MSC helped the Government of India design and develop AgriStack as a digital public infrastructure (DPI) with a collection of registries, datasets, APIs, and information technology systems enabled by common policies, standards, and guidelines. It can open up data in agriculture that can enable governments and the private sector to develop small-scale producer-centric services and solutions. MSC is collaborating with India’s Government of Bihar on the Integrated Digital Farmer Services (DFS) platform, a comprehensive digital agriculture solution to offer holistic services and support to small-scale producers. These programs intend to bridge information gaps, reduce risks, empower small-scale producers with skills, knowledge, and information, and enhance their incomes and resilience.
Digital empowerment of women-led businesses
MSC’s women-led business program with MetLife foundation focuses on the following areas:
- Entrepreneurship support: Provide training and mentorship support to female entrepreneurs to register and grow their businesses
- Access to financial services: Help women-led businesses adopt digital payment solutions and get access to formal financial services, such as credit and savings insurance
- Market linkage: Support women-led businesses to identify and connect with buyers using physical and digital platforms to expand their businesses
- Community of practice: Create a community for female entrepreneurs to share, connect, and learn from each other
Sangini Konect is an interactive platform under the program that supports women-led businesses in India through learning tools and training material to help them grow.
CGAP: Uganda; The role of mobile money providers and their agents in protecting customers data
MSC in partnership with CGAP conducted a research on the role of mobile money providers and their agents in protecting customers data. This research identified responsible practices employed by mobile money agents and providers to safeguard customer data, particularly for female agents and customers. It examined factors that enabled agents to manage customer data responsibly and assessed the alignment of consumer protection standards with mobile money guidelines in Uganda. The MSC team conducted qualitative research with customers, agents, and mobile money providers. The study intends to strengthen data protection policies, agent practices, and providers’ support to build a responsible mobile money ecosystem in Uganda.
OJK: Indonesia; Developing prototype solutions to improve OJK’s grievance mechanisms
Indonesia’s high internet penetration rate makes it an attractive market for digital financial services. The Financial Services Authority (OJK) regulates banking, capital markets, and non-bank financial sectors. OJK and regulated entities can benefit from powerful tools for oversight and compliance, with emerging technologies, such as AI and big data analytics.
In 2019, OJK launched a strategic roadmap for RegTech and SupTech implementation with support from the Gates Foundation’s RegTech Lab and MSC. The roadmap outlined OJK’s vision and priorities to accelerate the development of Regtech and Suptech ecosystem in Indonesia. Additionally, MSC also helped OJK build and test two SupTech solutions to strengthen consumer protection in the financial services sector. OJK oversees 2,500+ institutions. It has been witnessing a rise in consumer complaints, particularly related to digital financial services. MSC collaborated with OJK to build a tool to automate the analysis of consumer sentiments on social media and an omnichannel chatbot that consumers can use to make complaints to OJK. These initiatives are instrumental in raising OJK’s capacities to monitor and supervise the efficient delivery of digital financial services and are a key SupTech priority of the future.
Risks and consumer protection in online lending platforms in Indonesia
A notable development in Indonesia in recent years has been the rapid growth of FinTech lending, especially for microenterprises. While the number of female borrowers has increased, instances where women fall prey to predatory lending practices by FinTech lenders have risen. MSC, in collaboration with the University of Indonesia, conducted a study to examine the risks faced by women in the online lending ecosystem. The research involved in-depth interviews with female victims who had experienced harassment from both legal and illegal digital credit providers. The research team also conducted interviews with representatives from the Indonesian Joint Funding Fintech Association (AFPI), the Indonesian Sharia FinTech Association (AFSI), and key stakeholders from the Financial Services Authority (OJK), the Task Force Investment Alert (SWI), Kominfo, KPPPA, and the Cyber Crime Unit-Polda Metro Jaya. These interviews intended to gather perspectives from business actors (FinTech association representatives) and policymakers. The study provided valuable insights into the challenges and harassment faced by women at every stage of accessing loans from digital lenders, from sourcing to defaults. Additionally, the report presented recommendations to strengthen the regulatory and policy framework to protect female consumers and enhance responsible digital credit practices.
GIZ; Ghana: Responsible finance around client orientation and protection
The Responsible Finance Project contracted MSC to refine client orientation and protection training materials. MSC was also tasked to train field and frontline staff, senior managers, and board members of 38 MFIs in Ghana. The comprehensive curriculum covered customer service, consumer protection, financial education, and product marketing. MSC successfully refined existing materials, developed targeted content, and trained the MFIs. Additionally, MSC built the capacity of trainers from microfinance apex associations and improved their knowledge in customer service, financial education, marketing, and consumer protection. The training received excellent ratings and led to a significant increase in knowledge by an average of 26%.