COVID-19 and The Financial Inclusion Value Chain - Full Report

By Davide Castellani, Max Niño-Zarazua, Valeria E. Pujia and Valentina Garofalo in collaboration with the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) ‘From Research to Practice and Back Again’ Action Group.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected many countries worldwide. As a result, the financial inclusion value chain has been exposed to unprecedented challenges and risks, whose effects are likely to be long-lasting. The e-MFP 'From Research to Practice and Back Again' Action Group conducted a research project seeking to analyse comprehensively these challenges and risks faced by the financial inclusion value chain actors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research explores the point of view of clients, Financial Service Provider (FSPs), investors, policymakers, and regulators to identify new arising opportunities and lessons learned that can be generally applied to crises with a global reach, such as the climate change.

The key findings of this study were shared last November through a publication - the Research Digest, and a lively discussion at the European Microfinance Week 2021 in the panel session 'Rising from the ashes of Covid-19: From risks and challenges to opportunities'. e-MFP is now pleased to share with you the full research report 'Covid-19 and the financial inclusion value chain', which is rich in examples and references, including separate sections dedicated to the literature review and the interviews conducted with 25 key stakeholders worldwide.