We have launched a COVID-19 Tracker, The survey themes include health and risk behaviours, food security, income, work and job security, personal safety concerns, and access to government and community support. www.covid19tracker.africa
The latest research, blog posts, articles, publications, videos and infographics across all our work.
Learn how FinMark Trust’s implementation of the GBL programme links participants to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities through the BRAC graduation model for sustainable livelihoods.
Discover how FinMark Trust is working with communities in Thembisa and Hammanskraal to expand access to digital payments and strengthen local financial ecosystems
This report offers a comprehensive analysis of South Africa–SADC remittance markets, exploring pricing, regulation, technology, and market dynamics to identify opportunities to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and promote financial inclusion.
This piece explores South Africa’s unemployment crisis vs the informal economy, highlighting income mixes that sustain households, with insights ahead of 2025 QLFS changes.
This report shares policy recommendations to strengthen South Africa’s informal sector, enhancing competitiveness, resilience and inclusion for informal enterprises.
The SADC Committee of Central Bank Governors, FinMark Trust and Co-Develop have announced a strategic partnership to build a federated electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) ecosystem spanning 16 member states.
Despite driving 80% of employment in Sub-Saharan Africa, most MSMEs struggle to access formal credit—hindering their growth, innovation, and ability to create jobs. Read more to explore how unlocking finance can change this.
FinMark Trust presented key progress updates and insights from the Generating Better Livelihoods for Grant Recipients project during a national strategic planning session hosted by the Department of Social Development on 29–30 July 2025.
At a G20 Finance Track side event co-hosted by the South African Reserve Bank and BIS’s CPMI, Our CEO, Brendan Pearce, shared insights on regional remittances and improving cross-border payments.
The FinScope MSME Lesotho 2023 Report provides key insights into financial inclusion trends, the impact of Covid-19, and the effectiveness of financial technologies and products in meeting the needs of MSMEs.
This assessment summarises the impacts observed from the completed SIBE (Support to Improving the Investment and Business Environment) Programme.
The FinScope SA 2024 results highlighted key financial inclusion trends ahead of the 2025 Responsible Finance Forum.
SASSA has submitted videos to the 2025 International Social Security Video Festival, showcasing how grant recipients in the FinMark Trust-led Generating Better Livelihoods project are using social benefits, mentorship to improve their livelihoods.
SASSA has submitted videos to the 2025 International Social Security Video Festival, showcasing how grant recipients in the FinMark Trust-led Generating Better Livelihoods project are using social benefits, mentorship to improve their livelihoods.
As one of the learning partners of the Responsible Finance Forum 2025 by Center for Financial Inclusion by Accion, FinMark Trust hosted a field visit with stakeholders to the Digitalising Incomes for Informal and Low-Income Workers (TIPS) project.
During her visit to South Africa, Her Majesty Queen Máxima @UNSGSA joined a focus group from Hammanskraal hosted by FinMark Trust on 21 May 2025.
Johannesburg, 20 May 2025, FinMark Trust releases the 2024 results of its annual FinScope Consumer South Africa study, revealing a stark reality: despite high levels of financial inclusion, millions of South Africans are struggling to make ends meet.
Ahead of launching the FinScope South Africa Consumer Survey 2024 at the upcoming Responsible Finance Forum 2025 in Johannesburg, guest authors from FinMark Trust provide a historical perspective on the survey’s first 20 years.
Gender champions and allies are reshaping finance to empower women. Explore how FinMark Trust drives change and how you can support gender equity in financial systems.
This workshop spotlighted the critical role of gender-disaggregated data in shaping effective financial inclusion strategies. Without this data, women's financial realities remain invisible, leading to policies and products that miss the mark.
We're excited to have partnered with Women’s World Banking to host a special G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) Side Event, spotlighting the progress and challenges of financial inclusion across Africa.
Our 2024 Annual Report highlights our commitment to driving meaningful change beyond traditional financial inclusion. With a focus on real impact, we are working towards building a more inclusive financial system that empowers and uplifts our region.
