A household budget, saving for a business investment, or managing an unforeseen emergency can cause stress in the most adept household, let alone those experiencing the vulnerability and volatility of poverty. Learning to navigate financial systems and products is a long-term endeavor.

Building financial capability — that is, the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed to make sound financial decisions to support well-being — can take time and creativity. The ultimate goal is to equip all people with the skills to navigate financial services safely and effectively and allow them to accrue their benefits. For poor and rural communities, this can mean increasing resiliency and reducing exposure to economic shocks, improving income growth and investment, and promoting more sustainable and equitable development. And for women, in particular, the accrued benefits can mean navigating financial choices with confidence, seeing themselves — and being seen — as financial clients, and accessing and using technology with ease.

While overall progress has been made in advancing financial inclusion, progress for women continues to lag. Globally, <a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">male ownership is likely to be higher than female ownership of accounts</a>, with a gap of nearly 7 percent, which has persisted despite the overall rise in account ownership. The gender gap is much worse in some countries, where <a href="https://www.cgap.org/blog/how-social-norms-men-restrict-womens-financial-inclusion" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social norms govern financial access and decision-making</a>. For instance, in Pakistan, while account ownership doubled since 2011, most of the growth was driven by accounts owned by men. Similarly, in Ethiopia, account ownership by men increased by roughly twice the size of the increase among women since 2014.

We must invest in building women’s financial capability to close this gap and make meaningful progress in women’s access to and usage of financial services. Doing so will require a deeper understanding of the economic and social constraints women face in accessing financial services. Yet existing tools for building financial capability have a mixed track record and there is scarce evidence on which approaches and delivery channels are likely to produce lasting impact.

This publication examines how best to share information, build capability, and enable lasting behavior change in a context in which women may have limited say in their own economic choices or require additional support or flexibility to overcome trust and care responsibilities. We examine the characteristics and success of existing approaches to building women’s financial capability and find a gap in programming that sufficiently accounts for women’s preferences, which are largely influenced by gendered social norms.

Readers of this report will come away with:
<ul>
 	<li>a stronger understanding of the role of gender norms that constrain women's financial capability</li>
 	<li>an overview of current women's financial capability initiatives, including classroom-based initiatives, technology-led financial education, and high-touch financial capability approaches</li>
 	<li>recommendations on how to ensure women are meaningfully and successfully engaged with financial services.</li>
</ul>

Building Women’s Financial Capability: A Path Toward Transformation

As countries around the world grapple with the economic impact of the COVID pandemic, governments have turned to supplemental cash transfers as a key policy instrument to offset the loss of income, mostly via digital payments.

Those countries with well-developed social protection systems, payments infrastructure, and wide access to digital financial services have fared much better in getting these payments out quickly, but even they have struggled to rapidly open accounts for their more vulnerable populations. Many of the people at risk fall outside the usual government welfare rolls and risk being overlooked -- especially informal workers, MSME owners/operators, and those working in hard-hit industries like tourism.

The COVID crisis forced policymakers to find innovative ways to deliver rapid support payments to those most in need. A critical aspect of getting this emergency aid out has been the ability to quickly identify and onboard eligible recipients who don’t already have transaction accounts and distribute the payments as soon as possible.
<blockquote class="pullquote--right">What are governments doing to enable rapid payments to those without existing accounts?</blockquote>
CFI’s latest <a href="https://centerforfinancialinclusion.org/rapid-response-for-social-payments-during-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">policy brief</a>, part of our partnership with Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), explores what governments are doing to enable rapid payments to those without existing accounts. The paper reviews three types of measures being taken to speed up payment distribution. Not surprisingly, the common theme is the ability and willingness of policymakers to be nimble and innovative. Below are a few examples, organized by type of measure:
<h2>1. Rapid Identification of Eligible Recipients</h2>
To quickly determine who’s eligible for COVID support payments, governments have had to be innovative in tapping into all available existing information, whether publicly or privately owned.
<h3>Current Beneficiary and Employment Rolls</h3>
<strong>Bangladesh Bank</strong> allowed government disbursement program information to be used to open permanent accounts on behalf of customers. The central bank also permitted the creation of accounts for ready-made garment (RMG) workers based on their employment record, given the low rates of digital IDs or other means to confirm their identity among the predominantly female group.
<h3>Voter Rolls</h3>
The Government of <strong>Togo</strong> established the Novissi cash transfer scheme, to provide support during the pandemic. Because Togo does not have a strong national ID system, they took advantage of a recent voter registration campaign to verify the identity of eligible recipients. <strong>Timor-Leste</strong> was also able to take advantage of its voter registration system, which had high sign-up rates after a recent election.
<h3>Mobile SIM Data</h3>
<strong>Zimbabwe</strong> took advantage of its <a href="https://theconversation.com/zimbabwes-restrictions-on-mobile-money-transfers-are-a-blow-to-financial-inclusion-147109" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">90 percent mobile money penetration</a> to make payments directly to the e-wallets of all phone numbers mapped to areas targeted for support payments, while <strong>Nigeria</strong> partnered with mobile network operators to <a href="https://blogs.imf.org/2020/06/22/youve-got-money-mobile-payments-help-people-during-the-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">identify vulnerable informal workers in urban areas through airtime purchase patterns</a>.
<blockquote>Governments have had to be innovative in tapping into all available existing information, whether publicly or privately owned.</blockquote>
<h2>2. Simplified Due Diligence for Rapid Account Opening</h2>
During COVID-19, policymakers and FSPs, in cooperation with regulators, have had to apply simplified customer due diligence (SDD), to rapidly open accounts for newly vulnerable recipients. Some of the key ways they’ve done this include use of mobile SIM registration data, employment records and deferred KYC measures.
<h3>Mobile SIM as ID</h3>
The <strong>Bank of Ghana</strong> expanded its tiered KYC to allow mobile phone subscribers to reuse their SIM card registration to open the lowest tier of e-money accounts, called <a href="https://www.bog.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/MPC-Press-Release-March-2020-3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Minimum KYC Accounts</a>. In <strong>Egypt</strong>, the central bank’s eKYC program allows customers to <a href="https://www.fintechfutures.com/2020/01/central-bank-of-egypt-pilots-ekyc-solution-for-financial-inclusion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">open bank accounts electronically</a>, by submitting their national ID number along with their mobile phone number to the telecommunications authority, which then confirms to the bank the information match for the mobile SIM registration.
<h3>Remote and/or Deferred CDD</h3>
In <strong>Pakistan</strong>, the government suspended the need for biometric confirmation for its Ehsaas Emergency Cash transfers, opening a <a href="https://www.pass.gov.pk/Detailf90ce1f7-083a-4d85-b3e8-60f75ba0d788" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">web portal for residents to handle applications and resolve any issues</a>, while the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) allowed a three-month window following the COVID crisis for in-person due diligence verification for basic accounts.
<h2>3. Use of Alternative Channels for Delivering Payments</h2>
Several jurisdictions have looked to new channels to quickly onboard beneficiaries and distribute social transfers, from mobile apps and websites to postal networks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs).
<h3>Apps and Websites</h3>
<strong>Brazil</strong>’s social assistance program aimed at informal workers, the coronavoucher, is accessible through a free mobile app the bank created specifically for this purpose (those without a cellphone could apply via this <a href="http://auxilio.caixa.gov.br/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website</a>).
<h3>Post Offices</h3>
In <strong>Madagascar</strong>, the government’s COVID cash transfer program, called Tosika Fomena, is made via the Madagascar postal system’s (Paositra Malagasy) cash transfer service called Paositra Money, and <a href="http://www.mptdn.gov.mg/?p=1974" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">can be retrieved</a> at any PO upon <a href="https://fr.allafrica.com/stories/202005261023.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">presentation of a national ID</a>. The <strong>South African Post Office</strong> (SAPO) <a href="https://www.techfinancials.co.za/2020/05/04/south-africa-post-office-unveils-cashless-atm-for-sassa-social-grants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rolled out 10,000 cashless ATMS in rural shops</a> to allow users to access payments without having to travel to urban centers.

