Now reading: Banks need a paradigm shift to make headway in developing countries

Financial Inclusion


Whether it is digital payments, resilience for MSMEs or financial integrity, much of our work is underpinned by the desire to create more inclusive financial systems and services. Cenfri has successfully implemented several multi-year financial inclusion programmes:

Making Access to Financial Services Possible or MAP (in partnership with UNCDF and FinMark Trust)
insight2impact or i2i (in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Mastercard Foundation)
Risk, Remittances and Integrity or RRI (with FSD Africa)
Remittance Access Initiative (with IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances)

Our view is that while financial inclusion targets (such as the percentage of adults with a bank account) are valid, they don’t tell you much when tracked in isolation. It is important to understand whether people use their financial services, and if so, whether this enables them to meet their needs. We have developed six financial inclusion measurement frameworks that outline this expanded understanding of financial inclusion.

Digital Transformation & Data

Un-networked retailers: A growing channel for financial services distribution?

Agent networks are critical for expanding access to financial services in developing countries. They enable providers to offer viable cost-effective financial services at scale in developing countries reaching previously unserved and underserved adults. The focus has traditionally been on networked agents but increasingly providers are recognising the potential of un-networked

Read More »
Financial Inclusion

ASEAN financial inclusion for what?

Financial inclusion emerged as a key pillar of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) beginning in 2015. The ASEAN Financial Inclusion Conference in 2014 concluded with the release of the “Yangon Outcomes for Financial Inclusion”, a set of recommendations to accelerate financial inclusion in the ASEAN region. This 2014 report focuses

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Digital Transformation & Data

GIS4FI process note: Mozambique

The insight2impact data quality team supports Mozambique’s Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDMoç) in their efforts to make geospatial data accessible to financial inclusion stakeholders, particularly financial service providers. This process note serves to capture key learnings of the journey to date. Process notes will be updated periodically, with the aim

Read More »
Financial Inclusion

Literature review on health microinsurance schemes

Most providers of health microinsurance have struggled to achieve sustainability without public or donor support, despite health insurance being one of the most sought-after microinsurance products in many regions of the developing world. A lack of data and adequate skills for pricing, as well as the challenges around effectively forming

Read More »
Financial Inclusion

Why and how retailers are used to access financial services in South Africa

Retailers in South Africa provide a range of financial services that include credit, insurance, money transfer and savings products. By identifying the key factors that influence the decision to use financial services from retailers this study aims to position the current and potential role of retailers in servicing the financial

Read More »
Financial Inclusion

Regaining momentum?

An update on microinsurance in South Africa. In 2011, a policy document entrenched and refined a proposed microinsurance regulatory framework for South Africa that was envisaged to be incorporated into a forthcoming Microinsurance Act and subordinate legislation. However, in 2013 the decision was made to no longer pursue standalone microinsurance

Read More »
Financial Inclusion

Mobile phones and microinsurance

Insurers are using mobile phones to address two main challenges facing the microinsurance sector: increasing efficiency and reaching scale. By leveraging mobile phone infrastructure insurers have made processes more efficient across the insurance value chain; reducing turnaround times for enrolment, premium collection, claims processing; lowering costs; and bridging geographical distances.

Read More »
Banks need a paradigm shift to make headway in developing countries
Financial Inclusion

Banks need a paradigm shift to make headway in developing countries

In 1778 the first modern-day savings bank in Germany was founded in Hamburg. The bank was set up to develop solutions for people with low incomes to save small sums of money and support business startups. Fast forward two centuries and there are now 431 savings banks in Germany with

Digital Transformation & Data

Un-networked retailers: A growing channel for financial services distribution?

Agent networks are critical for expanding access to financial services in developing countries. They enable providers to offer viable cost-effective financial services at scale in developing countries reaching previously unserved and underserved adults. The focus has traditionally been on networked agents but increasingly providers are recognising the potential of un-networked

Financial Inclusion

ASEAN financial inclusion for what?

Financial inclusion emerged as a key pillar of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) beginning in 2015. The ASEAN Financial Inclusion Conference in 2014 concluded with the release of the “Yangon Outcomes for Financial Inclusion”, a set of recommendations to accelerate financial inclusion in the ASEAN region. This 2014 report focuses

Digital Transformation & Data

GIS4FI process note: Mozambique

The insight2impact data quality team supports Mozambique’s Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDMoç) in their efforts to make geospatial data accessible to financial inclusion stakeholders, particularly financial service providers. This process note serves to capture key learnings of the journey to date. Process notes will be updated periodically, with the aim

Financial Inclusion

Literature review on health microinsurance schemes

Most providers of health microinsurance have struggled to achieve sustainability without public or donor support, despite health insurance being one of the most sought-after microinsurance products in many regions of the developing world. A lack of data and adequate skills for pricing, as well as the challenges around effectively forming

Financial Inclusion

Managing risk whilst facilitating innovation: The case of mobile insurance in Tanzania

Mobile insurance (m-insurance) can play an important role in enhancing access to insurance, especially in regions where distribution and reach pose challenges to serving the market. Due to the significant penetration of mobile phones, airtime vendors, and mobile money agents, m-insurance initiatives have the potential to reach scale almost overnight.

Financial Inclusion

Why and how retailers are used to access financial services in South Africa

Retailers in South Africa provide a range of financial services that include credit, insurance, money transfer and savings products. By identifying the key factors that influence the decision to use financial services from retailers this study aims to position the current and potential role of retailers in servicing the financial

Financial Inclusion

Regaining momentum?

An update on microinsurance in South Africa. In 2011, a policy document entrenched and refined a proposed microinsurance regulatory framework for South Africa that was envisaged to be incorporated into a forthcoming Microinsurance Act and subordinate legislation. However, in 2013 the decision was made to no longer pursue standalone microinsurance

Financial Inclusion

Managing risk whilst facilitating innovation: The case of m-insurance in Zimbabwe

M-insurance – insurance sold through or with a mobile network operator (MNO) – has gained significant attention in recent years due to its rapid growth in African and Asian markets and its potential to grow inclusive insurance markets. However, not all schemes have had the same success. In Zimbabwe, the

Financial Inclusion

Mobile phones and microinsurance

Insurers are using mobile phones to address two main challenges facing the microinsurance sector: increasing efficiency and reaching scale. By leveraging mobile phone infrastructure insurers have made processes more efficient across the insurance value chain; reducing turnaround times for enrolment, premium collection, claims processing; lowering costs; and bridging geographical distances.