This report provides a detailed country-level view of the impact of COVID-19 on micro, small, and medium enterprises in Kenya. It also highlights their coping strategies and provides recommendations for policymakers and financial service providers to support them.

This report explores the impact of COVID-19 on CICO agents in Uganda. It also highlights the strategies agents adopted to stay afloat during the pandemic and provides recommendations for policymakers and financial service providers to support these agents better.

This report highlights the impact of COVID-19 on CICO (cash-in and cash-out) agents in Kenya and the issues they have faced while delivering financial services since the onset of the pandemic. It also offers recommendations to policymakers and digital financial service providers to address key concerns and help CICO agents continue their services.

MSC conducted a research study to assess what the low- and middle-income (LMI) segments in Uganda understand about COVID-19 in terms of awareness, preventive measures being taken, gender dynamics at play in their households, and the use of digital financial services during this time. We present our findings in this report.

Shared agent networks help providers to reduce the cost of platform management and maintenance, agent training and monitoring, as well as improved liquidity management – particularly in fully interoperable environments. Read more about how formal and informal shared agent networks are helping to deepen financial inclusion in emerging markets.

The Uganda Bankers Association had launched a shared agent network in the country. Over the years, the network has made progress to ensure the distribution of financial services for banks, including those without agent networks. However, the network still faces challenges that need to be addressed to make the agent banking experience seamless.

This blog highlights the need for a social security program for tech platform based gig workers, a subset of informal workers. We highlight the unique features of gig workers, and the enabling technology and formal financial ecosystem that can fulfil the promise of a safety net for gig workers. We also highlight the role of the government in regulating and financing such a scheme.

The digital gig economy in Africa has quickly gained prominence over time and continues to enhance opportunities for youth and women. Some of MSC’s recent research work in Kenya indicates increasing participation of women, especially in the blue-collar digital gig economy though there remains a gender disparity in women’s participation in this sector.