In <strong>India</strong>, the post office enabled people to get their funds delivered to their homes during the COVID crisis, whether they have a postal bank account or not. By downloading the India Post Payment Bank app, the user is able to withdraw funds from any bank account and <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/india-post-delivers-rs-412-cr-cash-in-doorstep-banking-revolution/articleshow/75369897.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">have it delivered</a> either to the post office branch or to their home.
<h3>NBFIs</h3>
In <strong>Bangladesh</strong>, BRAC turned to the use of the country’s most prominent mobile money wallet, bKash, as a means of delivering aid to their clients. They opened mobile wallet accounts for <a href="http://blog.brac.net/cash-transfers-to-support-families-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">all the clients who had their own mobile numbers</a> and, for those that didn’t, especially the women, they allowed the use of a trusted family member’s wallet.

In <strong>Ecuador</strong>, the government <a href="http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/129771593464547099/World-Bank-G2Px-COVID19-Ecuador-Brief.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">implemented a social transfer program</a> aimed at vulnerable households, utilizing cooperatives as well as banks to distribute the funds. Unlike cooperatives in most countries, many of Ecuador’s cooperatives are connected to the national payment system.
<h2>The Path Forward</h2>
While countries have made impressive progress over the last decade in broadening the reach of digital financial services, the COVID pandemic has magnified the remaining gaps and weaknesses in helping the most vulnerable. As governments continue with national infrastructure programs, especially around ID and payments, we offer the following crucial considerations for national governments:
<h3><strong>Value of Universal Access to Basic Accounts Opened Under SDD</strong></h3>
This pandemic has demonstrated the potential value of universal access to basic accounts that can be opened under SDD (simplified customer due diligence) measures and at no initial cost to the customer. Should all members of society, as a matter of course, be able to open accounts – immediately and remotely -- for receipt of government emergency payments?
<h3>Importance of Whole of Government Communication and Policy Responses</h3>
Like many aspects of the COVID crisis, communications have been a critical aspect of program success and/or failure. In some countries, for example, unclear messaging on how to apply for or access funds has led to overcrowding at government offices or state banks, forcing those offices to close and leading to public turmoil.
<h3>Clear, Ongoing Dialogue and Interactive Decision-making</h3>
Clear, ongoing dialogue and interactive decision-making between government ministries, regulators and FSPs -- especially payment service providers -- has proven vital to ensuring quick action on rapid onboarding programs. Governments already have established emergency protocols with telecommunications and power companies. How can governments put in place formal emergency mechanisms to engage all relevant ministries and private-sector actors, especially payment service providers, for any future crisis situations?
<h3>How can countries put in place mechanisms to address identification and verification for future crises?</h3>
One approach is to loosen impediments to the sharing of various government beneficiary databases, but there is much to understand around data privacy and security and it is unclear whether this approach is the answer. Given the likelihood of future crises, it is prudent that governments begin the longer-term dialogue and investment needed to address governance of data sharing.
<h3>What are the mechanisms that governments can use to expedite digital infrastructure partnerships with the private sector?</h3>
Where government doesn’t yet have the necessary infrastructure -- including, among others, digital payments, identification, and government databases -- partnerships with industry allow them to leverage existing capabilities and information sharing. The use of mobile SIM registration is a prime example of collaboration to address shortcomings in existing ID infrastructure. Rather than treating each situation as a one-off event, one approach is for governments to institute ongoing cooperation agreements with MNOs and other private/public sector actors to react quickly to events as necessary.
<h3>Governments must consider how they reach beneficiaries that are not digitally connected and may never be.</h3>
The cases in our report highlighted usage of alternative distribution channels through institutions such as post offices and NBFIs. These players already serve low-income people, often via some combination of cash and digital means. Those beneficiaries that only want to deal in cash must continue to be accommodated. But that doesn’t mean that the institutions they use must also deal only in cash. The further that governments can push out the digitization of payments, especially to the “last mile,” the more efficient and expedient the delivery system can be made before it’s transferred back to cash for final delivery.

<a href="https://centerforfinancialinclusion.org/rapid-response-for-social-payments-during-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Find out more</a> about these policy considerations, and about how countries have innovated and operationalized social payments for the underserved during this difficult time.

Three Ways Governments Expedited Social Payments During COVID

As countries around the world grapple with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have turned to supplemental cash transfers as a key policy instrument to offset the loss of income of their citizens.

This policy brief explores what national governments are doing to enable rapid payments to those without existing accounts. The swift measures governments took to speed up payments to citizens during the pandemic include:
<ul>
 	<li>Quick identification of eligible recipients</li>
 	<li>Simplification of customer due diligence for rapid account opening</li>
 	<li>Greater use of alternative channels such as mobile apps, post offices, and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) such as microfinance providers.</li>
</ul>
Each section of this brief includes country-specific examples and key takeaways. Efforts by 19 countries to facilitate cash transfers, both digital and non-digital, are discussed.

This publication is the second in a <a href="https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/series/policy-responses-to-covid-19-their-impacts-on-low-income-customers">series</a> of policy briefs on COVID-19 economic policy responses and their impact on low-income customers.

Rapid Response for Social Payments During COVID-19

In June, CFI published a blog post asking whether repayment <a href="https://centerforfinancialinclusion.org/are-moratoriums-good-for-clients/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">moratoriums are good for clients</a>. As one of the <a href="https://centerforfinancialinclusion.org/preserving-liquidity-policymaker-responses-to-covid-19-and-the-impact-on-low-income-customers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">key tools being used by policymakers</a> to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19 on microfinance clients, moratoriums have provided vital relief to people at a time of unprecedented need.

But when we assess the value of moratoriums, we must also carefully consider what impacts they are having on the financial institutions that serve low-income and underserved segments. From confusion caused by moratoriums announcements to the liquidity impacts for financial institutions serving the BOP, the implications of loan moratoriums are proving to be very mixed.
<h2>COVID-era Moratoriums: Confusion and Rumors</h2>
Moratoriums for loan payments was one of the first measures taken by policymakers around the world when the pandemic shut down businesses. Consumer and MSME borrowers were told they could hold off on repaying their debts, usually for a few months. While this measure seems straightforward, the way in which it was implemented and communicated has varied widely across markets – and often within markets – leading to significant confusion.
<blockquote>While a moratorium seems straightforward, implementation and communication varied widely across markets.</blockquote>
Some moratoriums were mandatory, others were offered as recommendations. The timeframes varied, anywhere from one through six months. Some financial institutions implemented them with an “opt in” approach for customers, while others in the same market took an “opt out” approach. Some regulators said customers needed to request deferments in writing, then later said they could do so via phone, SMS, or email, adding further challenges to financial institutions. In some cases, financial institutions told their clients they could hold off on principal payments but not interest payments. Others said clients would need to pay the combined principal and interest in one balloon payment at the end of the period. And in many markets, it was not clear which borrowers and institutions the moratoriums would apply to, leading to false rumors and public turmoil.

A key issue contributing to the confusion is that the FSPs that serve the poor are made up of many types of entities, typically licensed and supervised by different regulators, with moratorium parameters often differing between them. So consumers and MSMEs were hearing mixed messages and weren’t sure which ones applied to them.

