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Governance, Policy & Regulation

Policymakers, regulators and supervisors in emerging markets are under pressure to develop, implement and enforce policy and regulation that conforms to global best practice but is effective locally despite considerable constraints. Cenfri leverages the legal background, policymaking and regulatory experience of key team members and assists via direct regulatory development or policy guidance but more often through technical assistance and skills building. 

Much of our work has been in the financial sector across Africa, Asia and Latin America. This includes an impressive “regulating for innovation” portfolio in support of financial sector regulators who are grappling with innovation or market development mandates in regulatory environments that do not effectively accommodate the range of risks presented by new financial service innovations. We also support improved digital and data governance in Africa. Examples range from creating a set of scenarios on the possible digital futures in Africa, to developing a data-sharing policy for the Government of Rwanda and researching fit-for-context open finance solutions for Africa. 
Digital Transformation & Data

Digital platforms’ role in African digitisation and gig work on the back of COVID-19

Recent research by insight2impact [1] shows the number of digital platforms – virtual marketplaces – in operation across Africa increased by 37% between 2018 and 2019. These platforms had already been estimated to provide income-generating opportunities to 4.8 million workers across seven countries in 2018. As industries affected by physical-distancing

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21 April, 2020
Digital platform ecosystem
Digital Transformation & Data

Emerging trends from Africa’s digital platforms

Africa is experiencing a wave of digital platform businesses emerging and few economic sectors are untouched by their influence. Relying predominantly on mobile-app-based technology, digital platforms have an impact on livelihoods through matching supply and demand of goods and services, opening up new channels for employment and distributing additional value-added

Read More »
15 April, 2020
Digital Transformation & Data

Maintaining inclusive innovation under COVID-19

In our previous article, we reflected on the different ways that stakeholders can ensure the Cape Town tech ecosystem produces valuable innovation that is as inclusive as possible. While writing that article, the world changed. With many countries now applying varying degrees of social distancing, and with South Africa having

Read More »
9 April, 2020
Consumer Outcomes

COVID-19 and financial health: Too ambitious a target for these times?

As Beth Rhyne captured in her recent blog on Nextbillion, before COVID-19 an alarmingly large portion of adults around the world were not financially resilient.  Gallup asked people how long they could meet their basic needs if their income stopped – by drawing on reserves or selling something. The percentage

Read More »
8 April, 2020
Notes during workshop
Digital Transformation & Data

Cape Town tech ecosystem: Strengthening inclusive innovation in a divided city

“The idea is that tensions and challenges in the city region also point to opportunities for innovation and that effectively harnessing the city’s diversity could provide Cape Town’s innovation ecosystem with a competitive advantage and distinguishing identity.” Last year, Cape Town made the top 30 global tech cities in the

Read More »
6 April, 2020
Consumer Outcomes

A customer-centric approach to measuring financial needs

A synthesis report on what we’ve learned As we set out to understand what our financial inclusion measurement quest would be, it became apparent that it matters what you try to measure. Financial inclusion targets (percentage of adults with a bank account, say) remain valid, but they don’t tell you

Read More »
3 April, 2020
African woman using her cellphone
Digital Transformation & Data

How innovation can boost jobs creation

Digital technologies are reshaping economic opportunities in Africa The spread of mobile phones has boosted access to digital financial services, information and networks. Increasing smartphone penetration has also created new income opportunities via digital platforms, social media and other apps where young Africans can connect, sell goods and services, or

Read More »
2 April, 2020
Digital Transformation & Data

Using transaction data for financial inclusion policy insights

Policymakers, development organisations and sometimes even private sector players, often rely on financial inclusion data uncovered through consumer or ‘demand-side’ surveys. However,  insight2impact has been exploring the analysis of financial transaction data to generate new insights on people’s financial behaviour.  We have partnered with government institutions and commercial banks to

Read More »
31 March, 2020
Student accessing technology
Digital Transformation & Data

Digital skills in Africa

How can young people in Africa develop the right skills for employment and income in the digital economy? Our landscaping study on digital skills in Africa explored this issue and trends on the future of work in Africa. The approach of this study focused on identifying recommendations to support digital

Read More »
30 March, 2020
Digital Transformation & Data

Digital platforms’ role in African digitisation and gig work on the back of COVID-19

Recent research by insight2impact [1] shows the number of digital platforms – virtual marketplaces – in operation across Africa increased by 37% between 2018 and 2019. These platforms had already been estimated to provide income-generating opportunities to 4.8 million workers across seven countries in 2018. As industries affected by physical-distancing

21 April, 2020
Digital platform ecosystem
Digital Transformation & Data

Emerging trends from Africa’s digital platforms

Africa is experiencing a wave of digital platform businesses emerging and few economic sectors are untouched by their influence. Relying predominantly on mobile-app-based technology, digital platforms have an impact on livelihoods through matching supply and demand of goods and services, opening up new channels for employment and distributing additional value-added

15 April, 2020
Digital Transformation & Data

Maintaining inclusive innovation under COVID-19

In our previous article, we reflected on the different ways that stakeholders can ensure the Cape Town tech ecosystem produces valuable innovation that is as inclusive as possible. While writing that article, the world changed. With many countries now applying varying degrees of social distancing, and with South Africa having

9 April, 2020
Consumer Outcomes

COVID-19 and financial health: Too ambitious a target for these times?

As Beth Rhyne captured in her recent blog on Nextbillion, before COVID-19 an alarmingly large portion of adults around the world were not financially resilient.  Gallup asked people how long they could meet their basic needs if their income stopped – by drawing on reserves or selling something. The percentage

8 April, 2020
Notes during workshop
Digital Transformation & Data

Cape Town tech ecosystem: Strengthening inclusive innovation in a divided city

“The idea is that tensions and challenges in the city region also point to opportunities for innovation and that effectively harnessing the city’s diversity could provide Cape Town’s innovation ecosystem with a competitive advantage and distinguishing identity.” Last year, Cape Town made the top 30 global tech cities in the

6 April, 2020
Consumer Outcomes

A customer-centric approach to measuring financial needs

A synthesis report on what we’ve learned As we set out to understand what our financial inclusion measurement quest would be, it became apparent that it matters what you try to measure. Financial inclusion targets (percentage of adults with a bank account, say) remain valid, but they don’t tell you

3 April, 2020
African woman using her cellphone
Digital Transformation & Data

How innovation can boost jobs creation

Digital technologies are reshaping economic opportunities in Africa The spread of mobile phones has boosted access to digital financial services, information and networks. Increasing smartphone penetration has also created new income opportunities via digital platforms, social media and other apps where young Africans can connect, sell goods and services, or

2 April, 2020
Digital Transformation & Data

Using transaction data for financial inclusion policy insights

Policymakers, development organisations and sometimes even private sector players, often rely on financial inclusion data uncovered through consumer or ‘demand-side’ surveys. However,  insight2impact has been exploring the analysis of financial transaction data to generate new insights on people’s financial behaviour.  We have partnered with government institutions and commercial banks to

31 March, 2020
Student accessing technology
Digital Transformation & Data

Digital skills in Africa

How can young people in Africa develop the right skills for employment and income in the digital economy? Our landscaping study on digital skills in Africa explored this issue and trends on the future of work in Africa. The approach of this study focused on identifying recommendations to support digital

30 March, 2020