What's New and What's Next

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What's New: Blog Series | Resources from Year 2 of IPA’s Transaction Cost Index

Right after we launched our findings from Year 2 of the Transaction Cost Index (TCI) we published the TCI Toolkit, which offers a comprehensive resource for uncovering the true costs of digital financial services. Whether you’re a policymaker, financial service provider, or researcher, the Toolkit is a practical guide to measuring the real costs of using mobile money services. Read more here.

We also dug into the hidden costs of digital finance. Are digital financial services (DFS) as affordable as they claim to be? While DFS are marketed as cheaper and more accessible, actual fees, especially for lower-income users, can be unclear, inconsistent, and high enough to deter regular use. We attempted to collect prices from 35 DFS providers’ websites across 16 countries. Check out our findings in our recent blog, and also get a sneak peek at our new AI-powered tool for finding, collecting, and standardizing pricing information.

If you missed our first blog on the Year 2 results, which provides a high-level overview, you can check it out here.
 

What's Next: Project Updates | Newly Funded Projects through CPRI

CPRI recently launched our first Call for Proposals for Phase 2 of the Initiative. We received approximately 140 proposals for innovative research on ways to mitigate consumer protection risks associated with digital payments and credit products. The application window has now closed, and we plan to announce the funded projects in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for the update on our CPRI landing page (and check out some of our earlier work while you’re there).
 

What's New: Blog | Bridging Innovation and Trust: What Africa’s RegTech Conversations Are Really About

The recent RegTech conference brought together African regulators, tech builders, and consumer advocates to address the critical challenge of building trustworthy financial systems. Read more about the event in a new blog from IPA’s Brian Mwesigwa, where he shares insight into major themes of the conference and the most informative sessions.
 

What's Next: Blog | Unlocking the Potential of Savings Groups Through Group Loans and Digital Records: Insights from Our Baseline Survey in Uganda and Malawi

Savings groups often offer consumers a safe place to communally store and grow their savings, especially in areas without access to formal financial services. But what happens when these groups don’t keep track of contribution records properly? That’s exactly what happened to Mukasa, a young man from rural Uganda. Read more about a new RCT IPA is conducting in Uganda and Malawi, testing whether digitizing savings groups’ records can protect consumers, and whether a new group-level loan can effectively meet saving group members’ credit needs.

Can’t get enough of savings groups? Learn more about their impact in IPA’s latest evidence synthesis.
 

What's New: Presentation | Insights from IPA’s Transaction Cost Index

On May 8, 2025, the International Growth Centre, the Bank of Uganda, and Makerere University convened leading researchers and policymakers to examine how digital payment systems are transforming Uganda's economy. The conference tackled critical questions around monetary policy, financial inclusion, and expanding digital services to vulnerable populations. Highlights included a presentation by IPA's Anthony Kamwesigye and Lina Hochhalter, which explored findings from IPA’s Transaction Cost Index.

Things that Make Us Think

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Report: Check out this recent report from OECD, which outlines a conceptual framework for understanding financial consumer vulnerability and highlights potential policy considerations and responses to address the issue.

Report: Financial abuse—controlling or restricting someone's access to money and economic resources—affects nearly all domestic abuse survivors, yet remains one of the most under-recognized forms of consumer protection violations. The Playbook on the Role of Financial Institutions in Responding to Domestic Financial Abuse offers actionable strategies for policymakers, financial institutions, and advocates to combat this widespread issue while building more inclusive financial systems.

Blog: Despite decades of regulatory progress focusing on basic enablers like agent banking, e-money issuance, and consumer protection, many countries with robust legal frameworks still haven't achieved significant increases in financial access. So, how can we overcome this? Check out the recent interview with Ariadne Plaitakis from the Gates Foundation on the future of the “competition lens” in financial inclusion regulation.

Blog: CGAP's latest research with smartphone users reveals several key trends driving adoption of India's Account Aggregator (AA) ecosystem. It also explores areas for improvement to enhance customer experience. Check out the findings in their latest blog.

Event: IPA’s Financial Inclusion Program Director, Paul Adams, recently attended the Responsible Finance Forum hosted by the Center for Financial Inclusion. The event brought together 180+ regulators, policymakers, financial service providers, and consumer advocates to discuss "Embedding Consumer Protection to Drive Responsible Outcomes." In a recent LinkedIn post, Paul reflects on some highlights from the event. You can check it out here and see one of their informative live drawings on client centricity for better financial health outcomes below.

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