So far, it’s small and mid-size non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) that are finding themselves most negatively impacted by the moratoriums in their markets, both by the liquidity implications as well as the confusion over how to implement the moratoriums and who it applies to. Many of their clients are no longer able to repay their loans, and even those who can pay are refusing to because they believe the moratoriums apply to them.
<blockquote>Moratorium parameters often differ between types of entities which serve the poor.</blockquote>
In some countries, such as India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/borrow/lending-institutions-to-allow-3-month-moratorium-on-all-term-loans/articleshow/74840850.cms#:~:text=The%20Reserve%20Bank%20of%20India%20(RBI)%20in%20a%20press%20conference,outstanding%20on%20March%201%2C%202020.&amp;text=Normally%2C%20simple%20interest%20is%20payable,loan%20during%20a%20moratorium%20period." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">banks and NBFCs are “allowed” to provide moratoriums</a> to their borrowers, but didn’t specify the conditions around how the moratorium should be carried out.

In discussions with the Central Bank of Egypt, they said that the moratorium announced by the central bank applied only to bank loans, but somehow got miscommunicated, leading many MFI customers to initially believe it applied to them as well. At that point, the regulator responsible for non-bank financial institutions in Egypt, the Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), announced its own moratorium. FRA took a more nuanced approach to a moratorium for microfinance clients, in coordination with the MFIs themselves and the Egyptian Microfinance Federation. The mid-March moratorium stated that MFI clients could repay a portion of their loans, down to 50 percent, for a period of two months (March and April), with extensions allowed on an as-needed basis. FRA’s view was that MFIs could not afford a sudden and complete stop in repayments, especially as they don’t have deposits to fall back on, nor would it be a good precedent in terms of microfinance borrower culture. The Bank of Zambia told us they chose to not impose any moratorium, leaving it to individual financial institutions to decide how to address the issue with their clients.

In Peru, MFIs were struggling even before COVID, and there’s now a debate about a proposed law that would forgive all interest charges for six months. It’s still under discussion but industry observers estimate that the law would force at least 26 MFIs into <a href="https://gestion.pe/economia/sbs-26-entidades-financieras-quebrarian-si-aprueban-condonacion-de-intereses-noticia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">serious solvency problems</a>.

Most moratorium announcements have overlooked the loan repayments that MFIs themselves must pay to their bank lenders. Many central banks have urged the banks under their supervision to extend the moratoriums to their MFI/NBFI clients but have not mandated it. And, according to one observer in India, there are banks who fear that extending moratoriums to MFIs will affect their own bank’s credit rating, so are reluctant to do so. MFIs and NBFIs thus find themselves caught in the middle between client moratoriums and their own creditors. Not only are MFIs struggling to meet their current loans in this environment, but their banks and investors are hesitant to issue new loans to them, further exacerbating the situation.
<h2>FSPs: Caught in the Middle and Facing a Liquidity Crisis</h2>
In this pandemic environment, with no loan repayments coming in, deposits being drawn down, and maturing debt commitments coming due with little sign of being renewed or rescheduled, many MFIs are facing the possibility of a serious liquidity crisis. Many industry observers suggest that MFIs won’t get back to their normal repayment rates until 2022. The reduction in cash reserves means shortages in their operational budgets, including their ability to pay staff costs, which also exacerbates their ability to collect repayments. One recent analysis shows that a slip in client repayment rates from 95 to just 85 percent would render most MFIs <a href="http://cgap.org/blog/covid-19-how-does-microfinance-weather-coming-storm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">insolvent in less than a year</a>. In a June 2020 survey in Rwanda, 95 percent of the microfinance banks and limited liability microfinance institutions reported <a href="http://afr.rw/IMG/pdf/focus_note_-_covid-19_survey_12.06.20_.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">emergency need for liquidity support</a> in the next three months.

Allowing a collapse in the microfinance sector could very well end up negating overall COVID economic relief measures. So far, most MFIs are continuing to operate and few have indicated that they are struggling from serious liquidity shortages, particularly the larger players. According to a recent <a href="https://www.cgap.org/pulse" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CGAP survey</a> of MFIs, only 14 percent of respondents reported having less than three months of liquidity on hand (as of April 2020). This figure jumps to 25 percent when operating expenses and debt repayments are factored in. What concerns observers, though, is what happens when the moratoriums end and borrowers are still unable to repay. When the lockdowns and moratoriums end, many microfinance clients will need additional credit to resume business activities, not to mention repay other liabilities accrued to meet their household needs during lockdown.
<blockquote>Allowing a collapse in the microfinance sector could negate overall COVID economic relief measures.</blockquote>
MFIs that are in a precarious position because of the liquidity squeeze described above won’t be in a position to provide this critical credit. This will be compounded by MFIs being unable to access further credit from wholesale lenders such as banks as their collection efficiency will plummet during and after lockdown. In financial situations like this, where there is considerable reduction in consumer demand and a broader economic slowdown, banks become risk averse – even more so when dealing with the poorest segments of society and the institutions that serve them.
<h2>Recommendations for Policymakers and Regulators</h2>
Going forward, we’d make the following recommendations, which can also be found in the recent CFI policy brief:
<h3>Authorities must carefully consider the appropriateness of blanket moratoriums for all institutions and build some flexibility into the policy.</h3>
As we’ve seen so far in Egypt, offering only a partial moratorium to MFI clients has so far proven successful and has eased the impact on the MFIs. The risks of poorly-thought out moratoriums don’t just apply to MFIs, either: a recent stress test by the Bank of Uganda showed that more than half of Uganda’s commercial banks <a href="https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Half-Ugandan-banks-fail-pandemic-liquidity-test/2560-5584762-ji0t3c/index.html?utm_source=newzmate&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=2318&amp;tqid=3fGufmcvDU4BEZgeQv5CBIR5.HzSy386xe.6Ebixzw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">would have collapsed</a> if the central bank had enforced a three-month customer loans repayments holiday at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In India, industry experts are starting to worry about the impact that twice-extended moratoriums will have on the banks. As The Economist <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2020/08/01/has-indias-moratorium-on-loan-payments-delayed-the-pain-for-banks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">notes</a>, "Much of the RBI's early response to the pandemic involved protecting borrowers. It may yet find itself being forced to step in to save some lenders."
<h3>Moratorium mandates must be clearly thought out and communicated uniformly across all institutions.</h3>
Moratorium announcements can be very confusing to consumers and financial institutions alike. Regulators and policymakers must articulate clearly who the moratoriums apply to, and announcements affecting different groups should occur at the same time to avoid confusion. If moratoriums are to be made optional, say by letting customers opt in, the procedures should be simple, straightforward and clearly communicated. There should also be a clear understanding between the regulator and financial institutions on how they wish to see the moratoriums carried out, with measures in place to ensure that instructions are carried out accordingly. For example, merely recommending that banks extend moratoriums to their MFI clients without following up to ensure this is happening will probably not deliver the results that central banks want to see.

Policymakers and regulators were caught off guard by the pandemic, and are struggling to do everything they can to alleviate the suffering people are facing. While moratoriums were implemented with good intentions, the effects may end up being detrimental in the long run.

Are Moratoriums Good Policy and Good for FSPs?

This paper examines how COVID-era economic policy measures – specifically those addressing liquidity – are directly affecting low-income segments and the financial institutions that serve them. In particular, the paper reviews the liquidity needs of financial institutions serving low-income customers in light of COVID-19, provides examples of policy measures being taken around the world to address concerns over liquidity, and addresses how these measures are affecting the financial institutions that serve low-income customers in emerging markets, especially MFIs and other related non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs). This is the first in a series of policy papers on COVID-19 economic policy responses and their impact on low-income customers.

