Graham Wright

Group Managing Director

Graham A.N. Wright is the founder and Group Managing Director of MSC. He pioneered much of the core of market-led approach used by MSC.

Graham A.N. Wright is the founder and Group Managing Director of MSC. He pioneered much of the core of market-led approach used by MSC. He has around 30 years of experience in emerging markets underpinned by five years of experience in management consultancy, training and audit with Arthur Andersen in Europe. Graham has worked with banks, MFIs, telecoms, and regulators in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. Graham oversees Digital Financial Services, Strategic Initiatives, Knowledge Management, and Global Insights within MSC. During his time as the head of MSC in Africa, he spearheaded work to transform both Equity Bank and Kenya Post Office Savings Bank and collaborated in the design and initial testing of M-PESA. He has headed several teams working on digital financial services solutions for banks, mobile network operators, and MFIs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Posts by Graham Wright

Climate change and river erosion—what can we learn from the past?

River erosion has affected Bangladesh’s low-lying lands for millennia. The rivers change course over the years and cause loss of land and assets for people who live near the riverbanks. Climate change has added additional complexities to these natural processes and made poor and vulnerable people much worse off. Together, these processes continue to widen the gap between the rich and the poor.

Bangladesh and climate change—lessons from the frontline

Bangladesh remains highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with flooding affecting 20-70% of the country annually. Women and poor farmers are often the worst hit, despite having a minor role in causing climate change. Even though farmers and local communities know of changing weather patterns and take steps to mitigate the effects, they lack adequate financial resources, which limits how well they can adapt to these changes.

The impact of climate change on farmers in Bihar and how farmer producer organizations can help them adapt

In Bihar’s Buxar district, farmers struggle to cope with the changing climatic conditions and adapt to them. Significant annual variation in rainfall and temperature erodes farmers’ adaptive capacities. Farmer producers organizations (FPOs) could play a central role to promote and facilitate farmers’ adaptation to climate change—but they need improved incentives and support.

Seven factors that determine the resilience and adaptive ability of smallholder farmers in Bihar

Smallholder farmers in the flood-prone state of Bihar need capital and support from system-level actors to increase their climate resilience. This blog identifies seven critical factors that can enable the building of climate resilience and adaptive strategies of smallholder farmers.

The impact of climate change and coping strategies adopted by smallholder farmers in Bihar

Smallholder farmers in Bihar face seasonal flooding, increasing heat, and variable rainfall, which hurt their crops, livelihoods, and health. Farmers in Muzaffarpur and Khagaria, two climate-vulnerable districts, use a range of coping and adaptation strategies in response to such increasing climate hazards. Read on to explore these in detail.

Traits of resilient and vulnerable smallholder farmers

Smallholder farmers are vulnerable to climate change in many different ways. We analyzed the lives and livelihoods of different types of farmers to assess how individuals and families either succeed to or fail to adapt to climate change and environmental stresses. We look at the role financial services, education, gender roles and responsibilities, and social norms play to determine resilience to climate change.

Account inactivity in India—is there a problem?

MSC dispels some myths on the issue of high account dormancy in India compared to other countries.

Can access to smartphones bridge the digital divide in sub-Saharan Africa?

Mobile phones are a useful tool to fight poverty and increase household income and consumption. Sub-Saharan Africa faces multiple barriers to the uptake and usage of mobile phones, such as affordability and lack of awareness of mobile internet, digital literacy, and digital capability. Read our blog to understand how agents can assist poor communities in shifting to internet and app usage through mentoring and assistance.