PHB Development

06/02/2023

Watch this video to hear from the PHB team about our recent work and how we can help you scale for impact.

PHB is managed collectively through the contributions of five partners, each with extensive experience and specialization in digital transformation in teleco...

06/09/2022

While congratulating all the nominees of the Gender Equality Changemakers Awards to be announced on September 29, 2022, we are particularly proud to celebrate the achievement of our digital catalyser, Eden Dema, for being honoured as a finalist.

Eden has been committed to gender mainstreaming through her work with PHB Development on a range of projects since 2018, including developing the National Financial Inclusion Strategy with the Central Bank of Solomon Islands and subsequent Policy on Women’s Financial Inclusion and further work on developing knowledge products on gender mainstreaming for policymakers and financial regulators in conjunction with the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI).

To read more about the GEC Awards, follow this link - https://bit.ly/3TuvKgJ.

To join the event live on the 29th of September, follow this link to RSVP: https://bit.ly/GECAwards.

22/08/2022

Worldwide, access to finance has been disproportionately lower for women than men, depriving them of the opportunity to become empowered, build resilience and improve their livelihoods. To address this, Women’s financial inclusion has been at the forefront of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)members’ national agendas since the adoption of the 10-point Denarau Action Plan (DAP) in 2016. https://www.afi-global.org/publications/denarau-action-plan-the-afi-network-commitment-to-gender-and-womens-financial-inclusion/

Specifically, DAP action point 2 highlights the need to consider and implement good practices in integrating policies for women’s financial inclusion and gender considerations within NFIS. PHB is proud to have helped AFI take a deep dive into these policies and produced the Integrating gender and women’s Financial Inclusion into national strategies guideline note. We interviewed 10 policymakers and assessed dozens of NFIS to document the best practices of members in integrating gender and women’s financial inclusion throughout the different phases of the NFIS life-cycle. We thank the AFI and its members for their contributions and facilitation to systematically enhance financial inclusion.


https://www.afi-global.org/publications/guideline-note-27-integrating-gender-and-womens-financial-inclusion-into-national-strategies/

This guideline note highlight current practices among the AFI Network and provide guidance on gender and integrating women’s financial inclusion consideration

25/07/2022

This week brought together the PHB team with the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and stakeholders from throughout the industry for a hybrid workshop on Digital Financial Literacy and the development of a Gender Sensitive Financial Literacy Roadmap.

NBC is keen to get input from banks, MFIs and public sector stakeholders and to align with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to understand the barriers to financial literacy and to streamline mechanisms that support the variety of tools and channels in use currently.

Supported by the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, the roadmap development is an action item of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2019-2025. It will strengthen the impact of many initiatives already underway.



Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) ធនាគារជាតិ នៃកម្ពុជា - National Bank of Cambodia

02/06/2022

How can refugees and their host communities in Uganda strengthen their livelihood and resilience with the use of modern and sustainable energy solutions?

This is the question that GIZ aimed to address when PHB was engaged with Practical Action Consulting in a 7-month study from May 2021. The study was conducted in the West Nile region of Uganda at Rhino camp and Imvepi refugee settlement. We started with an assessment of present livelihoods particularly of small businesses (SMEs) and agro value chains and explore what Productive Use of Energy Solutions (PUEs) are currently in use or plan to be deployed.

We mapped the PUEs to the existing and potential end-user financing schemes that are used by refugees and hosts to finance the acquisition of PUE solutions. With a plethora of financing options available we had to assess the merits and risks of in-house financing (PAYG), informal financing (VSLAs) and formal financing (banks and microfinance institutions) to determine how they might be able to facilitate the private sector and financial institutions to engage in end-user finance for sustainable energy products.