Preserving Liquidity: Policymaker Responses to COVID-19 and the Impact on Low-Income Customers

<a href="http://www.fi2020week.org/toolkit/"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-22350" style="border: .5px solid #000000" src="https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/financial-inclusion-week-graphic.png" width="616" height="392" /></a>It has been two weeks since Financial Inclusion Week 2016 came to a close and we are excited to share a new <a href="http://www.fi2020week.org/toolkit/">Financial Inclusion Week Recap webpage</a> which captures events, blogs, and insights from this year’s global conversation.

By the numbers, Financial Inclusion Week 2016 was a success. We had over 40 partner organizations in 19 countries hold events focused on the theme of <em>keeping clients first in a digital world.</em> Over 1,200 participants were engaged in these events worldwide. Beyond the in-person and online events, there were vibrant conversations on social media. Twenty-three #FinclusionWeek blog posts were shared by a variety of leaders in the industry and hundreds of tweets were exchanged with the week's hashtag. We were thrilled by the breadth of the participants this year. Regulators such as the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority, fintech startups such as Artoo, research organizations such as Innovations for Poverty Action, development agencies such as ADA – Appui au Developpement Autonome, MFIs such as BRAC, and many more got involved.

Financial Inclusion Week 2016 was perhaps an even greater success beyond the numbers. Thanks to the 40 partner and contributing organizations, the week served as a reminder that it is possible to advance financial inclusion while keeping clients first. Participating stakeholders discussed ways to protect and empower clients in an increasingly digital ecosystem and presented many opportunities for doing so, from utilizing digital media for <a href="http://www.fi2020week.org/janautthan-samadayic-laghubitta-bikash-bank-limited">building financial literacy and capability</a> in Nepal, to <a href="http://www.fi2020week.org/financial-sector-deepening-mozambique-1-1">using data</a> to better lend to smallholder farmers, to <a href="http://www.fi2020week.org/financial-sector-deepening-mozambique-1">using digital products</a> as a way to overcome consumer behavioral barriers in Kenya. It is clear that the quickly-expanding financial inclusion community is also expanding its understanding of the end-user.

We encourage you to head to the <a href="http://www.fi2020week.org/toolkit/">Financial Inclusion Week website</a> to explore the insights, videos, photos, and blog posts coming out of the Financial Inclusion Week events. We hope that the conversation around <em>keeping clients first</em> does not stop here. Stay tuned for more event recap materials on the week's site as well as a Financial Inclusion Round-up Electronic Magazine to learn more about the global conversation.

<strong>Have you read?</strong>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2016/10/17/digital-financial-inclusion-seizing-a-3-7-trillion-opportunity/">Digital Financial Inclusion: Seizing a $3.7 Trillion Opportunity</a>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2016/10/18/what-is-lost-in-a-digital-financial-world-and-how-to-get-it-back/">What Is Lost in a Digital Financial World - And How to Get It Back</a>

<a href="https://cfi-blog.org/2016/10/19/green-light-for-financial-inclusion/">Green Light for Financial Inclusion</a>

Financial Inclusion Week 2016 - Recap

<em><a href="http://cfi-blog.org/category/financial-inclusion-2020/"><img class="alignright wp-image-8773" style="border: 0 solid #000000" src="https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/fi2020_antilogo.jpg" alt="" width="321" height="71" /></a>&gt; Posted by Allyse McGrath, Senior Associate, CFI</em>

Readers of the <em><a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/publications-a-resources/global-microscope">2015 Global Microscope</a></em>, which spotlights the quality of the policy environment for financial inclusion, often focus on the countries at the top of the pack. However, some of the largest improvements in this year’s report are happening towards the bottom of the ranks. This trend appears on a regional scale, with the Middle East and North Africa, the region with the collective lowest scores, showing the most improved scores in this year’s issue of the <em>Global Microscope</em>. In this region, Egypt serves as an example of a country making huge strides even though it’s not among the top 10 countries. In fact, it scores among the very lowest handful of countries.

Up two spots from 53 to 51 out of 55 total markets this year, Egypt improved its score in 7 of the 12 Microscope indicators. The 8-point jump overall can be attributed to many factors, most notably the government’s introduction of a new regulation which broadens financial supervisory to a burgeoning microfinance sector and its welcoming of new electronic payments experiments.

In November 2014, the Egyptian Government <a href="http://www.efsa.gov.eg/content/efsa_en/efsa_news_en/efsa_202_en.htm">enacted</a>  Law no. 141, more commonly known as the “Microfinance Law”, which created provisions for regulating MFIs in the country, previously excluded from the legal framework. This law expanded the reach of the Egyptian Finance Supervisory Authority (EFSA) which now has control over issuing licenses to microfinance institutions in Egypt. After the law’s issuance in 2014, the number of MFIs in Egypt rose from 400 to 640. By the end of 2015, EFSA reported that it had issued 253 licenses. The law which is aimed at ensuring efficiency, transparency, and risk management also <a href="http://www.shandpartners.com/microfinance-law-egypt/">includes</a> a list of “Executive Decrees” by which licensed institutions must abide.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29599398@N06/13114119293/"><img class="alignright wp-image-20774" style="border: 0 solid #000000" src="https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/13114119293_06a9a029f6_k.jpg?w=490" alt="" width="270" height="360" /></a>These regulations include certain levels of protecting debtor rights, creditworthiness checks, transparency, caps on microfinance loans for each customer, and regulations on how MFIs may advertise their products, among others. It is important to note that at this point, licensed institutions cannot receive any deposits. Their operations are, instead, restricted only to forms of financial leasing. EFSA has also focused recently on expanding and improving its regulation for insurance providers.

On the electronic payments front, in March 2015, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Egyptian Banking Corporation, and MasterCard <a href="http://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/egyptian-government-and-mastercard-collaborate-to-extend-financial-inclusion-to-54-million-citizens-through-digital-national-id-program-2/">launched</a> a partnership aimed at broadening financial access to 54 million Egyptians through an interoperable national ID platform. As part of the agreement, MasterCard will work with the government and private sector agencies to link citizen’s national IDs to the existing mobile money platform. This system will allow the government to issue digital ID cards and move away from cash when disbursing salaries and social benefits. On the consumer-side, the IDs can be used to pay for government fees, mobile bills, merchant purchases, and domestic remittances.

Even with the great potential of both the Microfinance Law and ambitious electronic payments initiatives, the government will continue facing challenges as it (hopefully) continues to move up in the <em>Global Microscope</em> ranks. While the Microfinance Law is a big step, it is far from a national financial inclusion strategy. Additionally, the full effect of the law is still unknown. Specifically, there are concerns surrounding the capacities of smaller microfinance institutions that are, for the first time, regulated, while larger MFIs could be maturing to begin taking deposits. By boxing MFIs into a credit-only box with size limits, the law also cuts off the path that the better MFIs could use to develop into full service financial institutions, including taking deposits. The result can be a microfinance sector that is populated by relatively weak institutions that do not offer a wide range of services.

