Top Ten Blog Posts of 2021
In 2021, over 40 FinDev community members contributed to our blog, covering a wide range of interesting topics within financial inclusion, from consumer protection to housing finance to mobile money. We explored the concept of financial health over a series of five blog posts and a FinDev Guide. We interviewed fintech founders, MFI leaders and investors. And we continued reporting on how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting the sector.
From March 2020 to September 2021, our FinDev COVID-19 Update provided a biweekly round-up of the most relevant knowledge resources for financial inclusion and microfinance. While the pandemic continues to impact our lives, it is no longer the singular focus and the most popular blog posts from the past year reflect this trend. Whereas in 2020 all ten of the top ten FinDev Gateway Blog posts were about the pandemic, in 2021, we have just three, and only one is entirely focused on it.
Instead, the most read blog posts of 2021 discussed new tech trends, big ideas and lessons learned. Two of the top ten were FinDev Guides which provide a list of key resources on an important topic, in this case women's financial inclusion and financial consumer protection in the digital era. Check out our top blogs and catch up on your reading to start the new year!
The most-read blog posts of 2021
Emerging Tech-Based Financing Models in Affordable Housing
Our most popular blog from 2021 looks at four different business models which have the potential to help expand access to safe, secure and affordable housing, analyzing which have greater value for customers and which for financial service providers.
Why Human-Centered Design (HCD) Doesn’t Always Work for International Development
Coming in at number two, we have a blog post which takes a critical look at the implementation of human-centered design, an approach which has become very popular among development practitioners. But the author argues that not every organization or problem is suited for this method.
Going Digital Is Not Enough to Reach Scale
Our third most popular post from 2021 is another provocative one. It argues that radical organizational change - in the form of self-management - is needed to solve microfinance’s optimization problem.
What the Pandemic Taught Us About Savings
In this FinDev interview, the winner of the 2020 European Microfinance Award - Muktinath Bikas Bank in Nepal - shares their experience with savings from before and during the pandemic.
FinDev Guide to Women’s Financial Inclusion and Economic Empowerment
This FinDev Guide provides a curated list of key resources from FinEquity, the women’s financial inclusion community of practice convened by CGAP.
The Resilience of Mobile Money in Sub-Saharan Africa
Quick responses by providers and regulators in the region helped mobile money keep growing despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Support for agent networks and more flexible on-boarding practices were key.
One Year On: What a Year of Surveys Tell Us About COVID-19 and Microfinance
2020 was a historic year that demonstrated the resilience of the microfinance sector. Maxime Borgogno of Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation shares why most MFIs they surveyed remain optimistic about the future.
How a New Set of Metrics Is Poised to Transform PAYGo Solar
The PAYGo PERFORM Key Performance Indicators offer a pathway to growth and maturity for the off-grid solar industry.
How an Ethiopian MFI Has Kept Its Focus on Savings in the Face of Great Challenges
Teshome Dayesso, co-founder and CEO of Buusaa Gonofaa, discusses his MFI's savings journey and the challenges they have faced over the past year due to the pandemic and political uncertainty.
Guide to Financial Consumer Protection in the Digital Era
Consumer risks are increasing with the growth of digital finance and the COVID-19 pandemic. The resources in this FinDev Guide share good practices, solutions and tools to ensure that consumers achieve positive outcomes in their financial journey.