Projects that create impact

We strive to create an impact in everything we do. Our past successful projects are a testament to our commitment to our partners.

Development of the digital finance strategy in Ivory Coast

The payment sector in Côte d'Ivoire gives large importance to the digital payments instruments. However, it must adapt to the arrival of new players, new technologies and changing user expectations. In 2014, Côte d'Ivoire adopted the Financial Sector Development Strategy to reorganize, stabilize and develop the sector. This strategy is broken down into a sectoral and thematic action plan. The Financial Sector Development Program (PDESFI), created in 2014 by the Government, is the body responsible for implementing the strategy.

Study and recommendations for regulators to drive the digital transformation of microfinance in Africa

The intersection of digital technologies and microfinance is one of the focus areas of AFI, especially given the opportunities technology provides in enhancing microfinance institutions (MFIs), at the MFI level (improved efficiency, reduced costs, etc.) and at the customer level (convenience, digital footprint, etc.). AFI commissioned this study to provide more efficient and relevant guidance to its members (financial regulators and supervisors) in the area of digitization of microfinance services.

Evaluation of an agent network in rural Senegal

MM4P is providing support to InTouch to fill the gap in the number of service points (number of agents) active in rural areas, through a national deployment of 368 active agents. Ten departments are targeted. InTouch S.A. operates in the sector of information and communication technology and digital financial services. It offers an aggregation of different payment methods and distributes various digital financial services through simple and reliable access via a large network of agents. This aggregation consists of an application solution embedded on a mPos (Mobile Point Of Sale) called the One-Stop-Shop (GU).

Digital Transformation of Microfinance and Digitization of Microfinance Services to Deepen Financial Inclusion in Africa

Understand the synergy between digital financial and microfinance institutions in providing access to finance to individuals and small businesses

Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) Branchless Banking (mHOSE) Evaluation – Rwanda

UOB launched in 2013 mobile and agent (branchless) banking (mHOSE) for its customers to have better access to UOB savings accounts, allow repayments of loans via the mobile phone, and to offer benefits such as a life insurance and the capacity to transfer money and pay bills, using the mVISA platform.

Evaluate scaling-up financial services delivery program

In cooperation with The MasterCard Foundation, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is implementing a program intended to accelerate the reach of financial services for the poor in sub-Saharan Africa, through two main workstreams.

Tablets for SEF

SEF, the Small Enterprise Foundation in South Africa is a non-profit MFI founded in 1991. It provides group loans using an adapted Grameen methodology. SEF has a holistic approach to poverty reduction and uses the Participatory Wealth Ranking (PWR) system to reach the poor. Without serious competition in the MF sector, SEF has a strong market position, shown by its deep social outreach, 160k customers (average 8% growth per year) and portfolio of EUR 27.8M GLP (PAR 0.4%)2. Since 2015 SEF is fully operationally and financially sustainable. SEF now requests TJAS support for the implementation of Digital Field Applications (DFA) for its field staff.

Bangladesh Bank Regulator Training

UNCDF’s SHIFT (SAARC) Program identified a specific need for the Bangladesh Bank (Central Bank) to develop and integrate a training program for mid-level staff who need to have a baseline understanding of the principles of Digital Finance. Despite having a well developed DFS market, and regulatory framework – it was identified that Bangladesh Bank and their Training Academy (BBTA) lacked fundamental baseline knowledge to assure that staff understood DFS - and their own regulations.

World Vision Cash Transfer Strategy

Together with technology partners, WVTL developed a digital transfer system based upon a blockchain known as Kartaun Bele. This digital voucher platform enables people, businesses, and organizations to make secure transfers, and store value using personal NFC enable smartcards and a smaller number of smartphones as terminals. It is designed for the development community of Timor-Leste where network reliability is a problem, as the digital voucher system can withstand intermittent connectivity since it uses blockchain technology to improve security in the system.

BB Network Development for WMBL, PNG

Women’s Microbank Limited (WMBL) will provide access to financial services to its existing members and other new women members through an extension of the bank’s access points using a branchless banking technology-driven solution. For that purpose, WMBL will use a tablet-based software application linked with a Bluetooth bio-metric identification system.

ADB Financial Regulators Training Initiative FRTI

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers endorsed the establishment of the APEC Financial Regulators Training Initiative (FRTI) in May 1998 to strengthen financial supervision and regulation in the region by enhancing the analytical and technical capacity of bank supervisors and securities regulators. The APEC FRTI provides a sustainable, efficient, cost-effective training structure for the junior and mid-level staff of financial supervisory and regulatory agencies and stock and derivative exchanges.

Implementation of airtime top-up services to pay for micro-insurance and micro-pension

In 2017, The Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF), with support from PFIP, piloted a retirement savings product for the informal sector known as youSave. One of the pilot recommendations was to utilise cost-effective digital delivery channels to allow for direct remittance of savings into SINPF. Because of the inefficiencies and a lack of reach into the rural areas by existing digital payment channels, the option to use airtime was recommended. The staggering cost of Airtime distribution in the Solomon Islands seemed to be an insurmountable challenge in order to achieve a sustainable business case for payment collections PHB was previously engaged to conduct a feasibility assessment and based upon that positive outcome this project was initiated to implement the youSave Lo Mobile service - and launch the world’s first-ever airtime scheme for provident fund payments.