The 2023 Eswatini MSME Launch Deck explores key findings from the survey, covering topics such as business insights, support and resilience to shocks, access to financial services, and an overview of financial inclusion.
The Government of Eswatini recognises the MSME sector’s role in strengthening the business climate and creating jobs, with the 2023 Blended FinScope MSME survey tracking changes since the 2017 baseline study to identify key growth opportunities.
The MSME sector remains a vital source of income, especially for women and young people, despite changes since 2017 due to global challenges. MSMEs have grown by 18%, many remain informal, and business support services are underused.
The FinScope MSME Lesotho 2023 pocket guide highlights key insights on adoption of financial technologies, financial inclusion effectiveness, and the suitability of financial products and services for MSMEs.
Lesotho's MSME sector grew 41% since 2016. Discover latest trends in financial inclusion, access, usage, and Covid-19 impacts in this presentation
The report assesses gender data gaps in SADC, reviewing supply-side data from FSPs and demand-side surveys, with recommendations to improve GDD for women’s financial inclusion and empowerment.
The report recommends an integrated approach to BDS in SADC, highlighting financial inclusion efforts and summarising global best practices for SME financial access.
The 2024 SADC Financial Inclusion Forum featured discussions on digital payments, regulatory frameworks, and innovation, promoting collaboration to enhance financial inclusion and regional investment opportunities.
Africa loses $88.6 billion annually to illicit financial flows, harming development. Financial inclusion can combat this by promoting transparency, reducing unregulated channels, and supporting economic growth.
UN Women has published an analysis of the current status of financial inclusion in SADC countries, with inputs from the SADC Secretariat and FinMark Trust. Read the factsheet.
FinMark Trust is proud to have contributed to this comprehensive report. Download the Financial Inclusion and Gender in SADC Sub-region Status Report for the statistical findings.
The UN Women report titled “Her Finance, Her Future – Building Stronger Economies One Woman at a Time” explores the status of financial inclusion in SADC, focusing on women's access to and use of financial services.
Key stakeholders from across South Africa convened in Cape Town from 29–30 October 2024 for the "Sustainable Livelihoods Roundtable Discussion,"
From 2 to 5 September, our CEO, Brendan Pearce, joined the Forum in San Salvador, moderating a session on using innovation and AI to support women-owned informal businesses, and sharing insights on data's role in financial inclusion.
At the 2024 SARB Payments Conference, it was stressed that financial inclusion starts with access but must lead to active use for it to make a real difference.
The presentation by Abel Motsomi, Senior Data and Analytics Specialist at FinMark Trust covers the latest findings tracks the progress of sector developments and financial inclusion in South Africa using the FinScope MSME 2020 as a benchmark.
Johannesburg, 16 September 2024 – The FinScope MSME South Africa 2024 Survey, launched recently in a virtual event hosted by FinMark Trust, provides critical insights into the evolving Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector
The launch of the FinScope MSME South Africa 2024 results unveiled the most recent insights into the key challenges and advancements in financial inclusion and sector development for MSMEs in South Africa.
This webinar covers strategies to improve digital payments in Tembisa and Hammanskraal, highlighting the challenges these communities face and detailing the planned interventions to overcome them.
The presentation covers financial inclusion levels, access and usage trends, drivers and barriers, and the impact of COVID-19. FinScope aims to foster evidence-based dialogue for effective interventions to enhance financial inclusion in Malawi.
The 2023 year survey shows financial inclusion has increased, with a significant drop in financial exclusion from 51% in 2014 to 12% in 2023, largely due to the rapid adoption of mobile money services.
The report highlights key survey findings, comparing national-level data to the 2014 survey results to track indicators and trends. It offers a full analysis, disaggregated by gender, age and location.
This roadmap provides a practical framework to improve the availability, quality and use of S-GDD on banking and mobile money across SADC, building on the gap assessment and GDD training workshop.
These guidelines provide a framework for collecting, analysing and reporting S-GDD in banking and mobile money, and for integrating WEE-FI indicators into SADC financial inclusion surveys.
Este guia resume as conclusões do estudo de diagnóstico para apoiar o desenvolvimento de programas específicos de género para a inclusão financeira das mulheres nestes corredores.