<em>For more on Egypt’s recent progress and the country’s environment for financial inclusion, read the <a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/publications-a-resources/global-microscope">2015 Global Microscope</a>.</em>

<i>Financial Inclusion 2020 (<a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/fi2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FI2020</a>) is a global multi-stakeholder movement to achieve full financial inclusion, using the year 2020 as a focal point for action.</i> <i>This blog series will spotlight financial inclusion efforts around the globe and share insights from key thought leaders in financial inclusion, with a specific focus on quality beyond access.</i>

<em>Image credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29599398@N06/13114119293/">Laura Cuttier</a></em>

<strong>Have you read?</strong>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2015/06/30/political-risk-is-keeping-microfinance-ceos-up-at-night/">Political Risk Is Keeping Microfinance CEOs Up at Night</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2015/09/16/sizing-up-credit-reporting-in-the-arab-region/">Sizing-Up Credit Reporting in the Arab Region</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2015/12/09/where-the-best-place-is-to-be-an-insurance-providerand-other-insights-from-the-microscope/">Where the Best Place Is to Be an Insurance Provider... and Other Insights from the 'Microscope'</a>

Egypt Records Huge Progress in Policy Environment for Financial Inclusion

<em>I recently attended the annual meeting of the Microfinance Network (MFN), which was hosted by the Alexandria Business Association in Alexandria, Egypt. MFN is a global network of some of the largest and leading microfinance institutions, and its annual meeting has long been known for candid and in-depth sharing of experience among the leaders of these institutions, as this post demonstrates.</em>

Ask a microfinance CEO what’s making his or her life hard these days, and the answer is likely to be politics.

That’s hardly surprising when the speaker is Motaz Tabaa, CEO of the Alexandria Business Association (ABA), one of the largest microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Egypt. On January 28, 2011, when the occupation of Tahrir Square in Cairo held the world’s attention and led to the resignation of then-President Mubarak, it became impossible for ABA to operate. But before the week was over, staff were back on the streets, collecting and disbursing loans, and sleeping at the office to guard the cash that couldn’t be deposited in banks, which remained still closed.

Nearly every MFI in the group had a similar encounter with crisis – consider the political violence (and/or natural disaster) that has touched Uganda, Nigeria, Armenia, Mexico, Haiti, and Bangladesh in recent years. Today, Al Majmoua in Lebanon and Tamweelcom in Jordan are overwhelmed with the attempt to serve the Syrian refugees that have crossed their borders. The CEOs who have experienced such upheaval agreed about the role of MFIs in responding quickly to help clients obtain cash, keep their businesses open, and then rebuild. Given how prevalent political and natural crises are, organizations have developed protocols for responding quickly. Even while we met, Enrique Majos of Compartamos received news of a tornado in Mexico, and sent the Compartamos natural disaster team into action.

There was another kind of political issue worrying many of the MFN member CEOs – political actions directed specifically at the microfinance sector. As they see it, politicians seeking votes from the poor too often see advantages in demonstrating their engagement with or control over microfinance. They over-regulate, compete unfairly through state-subsidized lending, give preference to more mainstream banks, or all of the above.

In Egypt, for example, a new law is being introduced to regulate MFIs. Although the sector has advocated for a regulatory framework for microfinance for a long time, this new law does not appear to recognize microfinance as part of financial inclusion for low income families. It fails to provide a path for MFIs to qualify to take savings, while it pigeonholes microfinance into a restrictive lending range. For example, DBACD, which works in the Nile Delta, has recently introduced a home improvement portfolio. But the new law defines housing as outside the bounds of microfinance, so DBACD will have to drop the product. New regulation is also coming in Jordan, and there are signals that it, too, will be overly restrictive. Similar concerns were shared by representatives from Lebanon and Armenia.

Responses to political risk depend on a reading of the situation and the players involved. In one country it may be important to engage directly (though not publicly) with an antagonistic political figure, but in another case that would backfire. For Sogesol in Haiti, it has been important to cultivate a public image that emphasizes its leadership as a provider of important services for the poor. However, the group warned against counting too much on support from the public. Clients, even relatively satisfied ones, are unlikely to organize energetically to protect an institution.

For Compartamos, the non-political, technocratic approach of Mexican and Peruvian banking regulators has been a bulwark for stable and predictable policy in the face of popularity-seeking actions by various politicians, and so Compartamos seeks to maintain frequent contact and exchanges of views and information with regulators. By contrast, for BRAC in Bangladesh, where the political scene is dominated by two warring political parties, regulators are under a large degree of political control. BRAC’s response, which has served it well for many years, is to stay resolutely unaligned and maintain a low-key public posture.

The members agreed that while global best practices and international experts can be helpful in providing a counterweight to populist proposals, the international card must be played with great discretion so as not to provoke a hardening of the stance of the very people the MFI would most like to influence.

Finally, members agreed that maintaining institutional health is an essential political risk mitigation strategy, including adequate capital cushions, to enable an institution to weather the turns of political fortune sure to come its way.

<strong>Have you read?</strong>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2013/11/08/the-risk-management-initiative-in-microfinance-rim-mapping-the-road-to-risk-management/">The Risk Management Initiative in Microfinance (RIM): Mapping the Road to Risk Management</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2013/04/23/how-can-mfi-boards-be-explicit-about-risk-strategy-and-appetite/">How Can MFI Boards Be Explicit about Risk Strategy and Appetite?</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2014/07/11/brac-microfinance-director-shameran-abed-on-client-protection-balancing-credit-and-savings-and-the-evolving-financial-inclusion-landscape/">BRAC Microfinance Director Shameran Abed on Client Protection, Balancing Credit and Savings, and the Evolving Financial Inclusion Landscape</a>

Political Risk Is Keeping Microfinance CEOs Up at Night

<em>&gt; Posted by Center Staff</em>

[getty src="542571629?et=Huo755fiR5Rb_e2CnXH30w&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=srJfCk0jO48ZTQ4mRuS3ZDhPgrEJ9-x1PTf2oSEzVyI=" width="508" height="339"]

A new paper from MasterCard corroborates recent findings on persistent gaps in the financial inclusion of women, indicating that in India <a href="http://insights.mastercard.com/theconnectorsproject/assets/documents/RegionalReport-India-English.pdf">58 percent</a> of women report difficulty accessing credit, savings, or jobs because of their gender. The paper is part of MasterCard’s <a href="http://insights.mastercard.com/theconnectorsproject/">Connectors Project</a>, which examines the migration of excluded populations into progressive economic inclusion. The recently-released Global Findex data found that between 2011 and 2014, the gender gap in access to financial services remained steady at 9 percent in developing countries.

The reported difficulty faced by women in India was higher than that of the paper’s other surveyed countries: Indonesia, Egypt, and Mexico. Across all four countries, 33 percent of women expressed these challenges. Across all genders, in India, 67 percent of respondents reported worrying about money they owe to others and 82 percent worry about their future prospects. Along with women, ethnic and religious minorities in India reported additional challenges in economic participation. Fifty-eight percent said it was difficult to get jobs or credit because of their ethnicity or religion – compared with 28 percent across the surveyed countries. Whether or not these women and ethnic/religious minorities do in fact face discriminatory treatment, awareness of their perception is critical. In accessing banking services for the first time, or pursuing economic opportunities, trust and confidence can be a make-or-break.

The new Global Findex data indicated that between 2011 and 2014, 700 million people gained access to accounts, but the discrepancy between access for men and women didn’t improve. However, there were some bright spots. On the whole, in 2011 more than half of the world’s women didn’t have financial access, whereas by 2014 58 percent of women globally had an account in a formal financial institution. In high-income OECD economies, the gender gap is nonexistent. In the Philippines, women are more likely to have a formal account than men.

Leora Klapper, the Findex’s chief architect, <a href="http://www.trust.org/item/20150421184902-4usvh/">points</a> to mobile money, digitizing transfers and payments, and formalizing savings as avenues to improve gender parity. In Kenya, for example, women are less likely to have a traditional account at a formal financial institution but more likely than men to have a mobile money account. Eighty million women worldwide receive government social benefits or wages in cash, creating a huge opportunity for digitizing transfers as an on-ramp to financial inclusion. Similarly, 210 million women in developing countries are paid for their agricultural work in cash, and 175 million women in developing countries don’t save through formal means but through a savings club or person outside the family.

