The Cooperativa Financiera de Antioquia (CFA) is helping empower rural Colombian communities by offering crucial services like financial education, business development, and cooperative training in 37 municipalities. The impact of CFA's work was highlighted during Queen Máxima's visit on 26 February 2024, where the Special Advocate saw firsthand the success of local entrepreneurs.
Client Stories
Innovation Serving Tradition: India Stack Meets Mumbai’s Dabbawalas
Vilash and other dabbawalas can now collect instant digital payments for delivering hundreds of thousands of home-cooked lunches every day. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Ruhani Kaur
Everyone’s talking about the India Stack these days, but what does it mean for real… Read more
Blog: On the Fast Track to Digital Financial Inclusion with Indonesia’s Go-Jek
By Nancy Widjaja
Anywhere you look in Jakarta these days, you’ll see the bright green helmet and jacket of a Go-Jek motorbike driver carving a path down the crowded streets. Established in 2010 as a ride-hailing service, Go-Jek has become a ubiquitous presence in Indonesia’s cities.… Read more
Casting a Wider Net: Digital Loan Helps Nigerian Fish-Seller Expand Her Business
Tucked away in the bustling Ijesha Market in Lagos, Flora Edojah’s small catfish stall seems as humble as its quiet owner. Yet waters run deep with the 53-year-old businesswoman—and not just in her catfish pens. With 30 years of experience and a strong entrepreneurial drive, she is a… Read more
Blog: In Nigeria, New Horizons for Digital Financial Inclusion
By Eric Duflos and Sebnem Sener
Last November we were in Nigeria with H.M. Queen Máxima, the Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance, for a visit focusing on financial inclusion. Thanks to our partners in Nigeria and beyond, we arrived with a good understanding of how far the… Read more
In Mexico, a Convenience Store Makes Finance Easy
María Teresa Gaytán López met the Special Advocate when she was visiting an OXXO branch in Mexico City to open her first account.
Care for a soda with that savings account?
For millions of low-income customers throughout Mexico, OXXO corner markets are a… Read more
Nigeria's Economic Future Is in Its Hands
The Special Advocate's column on mobile money in Nigeria appeared in three Nigerian papers at the start of her 2017 country visit.
By H.M. Read more
Cultivating Solutions for Farmers
Transforming agriculture can require more than financing. Thanks to technical assistance, business training, market access, and financing, Dinh Xuan Toan has been able to multiply his income significantly, but the process is complex. Photo credit: UNSGSA/Robin… Read more
Blog: Four Takeaways from the Fintech and Financial Inclusion Roundtable
The UNSGSA and DNB Governor Klaas Knot hosted fintech innovators and regulators to explore how fintech can thrive and further financial inclusion.
By David Symington and Eric Duflos
The Special Advocate and Governor Klaas Knot of the De Nederlandsche… Read more
Wow! A Human-Centered Success Story
In Indonesia, Susanti’s ability to save and pay for her daughter’s schooling has been transformed by a digital financial product created using a human-centered design process.
When development experts think about impact, they think about people like Susanti… Read more
Blog: Viet Nam at a Crossroads for Financial Inclusion
By Eric Duflos
Earlier this month I accompanied the UNSGSA, Queen Máxima, on a visit to Viet Nam. My first trip there took place 20 years ago. At that time the country was considered poor; the largest urban centers were still full of bicycles and relatively few cars. Poverty is now down to… Read more
Blog: Checking In with Pakistan
Pakistan's Finance Minister Dar talked with the Special Advocate by video during the country's National Financial Inclusion Council meeting, April 2017.
Special Advocate Hears of Progress, Challenges from Pakistan’s Financial Inclusion Council
By Eric… Read more
Studying Sucess: In Pakistan, Financial Education and Business Training Transform Lives
Pakistan's Kashf Foundation, which the Special Advocate visited during her trip to Pakistan in 2015, provides small businesswomen with financial education and business training to help build their success. Photo credit: Kashf Foundation
Finding your way as… Read more
