In Côte d’Ivoire, as in many other low- and middle-income countries, low-income entrepreneurs often form small, informal groups to help members save money, access loans, and obtain emergency insurance. Since 2006, the international nonprofit organization CARE has been working in Côte d’Ivoire to help these groups—called Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs)—connect with formal financial institutions, digitize practices, and provide members with financial education and training.
Client Stories
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
Cultivating Solutions for Farmers
Transforming agriculture can require more than financing. Thanks to technical assistance, business training, market access, and financing, Dinh Xuan Toan has been able to multiply his income significantly, but the process is complex. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Robin… Read more
October 10, 2017
Blog: Four Takeaways from the Fintech and Financial Inclusion Roundtable
The UNSGSA and DNB Governor Klaas Knot hosted fintech innovators and regulators to explore how fintech can thrive and further financial inclusion.By David Symington and Eric Duflos
The Special Advocate and Governor Klaas Knot of the De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB)… Read more
July 11, 2017
Wow! A Human-Centered Success Story
In Indonesia, Susanti’s ability to save and pay for her daughter’s schooling has been transformed by a digital financial product created using a human-centered design process.When development experts think about impact, they think about people like Susanti. A tea… Read more
July 10, 2017
Blog: Viet Nam at a Crossroads for Financial Inclusion
By Eric Duflos
Earlier this month I accompanied the UNSGSA, Queen Máxima, on a visit to Viet Nam. My first trip there took place 20 years ago. At that time the country was considered poor; the largest urban centers were still full of bicycles and relatively few cars. Poverty is now down to six… Read more
July 7, 2017
Blog: Checking In with Pakistan
Pakistan's Finance Minister Dar talked with the Special Advocate by video during the country's National Financial Inclusion Council meeting, April 2017.Special Advocate Hears of Progress, Challenges from Pakistan’s Financial Inclusion Council
By Eric Duflos and… Read more
April 21, 2017