of client data in inclusive insurance provision, by examining the specific applications of different types of data to different key insurance activities. The explosion
Marissa Dean of Caribou Digital (and i2i Advisory Panel member) talks to us about data and digital development in the financial sector. Your report Can Big Data Shape Financial Services in East Africa suggests that (for the credit market at any rate), many alternative datasets have limited value in extending financial inclusion. Could you explain
A publication for Capital Markets in Africa Digitalisation: Africa’s future “Across Africa, eCommerce platforms flanked by payments, logistics, tourism and big data partners are starting to lift national economies. Technological disruption is transforming markets and societies across Africa in ways that wouldn’t have been possible even five years ago. And
Early findings from our African digital platforms and the future of financial services research An increasingly digital and connected Africa is providing new ways for entrepreneurs and consumers to participate in the economy. To better understand the related opportunities and challenges, the i2i facility has embarked on a journey across
Prof Bitange Ndemo, renowned ICT champion, shares some thoughts on data, blockchain, innovation and entrepreneurship. You have written about the dangers of data colonisation – especially in Africa. What do you think is preventing Africans from benefiting from the application of the data that is being collected? I’m going to
I recently participated in a panel at the IAIS Global Seminar in Moscow where a regulator from the audience asked a very relevant question: Given the scale of technological change in my market, how do I still ensure effective regulation? It is a question we’re increasingly hearing from financial sector regulators and
DataHack4FI Innovation Award Season 2: Winner of the Women and Youth focus prize for Rwanda In Rwanda, as elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, rotating credit and savings associations (ROSCAs) and savings groups are a big part of people’s financial lives – especially for women. With just under 1 million individuals making
InvestXD created a digital investment platform for women and youth Understanding drivers of usage for financial products and services is important for (long-term) savings, as few youth and young adults save, and even fewer do so through formal financial services institutions. There is also a significant gender gap, as is
As societies and economies change, so should the financial products that serve them. Financial products help us manage our lives. They enable us to receive, store and spend money. The banking, mobile money, pensions and credit products we see have been shaped by the historical structure of our economies and
ZedCredit from Zambia provides access to savings, loans and a credit score via their mobile app. ZedCredit is a fintech based in Zambia that participated in the DataHack4FI Innovation competition, Season 2. ZedCredit was conceptualised and founded in 2015 by Tundwa Siyubo, a business graduate from Zambia’s National Institute of Public Administration. It was registered in
How different types of alternative and traditional client data solve key challenges in inclusive insurance provision This publication adds depth to the discussion of the use of client data in inclusive insurance provision, by examining the specific applications of different types of data to different key insurance activities. The explosion
Marissa Dean of Caribou Digital (and i2i Advisory Panel member) talks to us about data and digital development in the financial sector. Your report Can Big Data Shape Financial Services in East Africa suggests that (for the credit market at any rate), many alternative datasets have limited value in extending financial inclusion. Could you explain
A publication for Capital Markets in Africa Digitalisation: Africa’s future “Across Africa, eCommerce platforms flanked by payments, logistics, tourism and big data partners are starting to lift national economies. Technological disruption is transforming markets and societies across Africa in ways that wouldn’t have been possible even five years ago. And
Early findings from our African digital platforms and the future of financial services research An increasingly digital and connected Africa is providing new ways for entrepreneurs and consumers to participate in the economy. To better understand the related opportunities and challenges, the i2i facility has embarked on a journey across
Prof Bitange Ndemo, renowned ICT champion, shares some thoughts on data, blockchain, innovation and entrepreneurship. You have written about the dangers of data colonisation – especially in Africa. What do you think is preventing Africans from benefiting from the application of the data that is being collected? I’m going to
I recently participated in a panel at the IAIS Global Seminar in Moscow where a regulator from the audience asked a very relevant question: Given the scale of technological change in my market, how do I still ensure effective regulation? It is a question we’re increasingly hearing from financial sector regulators and
DataHack4FI Innovation Award Season 2: Winner of the Women and Youth focus prize for Rwanda In Rwanda, as elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, rotating credit and savings associations (ROSCAs) and savings groups are a big part of people’s financial lives – especially for women. With just under 1 million individuals making
InvestXD created a digital investment platform for women and youth Understanding drivers of usage for financial products and services is important for (long-term) savings, as few youth and young adults save, and even fewer do so through formal financial services institutions. There is also a significant gender gap, as is
As societies and economies change, so should the financial products that serve them. Financial products help us manage our lives. They enable us to receive, store and spend money. The banking, mobile money, pensions and credit products we see have been shaped by the historical structure of our economies and
ZedCredit from Zambia provides access to savings, loans and a credit score via their mobile app. ZedCredit is a fintech based in Zambia that participated in the DataHack4FI Innovation competition, Season 2. ZedCredit was conceptualised and founded in 2015 by Tundwa Siyubo, a business graduate from Zambia’s National Institute of Public Administration. It was registered in
