CGAP

08/09/2025

is climbing the global policy agenda — but without consistent, practical ways to measure it, progress is hard to track.

The 2025 takes a big step forward, expanding coverage across four key dimensions of financial health. It’s not the full picture yet, but it’s closing a critical data gap and sparking collaboration between public and private actors.

Read more here: https://cgap.pub/45oZfaB

08/06/2025

In ’s turmeric value chain, do 80% of the labor—most of it grueling, manual, and unmechanized. But what if -smart tools powered by the sun could ease this burden and boost incomes?

Through , CGAP, IDH, and Samunnati are exploring how innovative finance—including blended tools like social success notes—can help women farmers and FPOs access dryers, peelers, and polishers. These green technologies not only reduce drudgery and improve product quality—they’re essential for powering productivity in off-grid areas.

Read more: https://cgap.pub/4omOEWh

08/05/2025

Inclusive finance is a lifeline — so why do we keep ignoring it?

In her latest op-ed for Devex, CGAP CEO Sophie Sirtaine calls on funders, policymakers & financial institutions to prioritize inclusive finance in resilience strategies.

Read it here:

Opinion: In today’s increasingly fragile global landscape, inclusive finance is a powerful yet overlooked solution for building resilience as it puts solutions directly into the hands of people most at risk.

07/30/2025

Reversing the prevailing trend so that person-to-business payments lead person-to-person payments is urgent if we want to deepen and build resilient economies.

Read more in our latest blog with Gates Foundation: https://cgap.pub/4mio3b0

07/28/2025

The world is getting more complicated. Natural disasters, conflict, financial scams, and economic instability are placing unprecedented pressure on low-income households and micro and small enterprises.

Together, we can create change through new ideas, partnerships, investments, and inclusive finance.

At the recent 2025 CGAP Symposium, we brought together global leaders, innovators, and decision-makers to explore how can help people navigate, adapt, and thrive amid uncertainty and build .

Watch the video to learn more, and visit our website to see what’s next.

07/28/2025

1.5 billion adults face barriers to .

That means 1.5 billion adults do not have access to affordable, responsible financial services that they need to thrive.

Closing this gap is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including those on poverty, gender equality, decent work, and climate resilience.

📖 Learn more below

07/25/2025

While new updates aim to combat money laundering, financing of terrorism, and fraud, they also raise important questions about how implementation will affect .

Read new CGAP analysis on Recommendation 16 (or 'Travel Rule'):

While new FATF updates aim to combat money laundering, financing of terrorism, and fraud, they also raise important questions about how implementation will affect financial inclusion. We offer analysis on Recommendation 16 (or the 'Travel Rule').

07/22/2025

In fragile states, often remain inaccessible to people who need them most 📉

Our research shows that funders can play a critical role in building inclusive, resilient financial markets in fragile countries by:

Leveraging humanitarian cash transfers 💰
Understanding informal financial services 💵
Improving local market support 🤝

Find out more 👇🏽

07/21/2025

Shifting from access to financial services to true impact for the 1.3B adults who remain unbanked will require intentionality, investment, collaboration & an unwavering focus on results.

Read our latest blog with Accion on six clear opportunities: https://cgap.pub/45ak36F

07/17/2025

As authorities implement climate-related regulations to preserve financial stability and drive a just transition, there’s a risk of unintended consequences, especially for low-income communities in emerging markets. 🌍

We identified 6 ways that climate-related financial regulation could make it harder for financial service providers to serve vulnerable populations. Learn about these interrelated pathways – and what policymakers can do to mitigate these exclusionary risks. 👇

07/16/2025

The 2025 is now live!

The world’s most comprehensive database on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk – now in its fifth edition – shows the immense progress made in financial inclusion since its inception in 2011. 8 in 10 adults around the world now own a financial account, 77% of women have a financial account compared to less than half in 2011, and formal saving has surged globally, enabled by mobile accounts and breaking a long-term trend of slow growth. More here: globalfindex.worldbank.org.

Despite this progress, the data reveals a starker picture for vulnerable communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where a quarter of adults still don’t have access to bank accounts or financial services and nearly half (45%) of adults say that they would not be able to recover financially from climate shocks that are occurring more frequently.

In the coming days and weeks, CGAP’s specialists in financial health, climate, women’s economic empowerment and consumer protection will dig deeper into the data to analyze the trends in LMICs, and where we go from here.