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.
We acknowledge the importance of women’s financial inclusion and apply a gender lens to much of our work.
South Africa has one of the most innovative insurance markets in the world. It is also considered one of the leading microinsurance jurisdictions. Commercial insurers have reached significant penetration in the low-income market, albeit largely through funeral and credit life insurance. This 2010 study provides an update on innovative microinsurance
This study was commissioned by FinMark Trust to investigate the cell captive landscape in South Africa and the potential that cell captives may have in promoting insurance inclusion, through extending the reach of the microinsurance market. Relevance of the study Access to insurance is an important strategy for reducing poverty.
This Cenfri research project conducted for the Finmark Trust Zambia provides an overview of the remittances landscape in Zambia considering the trends, opportunities and challenges. The purpose of this document is to provide a basis for debate amongst industry, regulators and other interested parties and identify areas for future research.
This South African National Treasury discussion paper on microinsurance sets out the proposed new approach to the regulation of microinsurance. The proposed approach seeks to balance the need for consumer protection with financial inclusion and reduce the impact of the cost of regulation on the market. It also proposes changes to the way
Conducted for the International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) this Cenfri research project reviews the opportunities and challenges for microinsurance emerging from the regulatory, supply-side and demand-side characteristics of the Ethiopian microinsurance market. The purpose is to create a detailed picture of the microinsurance landscape that can serve as basis
To support the development of microinsurance markets a project was launched under the auspices of the International association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS)-Microinsurance Network (MIN) Joint Working Group on Microinsurance (JWGMII) aimed at mapping the experience of five developing countries – Colombia, India, the Philippines, South Africa and Uganda – where
This 2009 study identifies the main drivers of health insurance costs in South Africa, as well as strategies that could be used to reduce these costs to support the inclusion of low-income earners. Study tour of South African branchless and mobile banking sector By request of the Pakistani Microfinance
Zimbabwe is heavily reliant on remittance flows from South Africa and particularly Johannesburg. As many Zimbabweans are undocumented, they cannot access formal channels for money transfers. This 2009 study was commissioned to sketch a picture of the remittances landscape in the Johannesburg-Zimbabwe corridor. The aim was to build an understanding
In the early 2000s, South Africa achieved remarkable progress in the area of financial inclusion for lower-income households, specifically in the banking and, to a lesser degree, insurance markets. Limited progress had been made in expanding medical schemes (government’s chosen vehicle for private health financing) to more South Africans. While
This 2009 study considers the opportunities and challenges for microinsurance development in Zambia. It develops a comprehensive understanding of the market on which strategies for the development of microinsurance in Zambia could be based. The analysis included a review of the demand-side, supply-side and regulatory dimensions of the microinsurance market
South Africa has one of the most innovative insurance markets in the world. It is also considered one of the leading microinsurance jurisdictions. Commercial insurers have reached significant penetration in the low-income market, albeit largely through funeral and credit life insurance. This 2010 study provides an update on innovative microinsurance
This study was commissioned by FinMark Trust to investigate the cell captive landscape in South Africa and the potential that cell captives may have in promoting insurance inclusion, through extending the reach of the microinsurance market. Relevance of the study Access to insurance is an important strategy for reducing poverty.
This Cenfri research project conducted for the Finmark Trust Zambia provides an overview of the remittances landscape in Zambia considering the trends, opportunities and challenges. The purpose of this document is to provide a basis for debate amongst industry, regulators and other interested parties and identify areas for future research.
This South African National Treasury discussion paper on microinsurance sets out the proposed new approach to the regulation of microinsurance. The proposed approach seeks to balance the need for consumer protection with financial inclusion and reduce the impact of the cost of regulation on the market. It also proposes changes to the way
Conducted for the International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) this Cenfri research project reviews the opportunities and challenges for microinsurance emerging from the regulatory, supply-side and demand-side characteristics of the Ethiopian microinsurance market. The purpose is to create a detailed picture of the microinsurance landscape that can serve as basis
To support the development of microinsurance markets a project was launched under the auspices of the International association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS)-Microinsurance Network (MIN) Joint Working Group on Microinsurance (JWGMII) aimed at mapping the experience of five developing countries – Colombia, India, the Philippines, South Africa and Uganda – where
This 2009 study identifies the main drivers of health insurance costs in South Africa, as well as strategies that could be used to reduce these costs to support the inclusion of low-income earners. Study tour of South African branchless and mobile banking sector By request of the Pakistani Microfinance
Zimbabwe is heavily reliant on remittance flows from South Africa and particularly Johannesburg. As many Zimbabweans are undocumented, they cannot access formal channels for money transfers. This 2009 study was commissioned to sketch a picture of the remittances landscape in the Johannesburg-Zimbabwe corridor. The aim was to build an understanding
In the early 2000s, South Africa achieved remarkable progress in the area of financial inclusion for lower-income households, specifically in the banking and, to a lesser degree, insurance markets. Limited progress had been made in expanding medical schemes (government’s chosen vehicle for private health financing) to more South Africans. While
This 2009 study considers the opportunities and challenges for microinsurance development in Zambia. It develops a comprehensive understanding of the market on which strategies for the development of microinsurance in Zambia could be based. The analysis included a review of the demand-side, supply-side and regulatory dimensions of the microinsurance market