Tandem to increased outreach, to improve perceptions of financial services, treatment of clients needs to improve. Not exclusive to women and ethnic/religious minorities, a recent “mystery shopping” <a href="http://www.nseindia.com/research/content/NSE-IFMR_Paper_5.pdf">study by NSE and IFMR</a> in Chennai, India found that attempts to open BSBDAs (Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts) and low-cost accounts were almost always met with staff refusing to offer the BSBDA, and vehement discouragement from opening other lower-cost accounts. The research team cautions against driving G2P transfers until banks demonstrate willingness and ability to meet the necessary standards.

<strong>Have you read?</strong>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2015/03/09/every-day-working-towards-financial-inclusion-for-women/">Every Day, Working Towards Financial Inclusion for Women</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2014/09/15/savings-groups-mobile-phones-and-a-new-solution-for-rural-women/" target="_blank">Savings Groups, Mobile Phones, and a New Solution for Rural Women</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2015/02/26/customer-service-at-brac-empowering-women-through-empowered-women/">Customer Service at BRAC: Empowering Women Through Empowered Women</a>

Fifty-Eight Percent of Women in India Report Difficulty Accessing Credit, Savings, or Jobs Because of their Gender

<a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/publications-a-resources/browse-publications/534-2013-global-microscope"><img class="alignright wp-image-16543" style="border: 2px solid #000000" src="https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/microscope.png" alt="" width="280" height="353" /></a>If there’s one thing we’ve learned in taking a close look at financial inclusion efforts around the world, it’s that context matters. That’s why we are excited to be part of the team releasing the <a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/publications-a-resources/browse-publications/534-global-microscope"><em>Global Microscope 2014: The Enabling Environment for Financial Inclusion</em></a>. The <em>Microscope</em> is carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) with sponsorship and guidance from the Multilateral Investment Fund of the IDB, CAF, and Citi. The <em>Microscope</em> evaluates the environment for financial inclusion in 55 different countries and provides powerful signals to policymakers in each country on their progress. Which countries topped the list and which have the most room to grow?

We’ll tell you, but first, it’s important to know what the results mean. Each country inspected in the <em>Microscope</em> is assessed on 12 indicators that consider best practices in national regulatory environments and institutional support for providers serving clients at the base of the pyramid. Indicators range from government support for financial inclusion, to supervision of microfinance and other financial products, the status of credit reporting, regulations governing mobile banking and, last but not least, consumer protection.

This year is an important one in the publication’s eight year history because the focus shifted from microfinance to the environment for financial inclusion, a process that involved adapting the framework to account for today’s diversity of providers and products. What we were surprised by, however, was just how little a difference this made in the rankings. We charted last year’s results on the microfinance environment against this year’s results on the financial inclusion environment and we found a very high correlation between the two (see figure below). Environments that are enabling for microfinance are often environments that are enabling for financial inclusion. Six countries from last year’s top 10 were in this year’s top ten.

<a href="http://bit.ly/1s9k6T0"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-16546" src="https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/microscope-figure.png" alt="" width="600" height="290" /></a>

So, who leads the pack? Here’s the list of the top 10 countries and their scores (on a scale of 0 to 100).
<p style="padding-left: 30px">1) Peru -- 87</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px">2) Colombia -- 85</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px">3) Philippines -- 79</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px">4) Chile -- 66</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px">5) Mexico and India (tie) -- 61</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px">7) Bolivia and Pakistan (tie) -- 58</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px">9) Cambodia and Tanzania (tie) -- 56</p>
There were three very clear champions: Peru, Colombia, and the Philippines, whose scores are well above the next-ranked country, Chile. Peru and Colombia performed strongly across the board, scoring in the top five on nearly all indicators. The Philippines’ inclusion environment ranked well in part due to its capable regulator, optimal credit regulation, and effective dispute-resolution mechanisms.

The wide range of performance is notable. Top-scoring Peru secured 87 out of a possible 100 points, while lowest-ranked Haiti only managed 16, and there are countries spread rather evenly throughout the whole scoring distribution. This reveals a very wide range of attention to and progress on financial inclusion across the world. This range is borne out by the finding that a third of countries have active national financial inclusion strategies with targets, a third have strategies that remain vague or patchy, and a third have not made any formal commitment to financial inclusion.

Regionally, both Latin America and the Caribbean and East and South Asia score well. While the Middle East and North Africa region had the lowest regional average score, low scores are present among countries in several regions: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Egypt, Yemen, and Haiti.

East and South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are the leading regions in regulation for electronic payments. Kenya and Tanzania in particular stand out for their strong regulation conducive to the growth of mobile payments, and Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka for their effective e-pay infrastructure.

The <em>Microscope</em> found that countries that had strong institutional support – credit reporting, client protection, accounting standards – often performed very well overall, and countries that had weak institutional support performed poorly. Countries at the bottom of the rankings performed especially poorly on measures of institutional support.

The <em>Microscope</em> report, with its country profiles, provides a rich source of information for further research. It also provides a stimulus for policymakers to focus on areas for improvement and to look to the leaders for inspiration and example.

For more detail, including country breakdowns and rankings, you can download the report <a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/publications-a-resources/browse-publications/534-global-microscope">here</a>.

<em>Graphic credits: <a href="http://bit.ly/1s9k6T0">'Global Microscope 2014'</a></em>

<strong>Have you read?</strong>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2013/12/17/defining-the-path-to-financial-inclusion-in-peru/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defining the Path to Financial Inclusion in Peru</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2013/10/03/global-microscope-finds-the-world-getting-more-microfinance-friendly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Microscope Finds the World Getting More Microfinance-Friendly</a>

<a href="http://cfi-blog.org/2012/12/20/putting-a-microscope-on-client-protection-in-microfinance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Putting a Microscope on Client Protection in Microfinance</a>

&nbsp;

The 'Global Microscope 2014': Results and Surprises

Mayada  El-Zoghbi

Managing Director, CFI

Amee Parbhoo

Ashley Lewis

Leora Klapper

Virginia Moore

East Asia and Pacific

Egypt, Arab Rep.

India

Indonesia

Kenya

Latin America and The Caribbean

Middle East and North Africa

Nigeria

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Ethiopia

Sri Lanka

Colombia

Costa Rica

Honduras

Pakistan

Peru

Philippines

Access Usage Gap

Agricultural and Rural Finance

Alternative Data

Appropriate Product Design and Delivery

Challenges and Crises

Consumer Protection

Credit

Crop Insurance

Data Analytics

Delivery Channels

Digital Credit

Digital Financial Services

Enabling Environment

Entrepreneurs of MSMEs

Financial Health

Financial Inclusion Strategy

Financial Service Providers

Financial Technology

Fintechs

Impact Investing

Insurance

Insurtech

MSME/SME Finance

Partnerships

Refugees and Migrants

Resilience

Responsible Digital Finance

Rural Populations

Smallholder Farmers

Supply Chain Finance

Trends

Underserved Groups

Financial Capability

Mobile Banking

Payments

Personal Financial Management

Saving

Women

Policy, Regulation and Government Initiatives

Article

India is a global leader in financial inclusion. For over a decade, Accion has worked with and learned from India’s innovators, investors, and policymakers to expand economic opportunity for its people and businesses.

The majority of Kenyans have mobile money accounts; their activity demonstrates digital financial services’ potential. Accion helps Kenyan innovators harness emerging technologies to create new financial services.

Though Nigeria’s government has set ambitious goals for financial inclusion, the majority of its people lack a formal bank account. Accion has worked in the country since 2007 to expand access to financial services.

