As countries around the world take measures to protect their populations against the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, it is clear that this pandemic will have not only far-reaching public health consequences but also severe economic effects. As always, poor and marginalized people without access to adequate safety nets are the most at risk.
For the FinDev Gateway community of financial inclusion and microfinance practitioners around the globe - and in particular microfinance clients - each day presents new challenges. There are no best practices yet in place, so communication and knowledge exchange with peers can play a vital role in providing support in difficult times.
This Topic Hub on COVID-19 provides a collective space for our community to share experiences, ideas and lessons learned as we all struggle to manage this unprecedented global crisis.
Visit FinDev's regional platforms for resources in Spanish, French, and Arabic relevant for the financial inclusion community in Latin America and the Caribbean, Francophone Africa, and the Arab world.
COVID-10 FinDev Weekly Updates - Stay up-to-date on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the financial inclusion community with our curated list of news, blogs, publications, data and events published by various organizations worldwide.
FinDev Guide to Data: Tracking the Global Response to COVID-19 - Many organizations are mobilizing resources to track various responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We have compiled a list of existing data sources and trackers, indicating the level of relevance for microfinance and financial inclusion when possible.
Organizations List - Many organizations have created specialized COVID-19 information hubs which are relevant for financial inclusion.
FinDev Discussion - COVID-19: How Is the Pandemic Affecting Your Work and the Clients You Serve?
We invited organizations from around the world to share their experiences and thoughts on how the ongoing global health crisis is impacting their work. Join the discussion and tell us how your organization is dealing with this situation, what challenges you are facing, and what ideas you have for supporting those who most need it.
CGAP Collection Page - COVID-19 (Coronavirus) - Insights for Inclusive Finance
CGAP is compiling a list of resources from its own research and blog posts to help inform the response. This is a living resource updated regularly.
Publications - Explore the latest research on the implications of coronavirus COVID-19 for microfinance and financial inclusion.
Events - Check out upcoming online events exploring responses to the novel coronavirus pandemic and actions relevant for microfinance and financial inclusion.
News - Keep up with the latest news on how COVID-19 is impacting the microfinance and financial inclusion community.
FinDev Gateway is CGAP’s independent knowledge-sharing platform where the global financial inclusion community comes together to share the latest research, lessons and ideas on making financial services work for poor people.
This COVID-19 Resource Hub brings together the latest news, publications, blogs, events and other resources that organizations are sharing as we all struggle to manage this unprecedented global crisis. We invite you to include your resources by sharing your work on FinDev Gateway.
How the Ethiopian government is tackling the challenge of declining remittances and economic contraction brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on women must be urgently addressed through the provision of digital financial literacy and access.
Tracking Responses to COVID-19
FinDev Coronavirus Data Tracker
Data relevant for financial inclusion - find out who is tracking what
Global Community Response to COVID-19
List of organizations offering knowledge resources and insights on coronavirus and microfinance
FinDev COVID-19 Updates on Financial Inclusion
A weekly roundup of the most relevant coronavirus-related resources for the microfinance and financial inclusion community
Featured Publications
FinDev Gateway hosts the largest, freely available online collection of resources dedicated to microfinance and financial inclusion. We source and accept submissions for a range of publications that cover over 30 topics.
Assessing how central banks and other financial regulators are responding to the challenges of COVID-19
Findings from a survey and interviews with SME clients of financial institutions
Recommendations for policy makers, regulators, and FSPs on how to focus on borrower’s needs without putting excessive stress on providers
Featured Events
FinDev offers an extensive calendar of microfinance and financial inclusion events hosted by over 100 organizations from around the world.
What Is the Future of Microfinance?
What does the COVID-19 crisis mean for the future of microfinance? Should MFIs take digital transformation more seriously? What will it take to get them there? And what is at stake if they don’t modernize?
This webinar discussed ways of improving data-collection for remittances, making transfers easier and cheaper using new technologies, and maximizing the impact of remittances.
Speakers in this webinar presented the preliminary results from their study, "Estimating the Effect of Digital Credit: An Experiment with Airtel Malawi."
Additional Resources
COVID-19-Insights for Inclusive Finance
Collection of recent CGAP blogs and publications
Discussion Forum
Forum for the financial inclusion sector to discuss responses to COVID-19
FinEquity COVID-19 Collection: Women's Financial Resiliency
Materials crowd-sourced from the FinEquity community
Frequently Asked Questions
FinDev Regional Resources on COVID-19
FinDev's Arabic Portal
Arabic information source for microfinance community in the Arab World
FinDev's French Portal for SSA
Resources in French for the Francophone microfinance community
FinDev's Spanish Portal for LAC
Knowledge center with Spanish resources for the LAC microfinance community