Support the digitalization of WFP cash transfers in Niger

The development of training curricula based on the results of the study and the conduct of training sessions for trainers with WFP's operational partners (NGOs, etc.)

Support UNCDF In The Development Of The DFS Ecosystem In LAO PDR

In Lao PDR, UNCDF Making Access to Finance More Inclusive for Poor People (MAFIPP) is a UNCDF sector support programme in partnership with the Bank of Lao PDR (BOL) which seeks to improve access of poor rural households to a variety of financial services and markets, improving rural household incomes.

Explore the use of Airtime top-up services to pay for micro-insurance and micro-pension

In 2017, the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF), with support from PFIP, piloted a retirement savings product for the informal sector. One of the pilot recommendations was a call to utilise cost-effective digital delivery channels to allow for direct remittance of savings into SINPF. Because of the inefficiencies and a lack of reach into the rural areas by existing digital payment channels, the option to use airtime was recommended.

Technical assistance to 2 banks and 2 MFIs on the development or improvement of their DFS channel

The purpose of the UNNATI-A2F project is to support financial service providers to more effectively serve the agricultural value chain actors providing appropriate financial products and services. 2 Banks and 2 Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Nepal, Everest bank, Laxmi bank, Sahara Cooperatives and Jeevan Bikash Samaj (JBS), who are implementing access to finance projects leveraging digital financial services, have requested technical assistance to support them in their different DFS endeavours.

Program Evaluation Wizzit expansion in Southern Africa and capacity building

The WIZZIT program aims to provide access to low-cost financial services through the use of mobile technology.

Digital portfolio scan for financial sector clients

The general objective of the assignment is to support BIO’s financial sector clients in their digital journey by conducting an assessment of their financial institutions and providing an analysis for the most suitable candidates on the necessary support needed to move forward with their digitization process. Our analysis will be based on 2 components: 1) the use of an online survey tool for the data collection 2) a follow-up call from the consultants to help complete any missing information.

PFIP P2G Samoa

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) of the Samoa Government is managed within the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure. LTA is the principal licensing authority for all forms of land transportation in the country and has three main revenue streams including Drivers Licensing, Registration and Tickets for traffic offences. Payment flows are typical to meet the Authority’s operational activities in meeting its core functions identified above. A significant proportion of payment flows (person to LTA) are via cash and business cheques.

Support MTN Benin to develop a payment ecosystem around moto-taxis drivers (Zemidjans)

MTN wants to set up a payment ecosystem around the Zemidjans (moto-taxi drivers in Benin), using mobile money as a solution to the challenges they face: Phase 1: Addressing security and liquidity issues with the implementation of merchant payment. Phase 2: Addressing a lack of means to meet their ambitions with a digital group savings product (“tontine”).

TA Digital Credit for Dairy & Agriculture microentrepreneurs

In the year 2018, Nepal transitioned to a late start-up stage with rapid expansion in the agent network, registered and active users and use-cases to drive digital payments. Leveraging the data on farmers’ income, their transaction history on the wallet and lastly the inwards remittance received by most farmers from relatives abroad or living in cities, UNCDF and Prabhu Pay designed and signed a project to extend digital credit to cooperative farmers.

Project Management Consultant Uganda

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries. UNCDF has a unique financial mandate within the UN system. It provides investment capital and technical support to both the public and the private sector. The ability to provide capital financing -- in the forms of grants, soft loans and credit enhancement – and the technical expertise in preparing portfolios of sustainable and resilient capacity building and infrastructure projects, makes its mandate a very useful complement to the mandates of other UN agencies. It also positions UNCDF as an early-stage investor to de-risk opportunities that can later be scaled up by institutional financial partners and increasingly by philanthropic foundations and private sector investors.

Business Planning for the cooperation of SMT with Airtel Money in Sierra Leone

This study, as part of the axis of the AFR/017 project “Promoting Inclusive Financial Sectors”, aims to analyze the environment of mobile technologies for an optimized deployment of Mobile Banking solutions in the UEMOA zone.

Mapping of Financial Inclusion and Recommendations to the Central Bank to Collect and Measure Financial Inclusion in Haiti

Since 27% of Haitians had access to formal financial services (FINDEX 2011), the Central Bank (BRH) defined a National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) with the World Bank in 2014

Agent Network Management Training, Morocco

As part of the Payment Digitalization project, Al Barid Bank Morocco, subsidiary of Groupe Poste Maroc, is developing a network of agents to make banking services accessible to all and everywhere in the country.

Development of digital credit and savings product for a Microfinance Institute (MFI) in the Congo (DRC)

The MFI in DRC – in partnership with a mobile network operator (MNO) – is willing to launch a digital savings and loans product. The MFI is supplying its credit license and manages the savings and credit risk. The MNO is also providing its customer base and its agent network.

Learning Partnership under the Savings at the Frontier Programme

The objective of PHB’s partnership with OPM is the enhancement of the SatF programme’s internal learning as well as external sharing of knowledge gained.

Leveraging Gender Balance for Zoona Malawi

Zoona and UNCDF MM4P intend to increase women’s livelihood, by increasing the number of women agents and tellers within the Malawian DFS Ecosystem. By doing so, UNCDF/ MM4P will also contribute to the increased percentage of Malawian women adults that are financially included, as women customers tend to be more comfortable approaching women agents and tellers.

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