Searching: Research & Analysis

Safeguarding Rules for Customer Funds Held by EMIs

This Technical Note looks in detail at safeguards such as maintaining customer funds in bank accounts and diversifying funds across several banks to reduce the concentration risk. It also discusses the option – offered in some countries – of placing funds in other safe, liquid assets.

Applying the RIA Lite Methodology: An Example from Pakistan

This study looks at Pakistan’s nearly decade-old experience with regulating digital financial services (referred in the local context as branchless banking) as a test case for the RIA Lite methodology,

Regulatory Sandboxes and Financial Inclusion

A regulatory sandbox is a framework set up by a financial sector regulator to allow small-scale, live testing of innovations by private firms in a controlled environment under the regulator’s supervision. This explains key design elements, key benefits and associated risks, and hypothesizes about the use of sandboxes in advancing financial inclusion.

Mobile Payments Infrastructure Access and Its Regulation

This research shows USSD access is an important competition issue in many countries since there are no effective substitutes that have been proven at scale.

Regulatory Options to Curb Debt Stress

This Focus Note argues that it is preferable to implement appropriate monitoring mechanisms and regulatory interventions at an early stage in credit market development, to detect potential debt stress and prevent reckless lending practices, thereby avoiding risks to financial markets, consumers, and the regulator’s credibility.

Regulation and Supervision of Microfinance

This Donor Brief provides a simple and clear summary of the increasingly complex issues in microfinance regulation and supervision. It includes definitions of key terms, clear guidelines, and options for donor action.

Regulation and Supervision of Microfinance Institutions

There is a huge unmet demand for financial services in the microenterprise sector. Despite some success stories, MFIs probably reach fewer than 5 percent of the potential clients.