The Small Firm Diaries is a global research initiative to better understand small firms in low-income neighborhoods of developing countries, especially the barriers to growth such firms face, through high frequency quantitative and qualitative data collection (“financial diaries”).

Funders play a crucial role in ensuring that microfinance institutions (MFIs) continue to serve the most excluded and underserved customers in the future. This note highlights the importance of funders in supporting the digital transformation of MFIs.

Based on customer research in Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and Uganda, this paper provides a synthesis of findings that help understand to what extent savings allowed customers to increase their financial resilience.

Given the urgency of digital transformation to build an inclusive recovery, this paper provides timely insights into how to enable supply chain finance models in three African countries.

This paper highlights three different business models, including key revenues and costs drivers, to help understand the market potential of various low-income segments.

Based on research with platforms and their workers across five countries, this report describes the platform ecosystem in emerging markets, the experiences of workers and sellers in key sectors, and how financial services can help these workers improve their livelihoods.

This publication offers an overview and gender-disaggregated data analysis of the Nigerian lending market, and provides valuable insights on 100 million adult Nigerians' behaviors and financial preferences.

This study investigates three key barriers preventing many potential customers from joining the formal financial system: the reliability of financial services, the cost of using these services, and the limited transparency of cost information.

This publication aims to challenge stakeholder's thinking about financial products and services, and stimulate new approaches to addressing the gaps in financial services.

This paper presents research findings on the key challenges women face in accessing digital financial services and the design opportunities for the financial sector, policymakers and regulators, the philanthropic sector, NGOs, and designers everywhere.