The extended community quarantine imposed by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19 has adversely affected MSMEs in the Philippines. This report outlines the impact of the pandemic on MSMEs and provides recommendations for policymakers to support their recovery.

This report highlights the impact of COVID-19 on business correspondent (BC) agents in India and the issues they faced while delivering financial services in the wake of the pandemic. It also offers policy recommendations to help BCs offer uninterrupted services.

MSMEs in India have been adversely affected by the lockdown announced as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. This report outlines the impact of the pandemic on MSMEs and offers policy recommendations to support their recovery.

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.

This blog looks at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on micro and small enterprises (MSEs) across low- and middle-income countries, which are particularly vulnerable to shocks. Our research insights will help policymakers and financial institutions support the recovery and rebuilding of the MSME sector in the wake of the disease.

Our ongoing research uncovered a set of unique challenges that cash-in/cash-out (CICO) agents currently face in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we look at the experience and behaviors of CICO agents across eight countries and explore ways to support them through favorable policies, even as the disease rages on around the world.

Alarmingly, most users who sign up for digital financial services do not actually end up using them, largely due to a lack of trust in agents. This holds true even in the case of relatively “advanced” geographies. “Trust busters” examines the evidence and lists out 12 reasons behind this worrying trend of interest in agency banking that fails to convert into regular usage.

The problems with digital credit persist and continue to grow alarmingly