Partnership for Financial Inclusion: Knowledge

latest blog posts

The mobile money customer that isn’t: insights on inactivity of mobile money accounts in Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire is one of the most vibrant digital financial services markets in West Africa. The number of registered accounts has tripled in recent years, to over 9 million by the end of 2014. This represents over 50% of the total mobile money flows in the entire West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) (Figure 1). Today, there are more mobile money accounts in Côte d’Ivoire than bank and microfinance accounts combined, and it is becoming very common for Ivoirians to use mobile money to make payments. For example, as of 2014 all secondary school fees nationwide must be paid using mobile money. The national electric utility expects that by the end of 2015, mobile money will be used to pay over 50% of electric bills in Côte d’Ivoire...

"When it works it’s great, but when it’s bad it’s awful:” managing risk in digital financial services.
The arrival of digital financial services (DFS) holds many promises. New technology and innovative business models are rapidly opening up fresh markets and bringing alternative players into the field. With new opportunities however, come new risks. Many innovative DFS providers don’t have an embedded culture of risk management. More traditional providers understand risk as it relates to conventional financial services, but often fail to grasp the implications of advanced technologies...

How Tanzania successfully established Mobile Money interoperability
Back in July 2014 we asked if the mobile money market in Tanzania is ready for interoperability and described the process to establish interoperability that was taking shape in Tanzania. The short answer to that question was yes, we now know for sure. In September 2014 the industry partners in Tanzania agreed on a set of standards that will govern Person-to-Person payments across networks...

Our Publications


Find The Gap: Can Big Data Help to Increase Digital Financial Services Adoption? Rarely a day passes without news of innovative applications of the data we all produce through our frequent use of technology. It is also increasingly recognized that effective analysis of data can support efforts in promoting development. In this latest issue of Field Notes we explore how a combination of big data analytics and socio-economic research can provide a powerful tool to increase adoption and usage of digital financial services. View here>>		The Mobile Banking Customer that Isn’t: drivers of digital financial services inactivity in Cote d’Ivoire Inactivity is a common challenge in the evolving digital financial services markets. While an increasing amount of the previously unbanked are registering as customers of mobile money and agent banking services, a large portion of such customers rarely or never actually use the service. Why is this the case? What can be done to tackle this phenomenon? This new study examines the reasons for inactivity in Cote d’Ivoire, the largest DFS market in West Africa. View here>>		The Alternative Delivery Channels and Technology Handbook This handbook, produced in collaboration with Software Group, aims to help financial institutions successfully implement alternative delivery channel projects in order to further financial inclusion. It provides a set-by-step, practical guide to building alternative delivery channels that links technology choices with the overall business process. View here>>