Now reading: The Africa Fintech Hub – a platform designed to strengthen fintechs in Africa

Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs


In partnership with

Cenfri, with support from GIZ and in collaboration with On Think Tanks, is exploring the potential for digital financial services and other digital applications to positively contribute to the SDGs and discussing the concerns about potential risks and negative outcomes linked to aspects of rapid digitalisation and development.

This initiative provides a platform for the development community, academics and regulators to exchange knowledge and share the approaches they are adopting or recommending around governance of DFS so that they can be leveraged to pursue the SDGs.

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Digital Africa

The Africa Fintech Hub – a platform designed to strengthen fintechs in Africa

Fintechs have the potential to significantly improve the options available to financially underserved individuals. Many fintech start-ups in Africa, however, struggle to reach the scale and level of maturity that would make them viable alternatives to the offerings from traditional financial service providers. This is particularly true for fintechs launched

Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

Beyond guesswork: A data-driven path to better public-bus-system planning in Kigali

Data-driven decision-making is becoming increasingly important in Rwanda. Very large datasets are generated in real-time across the economy: each time you transact using mobile money or purchase a bus ticket – to name but a few examples – data is generated. If public and private decision-makers can effectively draw on

Data and Analytics

Enhancing identity verification for refugees in Uganda

In Uganda, refugees and asylum seekers struggle to cash out their remittances due to challenging and time-consuming identity verification processes. This is one observation from IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances Remittance Access Initiative (RAI), which is financed by the European Union and implemented by Cenfri. Our work focused on the

Governance of digital financial services for sustainable development
Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

Governance of digital financial services for sustainable development

Digital innovation in financial services is happening apace, and regulators are not always able to pre-empt or keep up. Traditionally, financial services are highly regulated. But increasingly, legacy models of regulation and supervision, where a static set of rules is set for industry to comply with, are no longer sufficient.

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and illicit financial flows
Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and illicit financial flows

Cenfri, with support from GIZ and in collaboration with On Think Tanks, is hosting a series of digital dialogues to explore issues at the intersection of digital governance, digital financial services (DFS) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across emerging economies. The last couple of years have seen cryptocurrencies and other digital currencies rise in prominence.

Transparent supply chains and the role of digital financial services
Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

Transparent supply chains and the role of digital financial services

Cenfri, with support from GIZ and in collaboration with On Think Tanks, is hosting a series of digital dialogues to explore issues at the intersection of digital governance, digital financial services (DFS) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across emerging economies. There is increasing consumer and societal pressure for multinationals to ensure that products

Financial sector innovation and cybersecurity risks
Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

Financial sector innovation and cybersecurity risks

Cenfri, with support from GIZ and in collaboration with On Think Tanks, is hosting a series of digital dialogues  to explore issues at the intersection of digital governance, digital financial services (DFS) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across emerging economies. This note puts the spotlight on the second topic, namely financial sector innovation and cybersecurity risks. ​ Innovation in the development and

Responsible deployment of artificial intelligence in financial services
Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

Responsible deployment of artificial intelligence in financial services

Cenfri, with support from GIZ and in collaboration with On Think Tanks, is hosting a series of digital dialogues to explore issues at the intersection of digital governance, digital financial services (DFS) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across emerging economies. This note puts the spotlight on the first topic, namely responsible deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in financial services.  AI is

Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

Interoperability of data

The next paradigm shift for financial markets in the development world Last year I had the opportunity to interview an executive at one of Malawi’s biggest banks. The topic of discussion was innovation and what can be done to better enable it in Malawi’s payments sector. He pointed to the

The privatisation of governance
Digital Governance, Digital Financial Services and the SDGs

The privatisation of governance

Just a few years ago, there were strict rules about who was allowed to provide which services in what countries, with national governments controlling the products and services offered in their jurisdictions. Things have changed. Take the financial sector. Typically, a global player would either have to work via a