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 identity
Digital Transformation & Data

Democratising KYC requirements

Paul Damalie, CEO of Inclusive Innovations Inc., and winner of the Ghana leg of DataHack4FI Season 2, explains how he is growing his digital identity business.  You started the business in 2016. Tell us about your journey in building an African identify solution.  After completing high school, I joined an insurance

Read More »
Digital Transformation & Data

African digital platforms and the future of digital financial services

As societies and economies change, so should the financial products that serve them The insight2impact facility in partnership with Research ICT Africa have created this series of infographics to describe their key findings on multi-sided platforms as part of the exploration on the rise of African digital platforms, and the individuals

Read More »
Governance, Policy & Regulation

Regulating for responsible data innovation

The role of insurance regulators in dealing with risks relating to consumer data protection and privacy Data innovation is challenging the traditional role of insurance regulators. Two major dilemmas emerge that insurance regulators and indeed all financial sector regulators face when confronted with how to regulate consumer data: They must

Read More »
Man on a bike using mobile phone
Digital Transformation & Data

Into Africa: Digitisation and financial services

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

Read More »
Digital Transformation & Data

Regulating for change: Five important considerations

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

Read More »
Digital Transformation & Data

African digital platforms and the future of financial products

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

Read More »
Governance, Policy & Regulation

The role of insurance regulators in dealing with consumer data protection risks

Across industries, businesses are collecting, storing and using increasing amounts of consumer data. This has been made possible by the growth in broadband connectivity, particularly through smartphone penetration, and the increased capacity to collect and share data on individuals. Technological developments in data analytics have increasingly allowed businesses to use

Read More »
Regulating for Innovation webinar
Digital Transformation & Data

Regulating for innovation: How to encourage responsible market innovation

For regulators, the dual implications of innovation make it a critically important but challenging topic to address. Regulators with a mandate to encourage market development and sectoral growth are obliged to encourage innovative providers and products that help to drive this market development and enhance consumer value. However, regulators are

Read More »
MAP Zambia diagnostic and roadmap to financial inclusion
Financial Inclusion

MAP Zambia diagnostic and roadmap to financial inclusion

From 2009 to 2015 the proportion of adults, financially excluded from any financial service, decreased from 63% to 41% in Zambia, which exceeded the Zambian Government‘s national target of 50%. More than 14% of these adults now use mobile money services, whilst the largest growth has been in the use

Read More »
Digital platform ecosystem
Digital Transformation & Data

The potential of digital platforms as distributors and enablers of insurance in Africa

The past decade has seen the emergence of digital platforms. These digital platforms (also known as multi-sided platforms[1]) connect buyers and sellers of goods and services and allow them to seamlessly transact with one another. They are providing new ways for workers, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and consumers

Digital identity
Digital Transformation & Data

Democratising KYC requirements

Paul Damalie, CEO of Inclusive Innovations Inc., and winner of the Ghana leg of DataHack4FI Season 2, explains how he is growing his digital identity business.  You started the business in 2016. Tell us about your journey in building an African identify solution.  After completing high school, I joined an insurance

Digital Transformation & Data

African digital platforms and the future of digital financial services

As societies and economies change, so should the financial products that serve them The insight2impact facility in partnership with Research ICT Africa have created this series of infographics to describe their key findings on multi-sided platforms as part of the exploration on the rise of African digital platforms, and the individuals

Governance, Policy & Regulation

Regulating for responsible data innovation

The role of insurance regulators in dealing with risks relating to consumer data protection and privacy Data innovation is challenging the traditional role of insurance regulators. Two major dilemmas emerge that insurance regulators and indeed all financial sector regulators face when confronted with how to regulate consumer data: They must

Man on a bike using mobile phone
Digital Transformation & Data

Into Africa: Digitisation and financial services

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

Digital Transformation & Data

Regulating for change: Five important considerations

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

Digital Transformation & Data

African digital platforms and the future of financial products

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

Governance, Policy & Regulation

The role of insurance regulators in dealing with consumer data protection risks

Across industries, businesses are collecting, storing and using increasing amounts of consumer data. This has been made possible by the growth in broadband connectivity, particularly through smartphone penetration, and the increased capacity to collect and share data on individuals. Technological developments in data analytics have increasingly allowed businesses to use

Regulating for Innovation webinar
Digital Transformation & Data

Regulating for innovation: How to encourage responsible market innovation

For regulators, the dual implications of innovation make it a critically important but challenging topic to address. Regulators with a mandate to encourage market development and sectoral growth are obliged to encourage innovative providers and products that help to drive this market development and enhance consumer value. However, regulators are

MAP Zambia diagnostic and roadmap to financial inclusion
Financial Inclusion

MAP Zambia diagnostic and roadmap to financial inclusion

From 2009 to 2015 the proportion of adults, financially excluded from any financial service, decreased from 63% to 41% in Zambia, which exceeded the Zambian Government‘s national target of 50%. More than 14% of these adults now use mobile money services, whilst the largest growth has been in the use