Cross-border remittances fuel livelihoods in the SADC region. This guide summarises key findings from the diagnostic study to support the development of gender-specific programmes for women’s financial inclusion in these corridors.
The media extensively reported on the insights of the FinScope Consumer South Africa 2023 report. You can find links to most of the TV, radio, and news reports here.
Lesotho has made remarkable strides in financial inclusion, with 87% of its population having access to formal financial services in 2021. This commendable achievement positions the country among the most financially inclusive in the region.
This year's findings highlight the financial challenges in South Africa, with 40% of adults borrowing money for food and 20 million adults experiencing electricity cuts due to affordability in the past year.
The presentation of results by Jabulani Khumalo - Senior Data and Analytics Specialist, a keynote address by Dr. Pali Lehohla, and a panel discussion with experts Kershia Singh, Dr. Thabang Chiloane, and Pamela Ramagaga.
FinMark Trust launches its annual FinScope Consumer South Africa 2023 results today through a virtual webinar. This year's findings highlight the pressing financial challenges South Africans are facing.
The report outlines the research methodology (desktop and empirical tools), data collection from Aug 2022–May 2023, and key outcomes identified under specific development themes.
Our Annual Report shares our progress in advancing beyond traditional financial inclusion to bring about lasting change focussed on real impact. We're working to create a more inclusive financial system for our region.
This report delves into the experiences of women in the South Africa to Lesotho corridor. It addresses crucial data gaps, aiding in targeted support for digital payments in Southern Africa.
This report delves into the experiences of women in the South Africa to Malawi corridor. It addresses crucial data gaps, aiding in targeted support for digital payments in Southern Africa.
This report delves into the experiences of women in the South Africa to Mozambique corridor. It addresses crucial data gaps, aiding in targeted support for digital payments in Southern Africa.
Este relatório explora as experiências das mulheres no corredor da África do Sul para Moçambique. Ele aborda lacunas críticas de dados, auxiliando no suporte direcionado para pagamentos digitais no Sul da África.
This study aims to refine existing regulatory principles to ensure they effectively cover the activities of microfinance institutions to facilitate their expansion and impact.
Explore Zimbabwe's mobile money evolution, challenges and economic impact with our guide. Drawing on 2018-2021 data, this publication delves into the milestones, regulations and societal effects of mobile money services, and more.
The 2023 review guides SADC states in strengthening mobile money within NPS, harmonising laws to advance financial inclusion, innovation and fintech across the region.
This report assesses ML/TF risks in the SADC to ensure FATF measures against money laundering, terrorist and proliferation financing are effective, proportionate and risk based.
This handbook shares best practices for SME finance, guiding DFIs, policymakers and stakeholders in the SADC region. It draws on regional challenges and global lessons to improve SME funding.
In the beginning, there was the bank account – a useful dispenser of transactional services. More recently, however, the financial services industry innovated and introduced mobile money as a disruptive financial service.
The South African informal sector is a vibrant thread, pulsating with entrepreneurial energy. Valued at almost $10 billion annually and representing 17% of the country’s total employment.
Explore the impact of cross-border remittances from South Africa to Zimbabwe. The IOM commissioned this in-depth study to examine the role of cross-border remittances in households in Zimbabwe.
Formal financial and economic inclusion remains pivotal in addressing the rampant inequality in many African economies today.
The modern world has moved towards digitisation, yet a significant gap remains in terms of financial and economic inclusion, particularly in Africa. Despite this, there is a substantial opportunity to harness the power of data to bridge this gap.
The updated strategy for the period 2023-2028 supports industrialisation, inclusive growth and household security, developed under the EU-funded SIBE programme.
Offre un résumé complet des perspectives précieuses et des discussions stimulantes partagées lors de la conférence. Le rapport comprend des interviews post-événement avec certains de nos principaux parties prenantes.
Offers a comprehensive summary of the valuable insights and thought-provoking discussions shared during the conference. The report features post-event interviews with some of our key stakeholders.
Apresenta um resumo abrangente das perspectivas valiosas e das discussões instigantes compartilhadas durante a conferência. O relatório inclui entrevistas pós-evento com alguns dos nossos principais intervenientes.
