Clarity Connect

  • Women’s Financial Inclusion in South Asia: Are We Measuring What Truly Matters?

    Despite global progress, a stark paradox persists in South Asia. While gender gaps in basic bank account ownership are narrowing, women’s labour force participation remains among the lowest globally, at just 32%, compared with an average of 54% across emerging and developing economies (World Bank, 2024). The last decade has seen remarkable improvements in access. Continue reading

  • Housing Finance challenges for Middle-Income and Low-Income Households in Bangladesh

    Bangladesh faces deep structural constraints in its housing sector—challenges that have only intensified in recent years. Inflation has remained persistently high since 2022, peaking near 10%. Coupled with a fragile financial sector and a tightening fiscal environment, these conditions disproportionately affect middle-income and low-income households. The stability of the finance sector in Bangladesh is also Continue reading

  • Emerging AI Frontiers: Unlocking the Full Potential of AI in Financial Services

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) has long been an integral part of digital transformation in the financial sector—primarily through fraud detection, automated customer service, and process automation. However, the evolution of generative AI (GenAI) is significantly broadening the range and depth of possible applications. Recent research suggests that 32–39% of tasks across banking, capital markets, and insurance Continue reading

  • Catalytic Capital at Work: Scaling and Strengthening Blended Finance

    Blended finance enables market creation, risk mitigation, and capital mobilization in underserved, higher risk sectors and geographies. It is especially vital for early-stage or high-impact projects where traditional investors face challenges assessing risks or collateral. For institutional investors, it offers opportunities for portfolio diversification, reduced volatility, and exposure to emerging asset classes while balancing the Continue reading

  • Building Rural Futures: Partnership Models for Entrepreneurship and Development

    In India and across the Global South, rural areas remain at the epicenter of underemployment and migration with limited opportunities for income generation and growth. However, they also house vast untapped potential—especially among the youth and women. The private sector can play a crucial role in rural entrepreneurship by providing access to resources, markets, and Continue reading

  • Strengthening Financial Inclusion in Nepal: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

    Nepal’s financial sector reform program, initiated in 2002, has made notable progress in modernizing the legal and regulatory framework, developing key financial institutions, and increasing private sector participation. The dominance of state-owned banks has declined, and the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has enhanced its supervisory and regulatory capacity. Key financial legislations and infrastructure were also Continue reading

  • Designing for Low Digital Literacy: Bridging the Financial Inclusion Gap

    In today’s rapidly digitizing world, over 1.4 billion adults remain unbanked, most of them residing in low-income, rural, or migrant communities. Even as mobile phone penetration and internet access expand globally, many of these individuals face a different kind of exclusion—digital illiteracy and a lack of confidence in using virtual financial tools. The challenge is Continue reading

  • WealthTech in Transition: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Future of Digital Investing

    WealthTech, the fusion of wealth management and technology, is undergoing rapid transformation globally—and India is catching up fast. While only ~3% of India’s population currently invests in stocks compared to ~55% in the US, the rise of digital investment platforms, robo-advisors, and fractional investing is set to disrupt traditional finance and democratize access to wealth Continue reading

  • MSME finance – Growth and Innovation Trends (Case Studies)

    MSMEs in emerging markets face persistent challenges in accessing formal credit, managing cash flow, and scaling operations. However, innovative financial solutions—from invoice financing, digital banking, to green lending—are bridging these gaps. This article presents a curated set of case studies highlighting the most impactful trends, innovations, and key players shaping the MSME finance landscape in India and across Continue reading

  • MSME Finance in Emerging Economies

    Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) help drive growth across developing countries with their contribution towards job creation and economic output. Based on available data, MSMEs in Asia and the Pacific accounted for an average 96.6% of all enterprises, 55.8% of the total workforce, and 28% of a country’s economic output. MSME development has been supported Continue reading