Now reading: Understanding retailers’ motivation for providing financial products and services in South Africa

Digital Transformation & Data


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.

Digital Transformation & Data

Understanding retailers’ motivation for providing financial products and services in South Africa

A number of financial products and services are offered by or through retailers in South Africa. This spans the broad financial services spectrum including transactional, savings, insurance and credit products. This 2014 study sought to understand retailers’ motivation for providing these financial services more fully. It studied FMCG retailers, cash-based

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Digital Transformation & Data

The emergence of entry-level bank branches in South Africa

Between 2003 and 2011, the provision of bank accounts in South Africa grew from 30% to 46%. Technology and branchless solutions play key roles in improving access to financial services. Physical bank branches are, however, often critical to persistent high-value take-up and use of financial products as it plays an

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Digital Transformation & Data

Beyond sales

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

Read More »
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,

Read More »
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

Read More »
Digital Transformation & Data

Understanding retailers’ motivation for providing financial products and services in South Africa

A number of financial products and services are offered by or through retailers in South Africa. This spans the broad financial services spectrum including transactional, savings, insurance and credit products. This 2014 study sought to understand retailers’ motivation for providing these financial services more fully. It studied FMCG retailers, cash-based

Digital Transformation & Data

The emergence of entry-level bank branches in South Africa

Between 2003 and 2011, the provision of bank accounts in South Africa grew from 30% to 46%. Technology and branchless solutions play key roles in improving access to financial services. Physical bank branches are, however, often critical to persistent high-value take-up and use of financial products as it plays an

Digital Transformation & Data

Beyond sales

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

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,

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