Region: Africa

In this podcast, part of a series on the “Future of agent networks,” we are in discussion with Emilio Hernandez, Senior Financial Sector Specialist at the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). Our hosts from MSC, Juliet Ongwae and Shweta Menon, discuss what tomorrow’s agents would look like and highlight the factors that would aid the future of agent networks.

Interest in agent banking continues to soar across emerging markets. Financial institutions see this as a way to grow and serve their customer base cost-effectively beyond the coverage offered by bank branches.

MSC and FIA Global developed and tested a toolbox of behavioral change communication tools to help agents build awareness, and enhance uptake of government-backed insurance products by low-and moderate-income (LMI) people in India.

Our podcast featured DFS Consultant Wesley Otoso and DFS Specialist Edward Obiko of MSC. They discussed the landmark transition where Kenya’s first digital lender Branch International acquired Century Microfinance Bank in its latest expansion drive. Wesley and Edward delve deeper to unpack the motivation behind this acquisition and what it now means to traditional financial service providers and FinTechs.

The CEO of Strategic Impact Advisors, Shelley Spencer, has a candid chat with MSC’s Group Managing Director Graham Wright on the current challenges rural CICO agents grapple with while building customer trust. They discuss the three stages of a typical agent business (start-up, operations, and revenue) in Asia and Africa and the specific support rural CICO agents need across each stage.

Our newest podcast sees Elizabeth Berthe, Partner at MSC, and Henry Lagat, Associate Partnerships Officer at Generation Africa, discussing the role of youth agri-entrepreneurship in Africa. They explore how the financial sector, the development community, and multilateral organizations can lay the groundwork for increased entrepreneurship in the agricultural industry.