Inclusive Finance Frontiers

CGAP
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Globally, 1.4 billion people don’t have a bank account, let alone other financial services that many of us take for granted. But digitization and innovation are reshaping financial services, bringing low-income and underserved people into the formal financial sector and creating new opportunities to build a greener, more resilient, and equitable world. Join us to hear from technical experts, thought leaders, and financial service users as we explore new trends, controversies, and developments in inclusive finance.

  1. When Cash Can't Wait: Reimagining Payment Distribution in Sudan

    APR 16

    When Cash Can't Wait: Reimagining Payment Distribution in Sudan

    Three years ago, conflict erupted in Sudan, and its toll continues to be devastating. The crisis has caused profound human suffering and dismantled the systems households once relied on to absorb shocks. The financial sector has been hit hard: liquidity has dried up, infrastructure destroyed, and social protection mechanisms unraveled.  Humanitarian actors have scaled up cash assistance, but face serious obstacles: limited liquidity, fragmented financial service providers, and complex payment processes. This has resulted in accumulated delays of up to 200 days in delivering cash transfers in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis.  In this episode, we explore an emerging solution: the Shared Distribution Network (SEND), designed by CGAP and the Cash Consortium of Sudan to cut delays and improve cost-effectiveness.   Featured Voices:    Rayan Nimir, Policy and Advocacy Advisor, Collective Sudan (formerly, Cash Consortium of Sudan)  William Cook, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, CGAP     Hiba Al-Madani, a cash recipient and small business owner in Sudan    Producer: Lamis Daoud, CGAP External Affairs Officer   Audio Editor and Sound Producer: Samantha Malhotra, World Bank Group Interactive Media Program    Executive Producer: Jahda Swanborough, CGAP Communications Lead    © CGAP/World Bank, 2026    Special thanks to Sara Murray from CGAP for her expertise and insights that brought this episode to life, the Cash Collective for conducting the interview with Hiba Al-Madani, and Samah Salman for dubbing Hiba’s contribution.   Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. To learn more, visit www.cgap.org. If you have any feedback, connect with us at podcast@cgap.org.

    15 min
  2. Loans to Lifelines: Can Lending Innovations Enhance Climate Resilience?

    APR 1

    Loans to Lifelines: Can Lending Innovations Enhance Climate Resilience?

    As climate instability intensifies, frontline communities need better tools to adapt and recover. Yet, when extreme weather strikes, the institutions best positioned to help—microfinance institutions (MFIs)—have historically pulled back, reducing lending during crises, just when clients need capital the most. Today, a new wave of innovations is changing that equation, in ways that still make financial sense for lenders.  This episode explores two approaches that are flipping the script on how inclusive finance institutions respond to climate shocks:   Recovery lending: Post-disaster loans that help households and small businesses rebuild quicklyContingent lines of credit: Pre-arranged financing that can be activated when a specific, objective trigger is met We dive into real-world examples from Malawi and Colombia, where these approaches are helping MFIs stay engaged during crises and unlock faster recovery for climate-affected communities.  Featured Voices:   Karen Lewin, Financial Services Head, VisionFund International  Juan Camilo Flórez Falla, Head of Digital Banking, Bancamía   Grecium Kachingwe, a fish vendor from Phalombe, Malawi  Producer: Lamis Daoud, CGAP External Affairs Officer  Audio Editor and Sound Producer: Samantha Malhotra, World Bank Group Interactive Media Program   Executive Producer: Jahda Swanborough, CGAP Communications Lead   © CGAP/World Bank, 2026   Special thanks to Peter Zetterli and Michel Hanouch from CGAP for helping shape this episode.  Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. To learn more, visit www.cgap.org. If you have any feedback, connect with us at podcast@cgap.org.