You might have heard about the latest trend in fintech – embedded finance. Maybe you’ve used a “buy now, pay later” option when shopping online, or purchased insurance to protect your rental car trip. When we talk about embedded finance, we’re referring to two types of companies: platforms that provide financial products alongside their core offerings and API-based enablers that plug into existing companies and allow those partners to offer financial services to their customers.

At Accion Venture Lab, we see embedded finance as more than just a trend. It’s a means to responsibly and seamlessly provide credit, savings, insurance, and other financial tools to underserved customers around the world. When companies that are not financial institutions offer embedded finance products, they give customers who aren’t able to access traditional financial services a way to grow their businesses, protect their livelihoods, and save for their futures.

As embedded finance gains more traction, there’s been a lot of discussion about what it means to embed financial services and who stands to benefit the most. Here’s what we’ve learned so far from our work with embedded finance providers around the world:
<h3>1. Companies are thinking about embedded financial services from day one.</h3>
In the past, we used to see companies only begin to think about integrating financial services into their platforms after establishing their core offerings or raising later stages of funding. Now, more companies understand the importance of embedded finance – it allows companies to reach never-before-serviced customers and increases value of customers by decreasing acquisition costs and increasing revenue potential – and are offering financial services from the start as one of their core products.

For example, Accion Venture Lab portfolio company <a href="https://field.inc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Field Intelligence</a> helps pharmacies in Nigeria and Kenya digitize their supply chain operations and manage their inventory. However, Field Intelligence’s “pay as you sell” product, Shelf Life, which <a href="/this-company-is-making-healthcare-more-accessible-in-emerging-markets" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">allows users to pay for their inventory as they sell it</a>, has been a critical part of Field Intelligence’s business model since its earliest days. With Shelf Life, pharmacies can keep up with fluctuating customer needs without paying expensive upfront costs. Business owners can afford to stock their shelves and free up their working capital to instead invest in their businesses and expand their operations. By ensuring that pharmacies can continue to pay for products while they strengthen their businesses, the subscription aspect of the Shelf Life helps Field Intelligence retain customers long-term.
<h3>2. Embedded finance isn’t just one product.</h3>
When you think of financial services, you might initially think of just credit. But embedded finance goes beyond credit and cuts across the full spectrum of financial services – lending, insurance, savings, and investments.

In the Accion Venture Lab portfolio, <a href="https://www.lami.world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lami</a> partners with companies such as banks and telecommunications providers to offer customizable insurance to their customers in Africa, <a href="https://www.accion.org/tech-opens-the-door-for-low-income-africans-to-get-the-insurance-they-need" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">where only 3 percent of Africans outside of South Africa have access to insurance</a>. Lami’s solution contextualizes the purchase of insurance by meeting customers where they are and addressing specific needs, resulting in greater long-term adoption of the product and retention of customers.

In India, our portfolio company Anthem provides administrative and financial solutions for schools in 300 cities across the country. Anthem’s digital platform helps educational institutions streamline their administrative activities – with tools to manage cashflows, expenses, and school fees all in one place.
<h3>3. Embedded finance is for everyone.</h3>
Embedded finance is democratizing financial services for underserved populations around the world by meeting people where they are and building on the trust that people have with existing platforms they already use.

Embedded financial services are fundamentally reshaping the distribution model of financial services. They allow companies to reach previously underlooked populations in more contextualized and inclusive ways. As these customers stick around longer for financial services, they drive up retention rates and increase a company’s revenue streams. As a result, the profitability and lifetime value of currently underserved customers increases.

Accion Venture Lab’s global portfolio companies are helping diverse populations access financial services that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. In Indonesia, where <a href="https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/260f2097-e440-4599-91ec-e42d45cf3913/SME+Indonesia+Final_Eng.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&amp;CVID=lj8qhPY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">70 percent of small businesses</a> are owned and managed by women, <a href="https://fairbanc.app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fairbanc</a>’s “buy now, pay later solution” helps small businesses stock their shelves and keep their shops open. In Latin America, <a href="https://www.soyhenry.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Henry</a> helps address <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?locations=ZJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high unemployment rates</a> by offering virtual coding courses that students pay for via an income sharing agreement (ISA), where they only pay for their education once they have secured employment after graduation. In India, <a href="https://agrim.app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AgriM</a>’s digital marketplace provides inventory procurement to the country’s more than one million agricultural retailers, who serve 130 million farmers.

Embedded finance is a powerful tool to provide the world’s financially underserved populations with seamless access to finance. But this trend will only succeed in enacting meaningful change if the offerings are <a href="/what-does-embedded-inclusive-fintech-look-like" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">responsible, affordable, and fair</a>. Embedded products must not only offer better terms and pricing than other traditional counterparts, but all prices, terms, and data being used must be visible and understood by customers who may not have used any financial services before. When this happens, we ensure that people have products that meet their needs and are not left further behind.

Embedded finance: More than a trend

Until now, we've never invested in any Egyptian companies at Accion Venture Lab, but we've been watching for promising fintechs. After all, there's a real opportunity to make a difference in the country. Only one-third of Egyptian adults have bank accounts, according to the World Bank's Global Findex. That means the majority of Egyptians have to pay every bill in cash and turn to family and friends for emergency funds or when they need a loan. Without cards and savings accounts, people are left living paycheck-to-paycheck, and managing life expenses is a struggle. But there's hope that technology can change that since millions of underserved Egyptians are already actively using smartphone. By developing an easy-to-use mobile app, we believe our first investment in Egypt, <a href="https://khazna.app/">Khazna</a>, can bring accessible credit and savings product to financially excluded Egyptians.

Khazna is a fintech company developing a holistic, app-based banking solution, including savings, loans, insurance, and access to a pre-paid card, for the underserved. Khazna is looking to provide an affordable alternative to credit while helping Egyptians save and manage their longer-term financing needs. Its first product is an earned salary cash advance, which works through an employer partnership model. Today, the company partners with small, medium, and large enterprises to reach their employees and provide an alternative short-term loan for these individuals.

Venture Lab is excited to support the Khazna team at this early stage and to have them as our first investment in Egypt. While we see a tremendous opportunity in the financial inclusion space in Egypt, we were particularly interested in investing in Khazna for the following reasons:

<strong>Large, unaddressed, and digitally native population ripe for digital financial services:</strong> We believe that early-stage fintech businesses are primed to address Egypt’s financial inclusion challenges. In addition to being one of the most populous countries in the region, it's also one of the youngest countries in Africa, with an average age of 24 years old. The World Bank estimates that just 10-15 percent of Egyptians have bank accounts, which is one of the lowest penetration rates in the world. At the same time, Egypt has one of the most digitally native and active consumer bases across Africa. This creates a unique opportunity because the population has access to smartphones and the internet, and has experience using digital platforms, such as Careem, Swivl, Halan, and Uber. Given these market dynamics, we believe that Egypt is a prime environment for digital financial services.

<strong>“New asset lending” as an alternative to traditional consumer loans:</strong> Credit penetration rates in Egypt are strikingly low with just 6 percent of adults having borrowed from a formal institution. Khazna enables low- and middle-income customers with little to no credit history to access funds to help manage day-to-day needs and emergency expenses. Customers’ paychecks don't always cover everything they need, so having access to credit via income streaming for bills, family expenses, and medical emergencies allows them to avoid taking out expensive debt, going into collections, and paying late fees. It also gives them greater financial flexibility. Khazna credit products are more affordable than informal lenders and target underserved customers. Khazna focuses its solution on employers that work with lower and middle income workers to help these populations gain access to services. Additionally, the tier-based fee model allows borrowers to select loan amounts according to what they can afford, and pricing is communicated clearly upfront.

