Now reading: Evolving insurance supervisory mandates in sub-Saharan Africa – implications for data practices

Payments & Remittances


Cenfri has broad experience in fit-for-purpose payment systems in emerging markets, particularly in Africa. We work towards making retail payments a public good, assisting central banks, payments operators and payment system participants navigate domestic and cross-border payments modernisation in a manner that contributes to economic inclusion.

We have worked extensively in instant/faster retail payment systems and in improving access to remittances for low-income households. Other projects range from diagnostic and landscaping studies, developing a national payments vision, to analysing payments legislation and regulation, and feasibility studies on central bank digital currency (CBDC). The convergence of payments and identity, as well as the focus on digitising the entire value chain rather than limited use cases, is central to our theory of change in digital payments.   

We have worked with IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances, the World Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, AfricaNenda, FSD Africa, FSD Kenya, GIZ, UNCDF, BankservAfrica, Finmark Trust, the African Union and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion.

Evolving insurance supervisory mandates in sub-Saharan Africa
Insurance for development

Evolving insurance supervisory mandates in sub-Saharan Africa – implications for data practices

The Access to Insurance Initiative (A2ii) recently published the report, “Evolving insurance supervisory mandates in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) – implications for data practices.” The report marks the first part of a project by the A2ii and Cenfri, in partnership with FSD Africa and together with a Steering Group comprising supervisors from seven jurisdictions: Ghana,

Identity proofing for COVID-19 recovery
COVID-19 impact and recovery

Identity proofing for COVID-19 recovery

Guidance for regulators, financial service providers and market facilitators Globally, millions of people are excluded from accessing the formal financial services that meet their needs. This is at least partly due to the way the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations are implemented by countries, and customers needing to provide

De-risking in Africa
Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

De-risking in Africa: Illicit financial flows and regional economic hubs

Recent years have seen large scale de-risking and financial exclusion happening in developing countries, particularly those countries that most need capital flows to finance social services, aid and development. Where regional economic hubs are de-risked, it has a profound effect on the developmental outcomes for the hub itself as well

Regional economic hubs in sub-Saharan Africa
Financial Integrity & Identity

Regional economic hubs in sub-Saharan Africa

Recent years have seen large scale de-risking and financial exclusion happening in developing countries, particularly those countries that most need capital flows to finance social services, aid and development. Where regional economic hubs are de-risked, it has a profound effect on the developmental outcomes for the hub itself as well

Eswatini CBDC diagnostic study
Consumer Outcomes

Eswatini Central Bank Digital Currency diagnostic study

Central banks across the developed and developing world have begun considering the possibility of implementing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to enhance drivers for economic growth and financial sector development such as financial inclusion, digital financial services and national payment system (NPS) efficiency. CBDC is a digital representation of

Money transfer in Nigeria
COVID-19 impact and recovery

Money transfer operators in Nigeria: Regulation and licensing options

Many people have had their 2020 plans ruined by COVID-19, but the cross-border remittance opportunity in Nigeria is even more enticing right now. The World Bank expects cross-border remittances to drop dramatically in 2020, but many African players are experiencing a sharp increase in digital person-to-person flows as cash is

COVID-19 and insurance remote onboarding
COVID-19 impact and recovery

Insurance operations and COVID-19: remote onboarding challenges

What challenges exist around remote onboarding? COVID-19 has caused significant disruptions to insurers’ operations, as they still have traditional business models and rely heavily on physical engagement for distribution. The lack of digitisation across the continent has emerged as a key barrier from our research on the impact that COVID-19

Impact of COVID-19 on insurance
COVID-19 impact and recovery

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on insurers in Eastern and Southern Africa

In partnership with Organisation of Eastern & Southern Africa Insurers (OESAI) and FSD Africa, we have undertaken a survey to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on organisations operating in the insurance sector across Eastern and Southern Africa. This survey was augmented by 33 semi-structured telephonic interviews with different insurance

SHARE Inclusive Integrity Toolkit
Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

Inclusive Integrity Toolkit

Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) in conjunction with Cenfri and supported by FSD Africa are pleased to officially launch the Inclusive Financial Integrity Toolkit. Countries in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region have been on a development curve in setting up effective Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism

Impact of COVID-19 on insurance
COVID-19 impact and recovery

Never waste a crisis – how sub-Saharan African insurers are being affected by, and are responding to, COVID-19

COVID-19 containment and mitigation measures in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have restricted the movement of people, goods and services. This has affected insurers’ operations, which, to a large extent, have traditionally required physical engagement. It is also affecting insurers’ ability to launch new products, conclude new sales, collect premiums, service existing