    16 min
  3. How Can Data Help Close Gaps in Women’s Financial Inclusion? Lessons from Rwanda

    MAR 18

    How Can Data Help Close Gaps in Women’s Financial Inclusion? Lessons from Rwanda

    Women's financial inclusion is advancing, but gaps remain. The World Bank's Global Findex 2025 reveals that 77% of women globally now hold a financial account, yet in some low- and middle-income countries, women are still up to 30 percentage points less likely to own one than men. So, what's driving this persistent divide, and how do we close it?   In our last episode, we looked at some of the barriers nano women entrepreneurs face and potential solutions. Thie time, we turn to the power of data. Gender-disaggregated data gives regulators and financial service providers the insight needed to design products and policies that truly serve women. In this episode, we explore how Rwanda is leading the way using smarter data collection to build a more inclusive and equitable financial system for women.  Featured Voices  Dr. Moise Bigirimana, Director of Financial Sector Development and Inclusion, National Bank of Rwanda  Michelle Gacinya, Strategy Lead W-MSME, Bank of Kigali    Sabrina Mutangana, Skincare business owner, Rwanda  Producer: Lamis Daoud, CGAP External Affairs Officer    Audio Editor and Sound Producer: Samantha Malhotra, World Bank Group Interactive Media Program  Executive Producer: Jahda Swanborough, CGAP Communications Lead  © CGAP/World Bank, 2026  Special thanks to Valdete Berisha for conducting the interviews with this episode's guests on behalf of the produce.   Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. To learn more, visit www.cgap.org. If you have any feedback, connect with us at podcast@cgap.org.

    14 min
  4. Nano by Necessity: Unlocking Growth for Women Entrepreneurs in Uganda and Beyond

    MAR 4

    Nano by Necessity: Unlocking Growth for Women Entrepreneurs in Uganda and Beyond

    Uganda’s 1.1 million nano and micro enterprises are the economy’s backbone, driving jobs and economic growth. Women lead 55% of them, sustaining households, strengthening communities, and powering local markets. Yet CGAP’s latest research shows too many remain “nano by necessity,” held back by scarce collateral and gaps in digital and financial literacy that limit scale and resilience. What will it take to change that?   We speak with GnuGrid—Uganda’s first and only indigenous credit reference bureau—and the Ministry of Finance. How can policymakers, financial service providers, and development partners design tailored interventions that meet women where they are? And how can an ecosystem-wide response unlock the full economic potential of Uganda’s women entrepreneurs? Featured Voices  Sandra Nakabiri, Senior Economist at Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development   Dr. Sumayyah SengendoN.S Mutagubya, Managing Director of GnuGrid   Gladys Kwalisima, corn vendor in Uganda    Producer: Lamis Daoud, CGAP External Affairs Officer   Audio Editor and Sound Producer: Samantha Malhotra, World Bank Group Interactive Media Program Executive Producer: Jahda Swanborough, CGAP Communications Lead © CGAP/World Bank, 2026 Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. To learn more, visit ⁠www.cgap.org⁠. If you have any feedback, connect with us at ⁠podcast@cgap.org⁠.

    14 min
  5. What's Next for Financial Inclusion? Unpacking Findex 2025

    FEB 18

    What's Next for Financial Inclusion? Unpacking Findex 2025

    Financial inclusion is rising—but are we converting access into impact?   Global Findex 2025 reports 75% of adults in low- and middle-income countries now have an account (79% globally), powered by the wave of digital as mobile phones and the internet transform access and usage. Yet 1.3 billion adults remain unbanked, 300 million accounts sit idle, and large gender gaps persist across regions. Credit, insurance, and pensions lag, and nearly half of adults in emerging markets still struggle to raise emergency funds.   Join top voices in the financial inclusion space to unpack the latest Findex findings and map the path forward toward development outcomes.  Featured Voices Leora Klapper, Lead Economist at the World Bank and founder of the Global Findex databaseMichael Schlein, President and CEO of AccionSophie Sirtaine, World Bank Group Director, for the Financial Services Sector and CEO of CGAPLong Nath, salon owner in Cambodia Producer: Lamis Daoud, CGAP External Affairs Officer   Audio Editor and Sound Producer: Samantha Malhotra, World Bank Group Interactive Media Program Executive Producer: Jahda Swanborough, CGAP Communications Lead © CGAP/World Bank, 2026 Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. To learn more, visit www.cgap.org. If you have any feedback, connect with us at podcast@cgap.org.