Check out the report to learn more about how this analysis is used to support the development of a market-based ready-to-implement concept for end-user financing of these critical services.

https://energypedia.info/images/e/e0/ESDS_End_User_Finance_Report_Uganda.pdf

12/05/2022

From the barriers that women, youth or people in rural areas face, to the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, central bank strategies aim to provide a holistic roadmap for financial inclusion. PHB is proud to have helped AFI take a deep dive into these policies and produced the “National Financial Inclusion Strategies: Current state of Practice special report.” We interviewed 22 policymakers and assessed dozens of NFIS to document the best practices of members throughout the different phases of the NFIS life-cycle and highlight recent developments linked to the evolution of the sector. We thank the AFI and its members for their contributions and facilitation to systematically enhancing financial inclusion.

Read full report:
https://www.afi-global.org/publications/national-financial-inclusion-strategies-current-state-of-practice-2022/

08/03/2022

Did you know that the global financial inclusion gap in developing economies has been stuck at 9 per cent since 2011? PHB has engaged in addressing this challenge by supporting regulators & policymakers, sharing knowledge through case studies, and developing products & services that empower women entrepreneurs.
On the occasion of , PHB renews our commitment to increasing women’s financial inclusion and celebrate our who are scaling for gender impact.

02/03/2022

Une Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) ne peut être mise en œuvre sans des acteurs engagés, formés et bien outillés.

C’est pour répondre à cet enjeu que le Groupe de Travail Thématique du projet d’élaboration de la SRIF de la CEMAC dédié au renforcement de capacités des acteurs a travaillé sur les activités visant à identifier les besoins de renforcement des capacités des acteurs pour l’inclusion financière, à renforcer les capacités des acteurs à travers les méthodes identifiées et en fonction des objectifs définis, et enfin à évaluer les capacités des acteurs à l’issue du renforcement des capacités.

PHB remercie la Présidente du Groupe Delphine NOUIND, ses ambassadeurs Jean Robert OBIANG OBIANG, Thierry BERAL et ses membres Alain Symphorien NDZANA BILOA, Jacques Landry BIKAI, Fulbert Urcelo HOULBOUMI, Gabriel NZOYEM, Lazaro ABESO, Louis Patrice NGAGNON, Pierre KAM

Le projet d’« élaboration de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) et l’institution d’un dispositif de suivi et de promotion de l’accès aux services financiers dans la CEMAC » est mis en œuvre par la Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (BEAC) avec le soutien de PHB d’octobre 2020 à septembre 2022.

28/02/2022

L’inclusion financière d’un pays ou d’une région ne peut se mesurer qu’à travers des données de qualité. Une des fondations de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière de la CEMAC à venir est dédiée à cet enjeu.

Le Groupe de Travail Thématique dédié aux données sur l’inclusion financière a décliné une série d’activités permettant d’assurer la qualité de la collecte et de l’analyse des données, la régularité et l’efficacité de la collecte de données issues à la fois de la population et des fournisseurs de services financiers, et le partage de ces données avec les différents acteurs et le grand public.

PHB salue le travail du Président du Groupe BOGNI NGUEYA, EMBA, MBA, CARM, de ses Ambassadeurs Gaston DIKWE, Roselyne Mpoudi Ngole, Martin Ambassa, et de ses membres Abdelkerim ADOUM YOSKOIMI, Kobobé Onsou, Karim Dia, BETOUBAM, Berger Simplice.

Le projet d’« élaboration de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) et l’institution d’un dispositif de suivi et de promotion de l’accès aux services financiers dans la CEMAC » est mis en œuvre par la Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (BEAC) avec le soutien de PHB d’octobre 2020 à septembre 2022.

24/02/2022

Les personnes exclues du système financier ont besoin d’une offre adaptée à leurs besoins, fiable, et abordable.

Les acteurs du Groupe de Travail Thématique du projet d’élaboration de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière de la CEMAC dédié à ce sujet ont identifié les activités permettant d’améliorer l’accès des populations exclues à une offre de services financiers et non-financiers innovante, diversifiée, adaptée à leurs besoins, multicanale fiable et sécurisée, et à un coût raisonnable.

PHB remercie le Président du groupe Ernest A. Tewelyo, ses Ambassadeurs Bertrand Ateba Mfono, Djiaboueni, tsiona et NKONO, et aux membres du groupe Diafouka Sita , Patrick ITSOUA SOW DJOULD, Christian Richard ABIAGHE NGOMO, Eugène Medetonhan PAMBA CAPO-CHICHI, Jean-Marc YOUGANG, Sandrine ZIWA pour leurs apports à la Stratégie Régionale d'Inclusion Financière de la CEMAC !

