Banking agents, or small shops contracted by banks to process client transactions, are laying the foundation for the digital transformation of the financial sector. They have also become a safer channel for clients to get cash during the pandemic. Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, once berated the finance industry for leading the world into … [Read more...] about Banking Agents, On the Frontlines of Financial Inclusion
COVID-19
Three Ways In Which the Tourism Industry Can Help Build Climate Resilience in the Caribbean
As the Caribbean emerges from the pandemic, tourism stakeholders can embrace initiatives to increase climate change resilience through a focus on the environment, local communities, and value chains. After several months of being at a virtual standstill due to the pandemic —longer than was initially predicted — Caribbean tourism desperately needs to get back to … [Read more...] about Three Ways In Which the Tourism Industry Can Help Build Climate Resilience in the Caribbean
Addressing Climate Risk: Five Steps to Get Started
The pandemic has given us all a crash course in dealing with crises, becoming a sneak peak into what a man-made global disaster that disproportionately impacts the poor and vulnerable can cause. Climate change can be very similar, and knowing how to navigate and gauge its risks even harder. With COVID-19 coming at a time when some were already eschewing the term “climate … [Read more...] about Addressing Climate Risk: Five Steps to Get Started
Innovation during COVID-19: If You Want Something New, Stop Doing Something Old
In discussions about innovation, the focus should be on creating better processes and technologies that allow for increased productivity and value creation. There's no need to reinvent the wheel or the iPhone, but simply to make use of creativity in the region to fast-forward its exit from the crisis. The world is anxiously looking at the scientists working around the clock … [Read more...] about Innovation during COVID-19: If You Want Something New, Stop Doing Something Old
The COVID-19 Crisis: An Opportunity for the Financial Sector
Unlike the 2007–2009 crisis, when the global banking system was one of the factors that caused the economic downturn, in this crisis banks are set to be part of the solution. That is the role they must play. How can they do this? Evidence of the profound impact of the COVID-19 crisis can already be seen across the region. Both large businesses and SMEs in Latin America and … [Read more...] about The COVID-19 Crisis: An Opportunity for the Financial Sector