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.
At 30 years old, Mbali Ncube is building more than a crochet brand – she is building confidence, resilience and opportunity in her community.
In the heart of Thembisa, a young entrepreneur named Thabang is changing what local businesses can look like in a digital economy. As the founder of The Bin Donut, Thabang has built a mobile doughnut business.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 road to the Olympics for a young woman in the country is fraught with hurdles, though. To unpack why, consider the hurdles a young woman who is an aspiring Olympic athlete must overcome,
South Africa experienced a series of unexpected social unrest that saw many township and informal businesses destroyed or looted and malls burnt. It was like a scene from a violent movie, which graduated to loss of lives in some instances.
Although women’s achievements, resilience and innovations exhibited during the Covid-19 pandemic are worth acknowledging, women continue to face various barriers.
The Great Reset has happened. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the inflection point with systemic effects that affect how people live their lives
In every crisis there is an opportunity that exists where innovative individuals can build solutions to the challenges we will be facing.
Limited support has been provided for economic migrants who send money home to support family members. See what support has been created for migrants in South Africa.
Across the continent there has been a very long debate about the payment of interest on mobile money. What has the experience been like in Zimbabwe?
African innovation refers to innovative technologies, start-ups, and programs developed by Africans for African needs and challenges – African Innovation Foundation
a significant portion of adult South Africans are exposed to the necessary delivery of cash to get their social grants
South Africa’s informal savings market thrives – R44 billion collectively saved in approximately 820,000 stokvels.
There is a lot of attention on the effects and impact of Covid-19 on our daily lives and we are immersed in stories from all sectors in South Africa.
The health implications of COVID-19 go beyond the threat it poses itself as an illness.
The research team consists of an international team of academics across ten different international institutions.
We release wave 1 data for our multi-country Covid-19 Livelihoods Impact Survey.
As industries affected by physical-distancing COVID-19 measures race to reconfigure value chains, could platform business models hold the key to accelerated digitisation?
No country or continent is untouched by COVID-19; but developing markets will see more short- and long-term negative social and economic effects than the developed world.
No country or continent is untouched by COVID-19; but developing markets will see more short- and long-term negative social and economic effects than the developed world.
How to ensure inclusive innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Factors which turn specific city regions into engine rooms for tech innovation and taking solutions to market.
Policymakers, development organisations and private sector players, often rely on financial inclusion data uncovered through consumer or ‘demand-side’ surveys.
The new commitment, announced by Secretary of State Alok Sharma, represents the start of an important new approach to financial sector development in sub-Saharan Africa.
The continued journey of data science interns, Dieudonné Niyitanga and Samuel Mutinda
Find out more about one of the course mentors’ learnings from providing support to the course participants and the key role mentorship can play.
The movement of Africa’s rapidly growing urban population will be shaped by digital technologies in the era of smart mobility.
Dieudonné Niyitanga and Samuel Mutinda's data internship journey.
Often policy makers, regulators and financial service providers are far removed from the realities of the people whose lives we are trying to improve.
Using SMS surveys to measure digital financial inclusion
Four findings from the DataHack4FI Innovation Competition.
Four findings from Season 2 of the DataHack4FI Innovation Competition.
The data collected allows for comparison across countries based on measurement dimensions such access, uptake, usage, cost to client,
Translating insights from behavioural science into the design and delivery of financial services,
We have changed the user experience on the insight2impact data portal by making it simpler to navigate.
A cautionary tale about the process of setting up pilot studies
Learnings on the data science landscape in Africa from the DataHack4FI initiative
The MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise) sector is arguably the biggest employer in many economies, particularly in the developing world
What we’ve learned over three seasons of the DataHack4FI innovation competition and how the competition has evolved.
While financial inclusion has risen to 68% globally, Sub Saharan Africa continues to lag with only 32% of its citizens having an account at a financial institution.
Behavioural interventions to better meet the financial needs of consumers
Digital platforms connecting buyers and sellers of goods and services across Africa are on the rise. Learn more about our research and week of learning in Lagos.
We recently rolled out a pilot study in Nigeria, to explore the digital financial services landscape and how it serves the people. Learn more about our findings here.