Le projet d’« élaboration de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) et l’institution d’un dispositif de suivi et de promotion de l’accès aux services financiers dans la CEMAC » est mis en œuvre par la Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (BEAC) avec le soutien de PHB d’octobre 2020 à septembre 2022.

18/02/2022

Cadre réglementaire du secteur financier : contraignant ou propice à l’inclusion financière ? L’enjeu est de taille pour la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière de la CEMAC à venir.

Les acteurs du Groupe de Travail Thématique dédié au cadre réglementaire ont travaillé sur les activités favorisant un cadre réglementaire propice à l’inclusion financière avec pour objectif de créer un cadre de coopération entre régulateurs (nationaux et internationaux) et de permettre l'accès aux clients à un large choix de services et canaux financiers, avec ou sans accès à internet et identification officielle, et à un coût abordable.

PHB remercie le Président du groupe de travail clève Mpouongui, l'Ambassadrice du groupe BACLET HEYKO LEKOBA et les membres du groupe Ali Abdoulaye, Jerome Maniongui, Youmsi, Kiba, Pascal MVONDO, Samake Doucoure, Herman

Le projet d’« élaboration de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) et l’institution d’un dispositif de suivi et de promotion de l’accès aux services financiers dans la CEMAC » est mis en œuvre par la Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (BEAC) avec le soutien de PHB d’octobre 2020 à septembre 2022.

16/02/2022

L’innovation, l’interopérabilité et les services financiers numériques sont au cœur de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) de la CEMAC en cours de développement.

Les acteurs du Groupe de Travail Thématique dédiés à ces thématiques ont relevé le défi en développant des activités visant notamment à promouvoir l’utilisation des paiements électroniques par les services publics, à faciliter l’accès et l’utilisation des paiements électroniques par les populations exclues, à promouvoir la diversification de l’offre de services financiers numérique sécurisés et adaptés aux besoins de la population exclues, et promouvoir l’utilisation des services financiers numériques auprès des populations exclues

PHB tient à souligner la participation active de son Président Alain Blaise Njomo, ses Ambassadeurs Josiane Sylvie Mbakop Noukeu, Talance NSOUARY , Djamal Mahamat Abdoulaye, JOSE MARIA NCHASO IKAKA - CBCI, et ses membres du groupe Ivan Diop Renguila, ONOMO Julie, Clément SANDWIDI, J. OLIVIER YARA, Stéphane Njiemeli, Dr Mahamat Mouta Djirabi.

Le projet d’« élaboration de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) et l’institution d’un dispositif de suivi et de promotion de l’accès aux services financiers dans la CEMAC » est mis en œuvre par la Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (BEAC) avec le soutien de PHB d’octobre 2020 à septembre 2022.

14/02/2022

L’éducation financière et la protection du consommateur sont des facteurs clé de succès de l’inclusion financière, et de ce fait, un axe stratégique de la future Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) de la CEMAC.

Les acteurs du Groupe de Travail Thématique dédié à l’éducation financière et à la protection du consommateur du projet d’élaboration de la SRIF se sont penchés sur les activités visant à renforcer l’éducation financière et numérique des populations et les mécanismes de protection des consommateurs, et à sensibiliser les populations exclues sur l’inclusion financière formelle et sur la protection des consommateurs.

PHB tient à remercier Dr. Bomda Justin, ses Ambassadeurs Agnes OUNOUNOU et Hermann TANKOU MEFENYA, et les aux membres du groupe BOMBA MBIDA, Mohamadou BADIAGA, Félicie MIMESS, HILAIRE FEUZET MOUTHE pour leur participation active.

Le projet d’« élaboration de la Stratégie Régionale d’Inclusion Financière (SRIF) et l’institution d’un dispositif de suivi et de promotion de l’accès aux services financiers dans la CEMAC » est mis en œuvre par la Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (BEAC) avec le soutien de PHB d’octobre 2020 à Septembre 2022.

