Financial Inclusion Unlocked

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SIJ Media

13 episodes

1 week ago

Episode Sponsored by the Microinsurance Network In November 2025, we travelled to Luxembourg for the European Microfinance Award. The award is a prestigious prize that recognises outstanding initiatives advancing financial inclusion; in its 2025 edition, the theme focused on building resilience through inclusive insurance. The award is organised by InFiNe, the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), and the Luxembourg Government, with this year’s edition also supported by the Microinsurance N...

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Episodes (13/13)

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

BONUS – 2025 European Microfinance Award Winner Radiant Yacu on How Insurance Builds Resilience

1 week ago

36 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

BONUS - Central Bank Governor on How the Solomon Islands Is Going Digital

Following a fantastic and successful Series 1 of show, we're excited to bring you a special bonus episode, before the launch of Series 2 in January 2026. In May 2025, Jack travelled to Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands—a stunning nation in the Pacific made up of nearly 1,000 islands. With a population of just over 800,000, the country faces unique geographic and infrastructure challenges, especially when it comes to delivering financial services to its many remote communities. While...

3 months ago

20 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP10 - The Fintech Daring Farmers in Africa To Dream Big!

In this season finale, we take you to Uganda to explore how innovative fintech and agribusiness partnerships are driving a new era of agricultural finance for coffee growers. Emata is a Ugandan fintech (and licensed MFI) working in agriculture. They partner with agri companies to give smallholder farmers affordable, AI-powered digital loans. In this episode, Lilian Nassanga Musoke and Maren Hald Bjørgum walk us through the journey of the company since 2020 and how they partner with cooperativ...

5 months ago

48 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP9 - Reimagining Insurance for the Missing Middle with Garance Wattez-Richard, Founder & CEO of AXA EssentiALL

What happens when one of the world’s biggest insurers decides to design products for the population that’s too poor to be rich — and too rich to be poor? In this deeply insightful conversation, Garance Wattez-Richard shares the story behind the creation of AXA EssentiALL. From her first pitch to launching operations in 22 markets, Garance walks us through the business model, the value proposition, and the mindset shift required to make insurance truly inclusive. Guest: Garance Wattez-Ri...

5 months ago

32 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP8 - Tackling the $170 BILLION annual financing gap for smallholder farmers with Tim Strong, Head of Agricultural Finance at Opportunity International

Smallholder farmers are the backbone of Africa's agricultural sector, producing 80% of the region's food supply. In this episode, we met with Tim Strong, Head of Agricultural Finance for Opportunity International to discuss how financial inclusion can be a vehicle for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve their goals. Guest: Timothy Strong, Head of Agricultural Finance at Opportunity International USA The episode covered: The $170 billion annual financing gap faci...

7 months ago

43 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP7 - How GSMA and Visa are advancing Digital Financial Literacy in Africa

The adoption of digital financial services, or DFS has created significant impact for underserved communities across the world. The United Nations states that inclusive digital financial services have allowed individuals to store and increase savings, cope with unexpected economic shocks, access social benefits more cheaply, and make investments in economic opportunities that can lead them out of poverty. However, whilst the adoption of DFS has the potential for transformative impact, d...

7 months ago

40 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP6 - Supporting Countries to Prepare and Respond Quickly to Climate Disasters with Nilesh Prakash, Co-Director of Global Shield against Climate Risks

When climate disasters strike, the world's most vulnerable communities often face devastating financial losses. In an era of increasing climate risks, traditional disaster response isn't enough. Communities need financial solutions that put them in control of their recovery. In Episode 6 of the Financial Inclusion Unlocked Podcast, we met with Nilesh Prakhash, Co-Director of the Global Shield against Climate Risks, to explore how locally led Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance sol...

7 months ago

37 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP5 - A New Approach to Financial Inclusion with Sophie Sirtaine, CEO of CGAP

The way that we view and define financial inclusion continues to evolve. Not only is financial inclusion measured on purely “access” but on how it can be a vehicle to accelerate the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this episode, we meet with Sophie Sirtaine, the Chief Executive Officer of CGAP, to discuss what the future of financial inclusion looks like. CGAP is an international partnership housed in the World Bank Group, dedicated to promoting inclusive financial ecosystems that enab...

7 months ago

30 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP4 - The Transformative Power of Saving Groups with Jeff Ashe

From Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) to ROSCAs and Cuchubales, community-based financial groups have a long history of empowering individuals. Whether it’s for personal development or economic resilience, saving groups have been a cornerstone of financial inclusion for centuries. In this episode, we met with Jeff Ashe, a financial inclusion expert, author and lecturer with over 45 years experience in the sector. Jeff was previously a Senior Associate Director at Accion Int...

7 months ago

36 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP1 - The Potential of Fast Payments with The World Bank

In the first episode of the new Financial Inclusion Unlocked podcast, Jack met with Thomas Yann Piveteau, Financial Sector Specialist at The World Bank to learn about Project FASTT. Thomas explained the objectives of the project, which aims to develop fast payment systems globally. The discussion covers the benefits of these systems, the role of central banks, challenges in implementation, and the comparison between fast payment systems and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Thoma...

8 months ago

27 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP2 - How Parametric Insurance is Protecting Communities in Fiji Against Cyclones and Flooding

With the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events increasing, Small Island Developing States (SIDs) are bearing the brunt of climate change, facing a growing number of threats including cyclones, floods, and rising sea levels. For instance, Fiji alone has seen devastating impacts from cyclones like Cyclone Winston in 2016, which the World Bank stated caused over $1.4 billion in damage—around 20% of the country’s GDP. As communities in Small Island Developing States experience these c...

8 months ago

29 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

S1 EP3 - How a Bank In Uganda Is Providing Access To Finance For Refugees

Uganda is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, with over 1.7 million refugees and asylum seekers in the country. For those arriving in Uganda, accessing basic financial services has been incredibly difficult due to a lack of legal documentation, collateral and inadequate banking infrastructure. In this episode, we met with two leading experts representing Opportunity Bank Uganda Limited (OBUL) and Opportunity International UK (OIUK). Guests: - Amos Bonna, Chief Relationship Of...

8 months ago

20 minutes

Financial Inclusion Unlocked

Series 1 Trailer!

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is launching on 24th March!! The new podcast series is on a journey to learn how we can unlock the potential of financial inclusion as an enabler for the 17 UN SDGs. From the heights of Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains to the islands of Fiji, we're uncovering stories of breakthrough solutions covering topics from parametric insurance protecting communities against cyclones to innovative solutions empowering refugee entrepreneurs and instant payments. Financial Inclusio...

8 months ago

1 minute