    16 min
  6. Season 3 - Trailer

    SEASON 3 TRAILER

    Season 3 - Trailer

    In a world shaped by climate shocks, conflict, fragility, and rapid change, financial services are more important than ever for meeting the needs of low-income communities. Globally, 1.3 billion people still don’t have a bank account, let alone access to the tools many of us take for granted. And for many more who do have access, financial products and systems don’t yet meet their real needs.  Inclusive Finance Frontiers returns with a new season exploring how people-centered financial services can help vulnerable communities navigate uncertainty, build resilience, and improve their lives.  From Rwanda and Colombia to Sudan and beyond, this season brings you stories from the front lines—featuring global experts, regulators, banks, fintech innovators, humanitarian actors, and, most importantly, the people living with risk every day.  Producer: Lamis Daoud, CGAP External Affairs Officer   Audio Editor and Sound Producer: Samantha Malhotra, World Bank Group Interactive Media Program Executive Producer: Jahda Swanborough, CGAP Communications Lead © CGAP/World Bank, 2026   Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. To learn more, visit www.cgap.org. If you have any feedback, connect with us at podcast@cgap.org.

    1 min
  7. How Can We Improve Resilience Globally? Leading Experts Weigh In

    09/10/2025

    How Can We Improve Resilience Globally? Leading Experts Weigh In

    The world faces a variety of ‘global risks’, ranging fromgeopolitical conflicts and climate change to cyber threats. These are growingever more complex and affect all of us. However, people and small enterprises in low-income countries face disproportionate challenges. If left unaddressed, this can create ripple effects regionally and globally. Government-led strategies remain vital, but the intensifying risks underscore the urgent need for approaches that put solutions directly into the hands of communities most vulnerable to risks and can complement government-led strategies.   In June 2025, CGAP convened nearly 200 global decisionmakers in Amsterdam involved in global resilience responses for a Symposium titled, “RethinkingResilience: Why Inclusive Finance Can’t Wait”. Inthis bonus episode of Inclusive Finance Frontiers, hear from participants interviewed on the sidelines of the Symposium on how inclusive finance tools—such as savings, credit, insurance, and digital payments—can strengthenresilience for those most at risk and drive sustainable development.   Featured voices:  Michel Liès, Chairman of Zurich Insurance Group and Insurance Development ForumStéphane Hallegatte, Chief Climate Economist at the World BankStuart Rutherford, Director of Hrishipara Daily Diaries ProjectSophie Sirtaine, CGAP CEO

    19 min
  8. Coding Through Crisis: Building a Digital Social Protection System in Lebanon

    01/30/2025

    Coding Through Crisis: Building a Digital Social Protection System in Lebanon

    In 2019, Lebanon witnessed the start of one of the most severe socio-economic crises globally since the mid-nineteenth century, plunging many Lebanese into poverty.   Amid the hardships, a new hope emerged in 2021. The World Bank set up a $246 million social safety net project and the Government of Lebanon (GoL) designed a registration platform for this program, with the help of Siren Associates, called DAEM (Arabic for "support"). Built in record time, DAEM is more than just a registry; it’s a fully localized social protection system that provides a lifeline to Lebanese families hit by crisis. In this episode, we hear from the GoL, CGAP, the World Bank, and Siren Associates about how collaboration was key to DAEM’s success and how, even in the most challenging conditions, it’s possible to design solutions that go beyond emergency relief and sow the seeds for a more inclusive financial system.   This is Season 2, Episode 6 of CGAP's podcast, Inclusive Finance Frontiers.  Ahmed Fatih Ortakaya, Senior Social Protection Specialist, World BankCarole Alsharabati, Research Director, SIREN AssociatesMarie Louise Abou Jaoudeh, Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM) of the Government of LebanonNadine Chehade, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank Souraya Sbeih, Consultant, CGAP  Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. To learn more, visitwww.cgap.org. To share feedback, connect with us atpodcast@cgap.org.    This episode incorporates a news report from PBS NewsHour, Financial crisis leads some in Lebanon to rob banks to access their money.

    20 min
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Globally, 1.4 billion people don’t have a bank account, let alone other financial services that many of us take for granted. But digitization and innovation are reshaping financial services, bringing low-income and underserved people into the formal financial sector and creating new opportunities to build a greener, more resilient, and equitable world. Join us to hear from technical experts, thought leaders, and financial service users as we explore new trends, controversies, and developments in inclusive finance.

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