10/02/2022

How does Big Data Help a Farmer like Bhakta Prasad?

Bhakta is a farmer in the middle hills of Nepal. He’s got a small piece of land to farm - but no other assets. He has no bank account. He has no access to formal credit, but he recently joined one of Nepal’s 35,000 coops. Occasionally his son sends him some money from his work in Qatar to supplement his subsistence livelihood. Bhakta counts on this seasonal money to hire a tractor to prepare his field, but the remittances were stalled during the pandemic. He tells his boy not to worry, but Bhakta knows all too well that if he does not plough now - then he will harvest nothing later.

Though the technology Bhakta uses is old, the plough he has restored and commissioned to work is new. Ploughing with traditional knowledge of a wooden tool is not romantic. It is hard labor for even a younger man – he must get the job done. If he had access to short-term credit and could receive the money efficiently - then he would have rented a tractor and completed this work in one-tenth the time. Instead, he tills the land with a furrowed brow, wondering perhaps when his time to participate in the digital economy will come.

Digital Credit could be a solution for him. The service is offered by cooperatives who use the Prabhu Management Pvt. Ltd. core banking system, and they can disburse a nearly instant loan of up to 25,000 Rs (Approx. USD $210) to a members’ mobile wallet. Using the data of Bhakta’s remittance receipts and other metrics, the algorithm created by data scientists at Tiaxa can assess his ability and likelihood to repay a small loan. Supported by UNCDF Digital, with the advisory support of PHB the product will meet the needs of users like Bhakta while limiting their risk of over-indebtedness. Read more about digital credit in our blog: https://lnkd.in/gz-TvQ9M



Photo: kumar ale

07/02/2022

Digital Credit to foster entrepreneurship at all ages

On a balmy afternoon, Ram Bahadur BK, 64, is busy hand-chiselling wooden planks to build the window frames at Tamagi resort. He is one of the last local experienced craftsmen in their sixties hired to build a conservation-inspired hotel project in the Kaski district of Nepal. His exceptional skills in woodworking and masonry serve to safely restore these old buildings in the hilly and earthquake-prone region.

Although happy to ply his lifelong trade, he had also enjoyed his village retirement, but this two-year project has brought him back to the workforce – at least partially out of necessity.

Like many in the region, his three sons are migrant workers. Typically, they would send remittances to support their family - through the pandemic has interrupted these inflows, further necessitating Ram Bahadur’s return to work.

He aspires to work more efficiently with electric tools - but does not own any, and they are unaffordable for him to purchase. Although he is visibly happy to work without the need to leave his village, he fears that younger craftsmen with modern tools could replace him at any time. So, he continues with what he knows - using his hands to fashion buildings from rocks and trees for tourists who may one day, hopefully, again return to the region.

As a Prabhu Pay’s mobile wallet user, he has learned of the new Digital Credit service offered through participating cooperatives. The lending service can deliver a loan of up to 25,000 Rs (Approx. USD $210) within less than 60 minutes directly to his mobile wallet. With a fraction of that amount, Ram Bahadur could rent - or even purchase - electric tools that would directly contribute to his productivity and allow him to repay the funds digitally once he receives his wages.

Digital Credit is a product of the technology firm Prabhu Management. Supported by UNCDF with the technical assistance of PHB and data science design by Tiaxa – a leader in alternative credit scoring - the product intends to create new on-ramps to the digital economy. Using the behavioural patterns of cooperative members, combined with their transactional patterns using the Prabhu Pay Mobile Wallet, the Tiaxa algorithm can immediately indicate the person’s propensity to repay a small loan.

The implementation of digital credit for micro-entrepreneurs can bring people such as Ram Bahadur into the digital economy and support their ambitions for independence and security.



