FinDev Guide

Top Ten Blog Posts of 2020

What were your favorite blog posts from the past year?
Metal crafts, India. Photo by Partha Pal, 2010 CGAP Photo Contest.

In 2020, the FinDev Blog was more active than ever before. We published 78 blog posts, 28 of which were our regular COVID-19 updates providing a round-up of the latest, most relevant content on financial inclusion and the pandemic. And 28 more were blog posts related to COVID-19, sharing experiences and ideas related to this unprecedented global crisis, as well as providing resources for getting through it. Clearly, the pandemic was the topmost issue on people's minds throughout the year, and the top ten list of most-read blogs reflects this priority, with all ten focused on the COVID-19 crisis. 

But it was not all COVID, all the time. So in addition to these top ten, we are including at the end the top three blog posts which were NOT related to COVID-19, to get a sense of what other topics were important for our community over the past year.

Let us know which blog posts - on FinDev Gateway or elsewhere - were your favorites in the comments section at the bottom of the page. 

The most-read blog posts of 2020

Flooding in India. Photo by Avishek Das, 2017 CGAP Photo Contest.

Urgent: A Rescue Plan for the Microfinance Sector

Based on their publication, COVID19: A Framework for the Microfinance Sector, Ira Lieberman and Paul DiLeo share a proposal for key principles and structures to help MFIs and their clients survive the pandemic-induced economic crisis.

Photo by Simone D. McCourtie, World Bank.

COVID-19: How Is the Pandemic Affecting Your Work and the Clients You Serve?

This was our first blog post as the pandemic went global, and we invited our readers to join an open discussion among the global financial inclusion and microfinance community on the effects of this pandemic and how organizations are preparing to deal with it.

Fishermen in India. Photo by Abhijit Banerjee, 2015 CGAP Photo Contest.

COVID-19 Threatens the Microfinance Sector and the Livelihoods of Those We Serve: Building a Coalition for Collective Action

This was the first blog post of the newly formed Microfinance Coalition, which aimed to raise the voice of microfinance organizations and the people they serve, and to collaborate on the most pressing needs for the sector.

Man on motorcycle, Mozambique. Photo by Allison Shelly for CGAP.

Treating Staff Responsibly During the Pandemic: Three Things to Do Today

How can microfinance institutions get to the other side of coronavirus with customer and employee relationships intact?

Photo Credit: Dawn Deeks

Customer Engagement During COVID-19

Three principles for communicating and strengthening relationships with clients through and beyond the current crisis.

Coffee coop office in Uganda. Photo by Wim Opmeer, 2018 CGAP Photo Contest.

COVID-19 Has Made MFI Digital Transformation Even More Urgent: How Can Funders Help?

Belgian development finance institution BIO shares the results of their client survey and how they are changing their practices to better support MFIs.

Cote d'Ivoire. Photo by Mohamadou Séck, 2018 CGAP Photo Contest.

From the Microfinance Coalition: Call to Action for Investors

After their introductory blog, the Microfinance Coalition shared a series of calls to actions for different stakeholders. This blog post focuses on how investors can support MFIs to respond to the needs of the base of the pyramid during the pandemic.

Fabric processing, Bangladesh. Photo by Rokonuzzaman Khan, 2017 CGAP Photo Contest.

Will the Pandemic Exacerbate or Mitigate the Digital Gender Gap?

COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on women must be urgently addressed through the provision of digital financial literacy and access.

Petty trader in Nigeria whose livelihood has been affected by COVID-19. Photo by Temilade Adelaja via Communication for Development.

A Second Wave of Economic Hardship May Be Looming for MFI Clients

Survey data from 60 Decibels show that despite improving MFI performance, clients are becoming more vulnerable as the COVID-19 crisis goes on.

Photo credit: BRAC/ Pronob Ghosh.

Can Cash Transfers to Digital Wallets Be a Lifeline During the Pandemic?

BRAC's experience in Bangladesh shows how digital wallets can act as a tool to include low-income households, especially women, in the financial system.

And here are the top three non-pandemic related blog posts of 2020 - reflecting the trending topics of fintech, women's empowerment, digital ID and digital currencies.

The top three non-COVID-19-related blog posts

Ibrahim Eid

Can You Get to Know Your Customer Through an App?

Ibrahim Eid, whose Valify solution won the 2019 Arab Financial Inclusion Innovation Prize, explains how e-KYC works and how a digital identity can give customers access to financial services

Woman with ID card. Photo by Daniel Silva Yoshisato/World Bank.

Empowerment Begins With Identity

Opening a bank account in many countries is a cumbersome process requiring official documents that women often don't have. Digital ID systems can make this process more accessible and help enable women’s financial inclusion. 

Mobile money agent, Kenya. Photo by Communication for Development Ltd.

Will Digital Currencies Be the Next Revolution in Financial Inclusion?

Growing interest in stablecoins and digital currencies leads us to ask some key questions about their potential for the underbanked.

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