Now reading: The impact of COVID-19 on African insurance markets

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.
COVID-19 impact and recovery

The impact of COVID-19 on African insurance markets

Challenges and opportunities for insurance providers and regulators across sub-Saharan Africa  The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying restrictions by many governments across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have forced insurance providers, insurance regulators and consumers to rethink how they interact and maintain operations through this period. Furthermore, the economic crisis resulting from the

26 May, 2020
Payments & Remittances

Where are the flows? Exploring barriers to remittances in sub-Saharan Africa

This seven-part research series provides a detailed analysis of the market barriers to formal cross-border remittances in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).  The research series includes recommendations for different stakeholder groups on how to overcome the current pain points. In-depth remittances case studies from Uganda, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Ethiopia show how the

30 April, 2020
Digital Transformation & Data

CBDC — The next frontier of mobile money?

Many discussions around retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) today revolve around ambitious policy-focused use cases. Most recently, in the face of potential competition from a growing assortment of innovative private crypto-assets like Bitcoin and stablecoins such as Facebook’s Libra, central bankers around the world have been consumed with the

17 April, 2020
Data and Analytics

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

COVID-19 and remittances to Africa: What can we do?

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of people, and the financial and other systems that underpin much of our daily existence. Remittance recipients in Africa are likely to be particularly hard hit by both the immediate and longer-term effects of the pandemic. In 2018 alone, personal remittance flows to

27 March, 2020
The effect of COVID-19 on remittances panel discussion
COVID-19 impact and recovery

The effect of COVID-19 on remittances panel discussion

The impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa – The effect on remittances Cenfri hosted an Africa digital dialogues series in partnership with the Digital Frontiers Institute (DFI) to explore the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa. The first of the three-part series focused on the impact on migrants

25 March, 2020
Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa
COVID-19 impact and recovery

Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa

The slowdown in economic activity brought about by the spread of Covid-19 has already been felt in the Northern Hemisphere where restrictions to the movement of people and goods are having significant adverse impact on economic growth and individual livelihoods. But what will the impact be on the Global South

20 March, 2020
Payments & Remittances

Staying healthy

The need for complementary private health insurance offerings in sub-Saharan Africa For many Africans, the ability to withstand and recover from health-related shocks remains fundamental to ensuring financial resilience. According to the latest FinScope Surveys across 11 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries [1], approximately a third of individuals who faced a

21 February, 2020
COVID-19 impact and recovery

The impact of COVID-19 on African insurance markets

Challenges and opportunities for insurance providers and regulators across sub-Saharan Africa  The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying restrictions by many governments across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have forced insurance providers, insurance regulators and consumers to rethink how they interact and maintain operations through this period. Furthermore, the economic crisis resulting from the

26 May, 2020
Payments & Remittances

Where are the flows? Exploring barriers to remittances in sub-Saharan Africa

This seven-part research series provides a detailed analysis of the market barriers to formal cross-border remittances in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).  The research series includes recommendations for different stakeholder groups on how to overcome the current pain points. In-depth remittances case studies from Uganda, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Ethiopia show how the

30 April, 2020
Digital Transformation & Data

CBDC — The next frontier of mobile money?

Many discussions around retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) today revolve around ambitious policy-focused use cases. Most recently, in the face of potential competition from a growing assortment of innovative private crypto-assets like Bitcoin and stablecoins such as Facebook’s Libra, central bankers around the world have been consumed with the

17 April, 2020
Data and Analytics

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

COVID-19 and remittances to Africa: What can we do?

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of people, and the financial and other systems that underpin much of our daily existence. Remittance recipients in Africa are likely to be particularly hard hit by both the immediate and longer-term effects of the pandemic. In 2018 alone, personal remittance flows to

27 March, 2020
The effect of COVID-19 on remittances panel discussion
COVID-19 impact and recovery

The effect of COVID-19 on remittances panel discussion

The impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa – The effect on remittances Cenfri hosted an Africa digital dialogues series in partnership with the Digital Frontiers Institute (DFI) to explore the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa. The first of the three-part series focused on the impact on migrants

25 March, 2020
Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa
COVID-19 impact and recovery

Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in Africa

The slowdown in economic activity brought about by the spread of Covid-19 has already been felt in the Northern Hemisphere where restrictions to the movement of people and goods are having significant adverse impact on economic growth and individual livelihoods. But what will the impact be on the Global South

20 March, 2020
Payments & Remittances

Staying healthy

The need for complementary private health insurance offerings in sub-Saharan Africa For many Africans, the ability to withstand and recover from health-related shocks remains fundamental to ensuring financial resilience. According to the latest FinScope Surveys across 11 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries [1], approximately a third of individuals who faced a

21 February, 2020
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