Photos: Sunil Sharma

05/02/2022

PHB is grateful to have worked with Prabhu Management and Tiaxa to develop the first Digital Credit Service in Nepal using alternative credit scoring methodologies. With the primary goal being to smooth economic hardship and facilitate new access to credit without driving over-indebtedness, Digital Credit serves a wide variety of use cases. Watch for our upcoming series of real use cases for Digital Credit in Nepal and learn more about this effort, supported by UNCDF, here: https://www.uncdf.org/article/6938/offering-digital-credit-through-mobile-phones-in-nepal

21/12/2021

Wishing you and your family Happy Holidays.

28/09/2021

Join us with UNCDF at the launch of the Inclusive Digital Economy Scorecard (IDES) during the UN General Assembly on September 29th. The IDES policy tool has been implemented in 25 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Our digital catalyser Sanjay Shah will join a panel with the Minister of Digital Economy of Burkina Faso to share lessons learned from the Solomon Islands and discuss how both countries are using IDES to guide their digital transformation.

Register for this not-to-be-missed event 29 September 2:30 CEST at
https://lnkd.in/guv2JZhD
UN Capital Development Fund

21/07/2021

How do mobile money taxes affect different income groups?

Very little is known about this important question. We present evidence from 303 interviews in Western and Central Uganda, indicating the poor bear the brunt of the tax while higher income groups moved to lower cost alternatives such as agent banking.
Join us for a webinar to learn more: https://undp.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N3TecLqbTEqEMXUfvIXLyQ

08/07/2021

Covid has catalysed digital payments around the world and Laos, until recently a greenfield, is one such country. Read from Southeast Asia’s industry experts, including PHB Partner David Kleiman, about the fintech revolution in three of the previously most unbanked countries in the region - Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.
https://phbdevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Fintech-in-Asia-1.pdf

This article is reproduced with permission from South East Asia Globe, June 28, 2021.

06/07/2021

PHB félicite Mme Tiana Ramanarivosoa, Chef du service de Coordination Nationale de la Finance Inclusive à Madagascar, pour sa belle réussite du cours de 10 semaines de l'UNCDF Digital sur l'élaboration de stratégies de transformation numérique inclusive.

Tiana est l’une des 5 meilleures élèves féminines de la cohorte de près de 400 participants de 42 pays inscrits aux cours.

Le cours, développé et modéré par PHB et proposé sur la plateforme de l'UNIDEP, donne un aperçu approfondi de l'état de l'économie numérique en Afrique. Il fournit un large éventail d'outils politiques pour progresser vers les Objectifs de Développement Durable et l'Agenda 2063 de l'Union africaine.

05/06/2021

Our Digital Catalysers often engage when projects are new or have not yet met their potential. Such was the case in 2018 when we arrived in Senegal to support InTouch to further develop a fledgling rural agent network.

PHB executed an iterative process of market research with agents and customers followed by two evaluations throughout different stages of the project to improve performance by addressing customer’s needs and listening to the constraints of agents.

Today that ecosystem is serving more than 500,000 rural customers and continues to grow. PHB is proud of our collaboration with and that has realized this transformation in support of sustainable livelihoods in rural .

See more about the growth of InTouch in UNCDF’s blog:
https://www.uncdf.org/article/6801/financial-services-reaching-rural-areas-through-intouch-in-senegal

27/05/2021

We celebrate entrepreneurship, perseverance and dedication of refugees to uplift their livelihood with financial education, access to funds and a technical boost to their indigenous ideas. Learn how Joseph Okony has been instrumental in lifting hopes of a better future for countless fellow refugees at the Kiryandongo refugee camp in Uganda with his continued engagement with the community.

https://phbdevelopment.com/en/our-story/maize-processing-lifts-the-hopes/

Maize processing lift Hopes of a better future for the internally displaced persons and refugee population in Kiryandongo.

08/04/2021

“How to develop self-organizing teams within technical assistance frameworks?”

Thank you Eric Rapin, Ed Rapin and Tarang Patel, CST from Lucid Agile, Inc for the fantastic first day of Certified Scrum Masters (CSM) training from Scrum Alliance. We are looking forward to the rest of the Agile learning courses with impact makers from our partner organizations, FINCA Uganda Limited (MDI) and Opportunity Internationalnternational.