<strong>Leveraging business partnerships to de-risk lending operations and reach scale: </strong>Khazna is targeting both business and end consumers with its products, starting with businesses first. While selling to businesses can be a long process, Khazna is leveraging strong partnerships to deploy their solution into one large enterprise to access their employee population. We’ve heard in several of our markets that employees often demand an advance on their salary , and employers don't want to provide it themselves, which makes this issue a pain-point for both employers and employees. This is a critical need for those employees who are trying to manage financial shocks but are unable to access formal credit. While many startups, including in Venture Lab’s portfolio, have struggled to sell into employer channels, we believe that the Khazna team has a unique ability to connect with decision-makers within established businesses. We believe by leveraging the employer channel, Khazna will be able to de-risk their lending portfolio, develop relationships with customers, and reach scale more quickly.

As is the case for all of our seed investments, Khazna is early in its journey. However, as investors in the company and advocates for a more financially inclusive world, we couldn’t be more excited to support Khazna's growth and ensure that more Egyptians gain access to the critical financial services so they can manage their financial needs and improve their lives.

A new way to help people living paycheck-to-paycheck in Egypt

As I worked on the latest update to the World Bank’s <a href="https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/">Global Findex database</a>, I was pleased to see some significant progress in account ownership and digital finance. However, I was disheartened — if not surprised ­— to find that we’re still stuck in 2011 when it comes to the stubborn gender gap in financial services.

Closing the gender gap remains the grand prize for financial inclusion advocates — a truly inclusive financial system should break down barriers and bring opportunities to all people. But women in developing countries are still 9 percentage points less likely than men to have an account. That gap has not improved since the Findex began in 2011, and it’s just an average — scores are even worse in some countries. For instance, in Pakistan, men are five times as likely as women to have an account.

Why are women left out to a greater degree than men? One reason is there’s also a persistent digital divide when it comes to access to technology. According to the Gallup World Poll survey, Men are 10 percentage points more likely than women to report owning a phone. In Egypt, Ethiopia, and India, men are 20 percentage points more likely than women to have their own phone.

We need to better identify the underlying causes of digital exclusion, such as social norms. For example, it may not be acceptable for women to give their phone numbers to male bank agents — meaning women are missing out on the opportunities of mobile money accounts.

But it’s not just technology — we need more data on how women experience financial inclusion broadly, and how social norms may keep women excluded from the financial system. We'd be in a better position to close the gender gap if we had more data. I’d like to see more research exploring how and if the gender of agents influences financial inclusion. Would more female mobile and merchant agents mean more financial access and activity? It would be good to know one way or the other.

I’m also interested in whether we can establish a link between electronic wage payments and higher productivity. This relationship could affect the financial inclusion gender gap: the World Bank is starting new work with tea pluckers in Sri Lanka. In the past, many of these women’s husbands might have claimed their salaries. I’d like to know if a woman receives payments into her own account, and if she gets the full pay-off for her labor, will she work harder? Will she be more productive? Will job retention at her employer increase? These questions represent an exciting new road of research to motivate the private sector to expand financial inclusion and digital payments, particularly for women.

We need more information. We know that inclusive financial services can help women gain more autonomy; moreover, by supporting women, we might also catalyze social and economic progress. But we need to know more about how and why women use or are prevented from accessing financial services to shape our efforts going forward. I hope we begin asking these questions and pursuing real answers soon.

Want to fix the financial inclusion gender gap? Ask better questions

For the last 10 years, the <a href="http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/microscope"><i>Global Microscope on Financial Inclusion</i></a> has systematically reported what it takes to create an enabling environment for financial inclusion. The good news is that the global financial inclusion community increasingly understands what works and is designing essential reforms. But the rate of progress is gradual and uneven, and in some areas, still lacking. The latest <i>Global Microscope</i> takes a closer look at what it takes to create an inclusive financial sector—and where intensive effort is most needed.
<h2>The leaderboard</h2>
Tying for first place in the global rankings are Peru and Colombia, scoring 89 (out of 100). Second place is also a tie, with two Asian countries, India and Philippines, each scoring 78. Pakistan earns third place with a score of 63. The spreads between first, second and third place are wider than they are between any other consecutive rungs in the index, but the top-ranking countries are in fact the same as last year. Peru, Colombia, Philippines, India, and Pakistan are longtime financial inclusion institutional and regulatory leaders.

With this much consistency in the leaderboard, the more fascinating stories may lie with this year’s “most improved players”: India, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Egypt. Each country has made notable progress on financial inclusion, but none more than India. With a national biometric identification system in place, continued progress on access and usage of bank accounts, an improved institutional framework and commitment to digital payments, India—already among the top countries—is increasingly seen as a model for ongoing progress.
<h2>Keys to success</h2>
<h3><b>Commitment and consistency matter. </b></h3>
An enabling environment for financial inclusion does not happen overnight. Colombia’s and India’s financial inclusion policy efforts predate even the first <i>Global Microscope</i>. Peru and Philippines signed on to the Maya Declaration, the first global platform for commitment to financial inclusion, back in 2011, with a small group of only 15 other countries. In short, it has taken years of concerted effort and political will for the top countries to earn and keep their spots in the <i>Global Microscope</i> index.
<h3><b>Broad-based policy pays off.</b></h3>
The <i>Global Microscope</i> measures 12 components of the financial sector, ranging from the level of government support to strength of dispute resolution mechanisms. None of the leading countries scored below 50 percent in any of the 12 components, and all but India achieved 100 percent in at least four components. (Colombia achieved perfect scores in a whopping eight components.) The leading countries demonstrate that you have to proceed on multiple fronts simultaneously to make meaningful progress in financial inclusion.
<h3>Consumer protection is a winning strategy.</h3>
Treating consumers right is an essential part of successful financial inclusion, but when it comes to fair treatment, especially mechanisms for airing and resolving customer complaints, most countries are underperforming. By contrast, leading countries prioritize consumer protection, and their scores show it. Colombia and Peru receive perfect scores in the consumer protection-focused components, and the rest of the leading countries rank in the top eight. Prioritizing consumer protection, as the leading countries have done, is a key to expanding financial inclusion.
<h2>Remaining challenges</h2>
<h3>Enforcement is limited.</h3>
Rules don’t mean much if you can’t enforce them, and that’s the story for many countries’ financial sectors. The average score for regulatory and supervisory capacity for financial inclusion, which spans credit portfolios, deposit-taking activities, insurance for low-income people and branch/agent models, is only 48 out of 100.
<h3>Consumer protection is especially weak.</h3>
Again, consumer protection is an area of particular weakness, constituting some of the lowest average scores in the index. For example, monitoring of consumer protection for insurance for low-income people netted an average score of just 15 out of 100. Most countries are grappling with widespread lack of market transparency and predatory sales and collection practices.
<h3>Usage still lags policy.</h3>
Countries like India and Philippines have successfully enacted policies to increase access to formal banking, but are still exploring how to get people to actually use the accounts they open. Those countries are pursuing tactics like government-to-person (G2P) transfers to build familiarity and instill the habit of using accounts. On the other hand, countries like China that are experiencing the fallout from unregulated peer-to-peer (P2P) lending are now exploring how to protect investors without prohibiting the flow of capital.

As the financial sector expands thanks to digital advances and new product offerings, the policy environment will also need to evolve accordingly. The <i>Global Microscope</i> continues to report what the policy environment for financial inclusion should entail.

<em>This post originally appeared on <a href="http://partners.wsj.com/metlife/multipliers/articles/financial-inclusions-best-in-class/">Multipliers of Prosperity</a>. </em>

Financial inclusion’s best in class