MSMEs have long been underserved by Brazil’s traditional banks, which charge high rates of interest and require a complicated credit application process. Without the financial tools to manage their expenses, grow their business, and weather financial shocks, these economic engines of Brazil are underutilized.
Client Stories
Finja and Unilever Partner to Digitize Supply Chain Payments in Pakistan
Muhammad Abid Islam, owner of the New Waseem General Store at Ghalib Market in Lahore, had problems with his staff that resulted in a financial loss last year. So, he decided to cut ties with his employees and manage the business end-to-end on his own.
To recuperate his losses, Mr. Abid Islam, a… Read more
January 17, 2020
Mobile Wallets: The Newest Tool for Beauticians at a Pakistani Startup
Safia Javed, a 48-year-old beautician and mother of three sons in Lahore, has been the lone breadwinner in her family since her husband experienced renal failure several years ago and can no longer work. However, being responsible for earning the money to support her family did not mean she was… Read more
January 16, 2020
Financial Inclusion and Job Skills Transform the Lives of Women in Bangladesh
For Bangladesh’s poorest women, the roadblocks to earn and save money have traditionally been high. A government program supported by UNDP known as SWAPNO (Strengthening Women’s Ability for Productive New Opportunities) aims to lower those barriers.
Implemented under the national social security… Read more
December 18, 2019
New Digital Platforms Expand Financial Options for Rural Dwellers in Bangladesh
When the UNSGSA last visited Bangladesh in 2015, she met rural residents who had just started to access financial services for the first time—along with vital government services and basic internet—due to an ambitious government program called Access to Information (a2i). Since, a2i has built on… Read more
December 16, 2019
Blog: Doing Business While Doing Good: CEOs Partner to Boost Inclusion
Members of the CEOP met privately to discuss their progress, and also participated in a public event about the initiative.By Eric Duflos Read more
February 15, 2019
Blog: For Tanzanian Farmers, Digital Platform Strengthens Every Link in the Value Chain
Tanzanian farmer Martha Emanuel Talanju. Photo credit: Sebnem SenerBy Sebnem Sener
Over the past three years, Tanzanian farmer Martha Emanuel Talanju has seen her business growing steadily thanks to a value-chain financing program from the Farm to Market Alliance… Read more
January 8, 2019
Innovation Serving Tradition: India Stack Meets Mumbai’s Dabbawalas
Vilash and other dabbawalas can now collect instant digital payments for delivering hundreds of thousands of home-cooked lunches every day. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Ruhani KaurEveryone’s talking about the India Stack these days, but what does it mean for real lives of… Read more
September 28, 2018
Blog: On the Fast Track to Digital Financial Inclusion with Indonesia’s Go-Jek
By Nancy Widjaja
Anywhere you look in Jakarta these days, you’ll see the bright green helmet and jacket of a Go-Jek motorbike driver carving a path down the crowded streets. Established in 2010 as a ride-hailing service, Go-Jek has become a ubiquitous presence in Indonesia’s cities. Through the… Read more
June 8, 2018
Casting a Wider Net: Digital Loan Helps Nigerian Fish-Seller Expand Her Business
Tucked away in the bustling Ijesha Market in Lagos, Flora Edojah’s small catfish stall seems as humble as its quiet owner. Yet waters run deep with the 53-year-old businesswoman—and not just in her catfish pens. With 30 years of experience and a strong entrepreneurial drive, she is a successful… Read more
May 19, 2018
Blog: In Nigeria, New Horizons for Digital Financial Inclusion
By Eric Duflos and Sebnem Sener
Last November we were in Nigeria with H.M. Queen Máxima, the Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance, for a visit focusing on financial inclusion. Thanks to our partners in Nigeria and beyond, we arrived with a good understanding of how far the… Read more
March 15, 2018
In Mexico, a Convenience Store Makes Finance Easy
María Teresa Gaytán López met the Special Advocate when she was visiting an OXXO branch in Mexico City to open her first account.Care for a soda with that savings account?
For millions of low-income customers throughout Mexico, OXXO corner markets are a ubiquitous… Read more
November 27, 2017
Nigeria's Economic Future Is in Its Hands
The Special Advocate's column on mobile money in Nigeria appeared in three Nigerian papers at the start of her 2017 country visit.By H.M. Read more
October 31, 2017