The FinScope Tanzania 2023 report highlights key survey findings, comparing national-level data to the 2017 survey results to track indicators and trends. It offers a full analysis, disaggregated by gender, age and location.
For an overview of the key insights from the FinScope Tanzania 2023 survey results, review the one-page summary provided here.
The FinScope Consumer Survey provides reliable benchmarks on financial inclusion in Angola, these findings benefit various sectors, with the aim of improving the lives of Angolan individuals.
O guia de bolso da Pesquisa do Consumidor FinScope Angola 2022 é uma referência confiável para a inclusão financeira em Angola. É um recurso valioso para o desenvolvimento de estratégias eficazes com base em evidências empíricas.
Families' access to financial resources is crucial for building thriving communities and fostering economic growth. Remittances, as a vital source of income, provide millions of people with the means to meet their basic needs.
Jabulani Khumalo, our Data and Analytics Specialist and lead on the FinScope Consumer South Africa 2022 survey results joins John Maytham on the Afternoon Drive on Cape Talk to discuss the findings of the survey.
YouFM interviewed Jabulani Khumalo on the latest FinScope Consumer South Africa 2022 survey results, focussing on the cost of living for South African consumers. Listen to the interview here.
‘South Africans are borrowing so much that now we are borrowing food’ - Obert was interviewed on Phalaphala FM
The latest FinScope Consumer Survey shows the main reason for borrowing money in 2022 was to pay for living expenses, specifically food and groceries.
The launch will be presented in two parts, the first of which will be a presentation of the survey's top-line findings. A series of breakaway sessions will follow, where participants will be invited to interact with the data in greater depth.
How can we support those working in the informal sector?
Financial Services as a Tool for Building Resilience: In the face of climate change and energy crisis shocks
Do we need to do more in terms of educating people about the risks of cash and the benefits of electronic payments?
In 2022, FinMark Trust continued to make progress in our efforts to improve the lives of the poor by prioritising inclusive growth and the development of sustainable livelihoods. Read more in our 2022 annual report.
Twenty years ago, when FinMark Trust was established, we took the dream of making financial markets work for the poor and turned it into reality. Join us as we reflect on this journey, with key milestones highlighted in our digital journal.
This summary guide of the report on the state of the digital payments ecosystem in South African townships (Hammanskraal and Tembisa) shares key insights and recommendations from research conducted in 2022.
Provide an in-depth understanding of community needs and attitudes vis-à-vis financial services, digital services, community structures and support services.
The Ghana Demand Side Survey 2021 provides credible benchmarks on the level of financial inclusion and, using empirical evidence, guides focused and targeted financial inclusion strategies.
The financial sector conducted the FinScope Zimbabwe 2022 Consumer Survey for the third time in a row. This repeat survey provides credible benchmarks for the extent and quality of financial inclusion.
The main presentation covers all of the top-line findings for Zimbabwe 2022. With 115 slides of insightful information, we evaluate trends, changes, and interventions over time starting from 2014.
This report reviews the 2016–2021 SADC Financial Inclusion Strategy, assessing progress, lessons and updates on women’s finance, climate, literacy, fintech and future priorities.
FinScope consumer surveys offer insights into people's financial needs, preferences, and behaviour. It does not attempt to replicate the work of censuses or other annual surveys.
The report identifies priorities for SADC financial inclusion, capacity-building for member states, and maps timelines to harmonise policies and regulations with a focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
A comprehensive overview of the key findings from the survey that describes the levels and landscape of access, usage and quality of financial products and services, (both formal and informal), tracking the level of financial access since 2012.
A presentation on the assessment of the size and scope of individual entrepreneurs and owners of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Zimbabwe 2022, focusing on their financial service needs.
Past and present leaders of FinMark Trust discuss our beginnings, our impact and our plans to continue encouraging financial markets to work for the poor.
This pocket guide highlights key findings from the market assessment of remittance flows into and out of South Africa using SARB data and a mystery shopping exercise looking at the costs of remitting via various channels, from South Africa.