November 9th, 2022
Gendered analyses of Kenya’s health sector and health finance market
Nancy Atello
August 2nd, 2022
2021 annual report
Tamara Cook
FSD Kenya’s 2021 annual report covers the last year of the previous strategy and introduces the priorities for the 2022 – 2026 strategy
April 5th, 2022
Inclusive Finance for Sustainable Economic Development in Kenya
Anzetse Were
Kenya’s progress on inclusive financial sector development over the past five years places Kenya at the front of the curve relative to its peers. But beneath its headline success story, falling financial health and growing disparities in financial usage point to underlying challenges that compromise the ability of financial inclusion to deliver on its promise for inclusive and sustainable growth.
January 7th, 2022
Reflecting on the 2021 FinAccess numbers
Tamara Cook
I love numbers, charts, infographics and digging into insights, especially from the robust FinAccess survey that FSD Kenya has co-led with the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) since 2005. Not just because I find it interesting, but because FinAccess is a temperature check for Kenya’s financial inclusion and financial health. FinAccess points us to the questions which remain open about how Kenya’s financial system can deliver on its promise in meeting the needs of the real economy. As we closed 2021 with the FinAccess launch on the 15th of December, I had the honour of sharing some of these initial questions as I reflected on the numbers in my remarks. I look forward to exploring the answers with many across the sector as well as surfacing more questions that can lead us further down the path of a truly inclusive financial system for Kenya.
October 25th, 2021
Gendered financial products research
Dalberg
This research seeks to unearth the financial needs and demands of urban female retail traders in Kenya by exploring how their financial needs are being met, through which instruments, and in turn, where the opportunities lie to drive improved or increased access to financial products.
June 29th, 2021
Report – State of the Kenyan economy: Focus on Digitisation and the impact of COVID-19 on MSEs
Anzetse Were
In Kenya, divergence trends continue with macroeconomic resilience masking sustained inequalities and divergence in recovery. On one hand, inflation remains reasonable; export performance has been relatively strong (especially relative to other African countries); diaspora remittances have been robust; and the mobile money sector has demonstrated sustained resilience and growth.
June 7th, 2021
2020 Annual Report, FSD Kenya
Tamara Cook
It is hard to believe it has been more than a year since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Kenya, forcing us to make many unanticipated adjustments about the way we worked.
Most significantly, we had to shift to remote working. One year down the line, I am immensely proud of our team for staying the course so far and maintaining our momentum despite the disruption of COVID-19.
March 12th, 2021
A year of COVID-19 – what role did inclusive finance play?
Tamara Cook
November 27th, 2020
Kenya launches the Year of Climate Action (#YoCaKenya)
Tamara Cook
On the morning of November 3rd, 2020, I was honoured to be part of the launch of the Year of Climate Action in Kenya (#YoCaKenya).
March 16th, 2020
How can inclusive finance help in a pandemic?
Tamara Cook
We were huddled in a routine team discussion at FSD Kenya when we received news of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Kenya. Like many others, we wondered what this might mean for our work, our families and our country in the days ahead.
January 20th, 2020
FSD Kenya’s new horizons for more inclusive finance
Tamara Cook
Today, I am honoured to represent FSD Kenya at the UK Africa Investment Summit in London. I am inspired by the potential of the entrepreneurs, investors, government officials and civil society organisations who are full of ideas, solutions, and drive to leverage connections and learning across the continent to grow Africa’s economy and wellbeing.
August 8th, 2019
Inclusive finance? Not there yet…
Tamara Cook
As I reflect on my first month leading FSD Kenya, I am struck by both the challenges we face as well as the opportunities we can seize to truly create value through inclusive finance in Kenya.
November 6th, 2018
4th FSD Kenya Public annual lecture 2018 – Why Fintech matters: Reflecting on FSD Kenya’s work
Tamara Cook
For us, Fintech only matters if it is helping Kenyans solve real-world problems or seize genuine opportunities.
August 28th, 2018
Tech-enabled lending in Africa
Tamara Cook
A presentation and panel discussion by FSD Kenya on tech-enabled lending in Africa.
May 10th, 2018
The story of M-Akiba: Selling Kenyan treasury bonds via mobile
Tamara Cook
On 30th June 2017, M-Akiba, a Kenyan government bond sold through the mobile phone, was launched.
After many years, the involvement of many partners and many iterations, M-Akiba, a Kenyan government bond sold through the mobile phone, was launched in 2017.
April 11th, 2018
Light at the end of the tunnel: building livelihoods under tough conditions
Tamara Cook
“We have been working towards this moment for a long time. With the bank loans just a few weeks away we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
November 22nd, 2017
Why disruptive innovation in the financial sector can benefit poor people
Tamara Cook
Meaningful financial solutions can help poor people manage day to day, deal with risk and invest in the future.
September 15th, 2017
Unlocking fintech innovation with domestic capital
Tamara Cook
n May 2017, I had the honour of being on a fascinating Euromoney panel about expanding the digital financial ecosystem. One of the many topics that we discussed was the dearth of debt financing available for fintechs and start-ups limiting the potential for scale.
June 7th, 2017
The hidden costs of hiring in Kenya
Tamara Cook
Across Africa, entrepreneurs and business leaders are increasingly aware that hiring top talent is critical to winning in the marketplace. In Kenya especially, technology-driven financial services companies (“fintechs”) struggle to recruit efficiently and effectively: when they post a job opening, they are often inundated with a high volume of applications and selecting candidates feels like a subjective process prone to bias and inconsistency.
August 12th, 2015
An overview of M-PESA
Tamara Cook
August 10th, 2015
Top 10 things to know about M-Shwari
Tamara Cook
April 1st, 2015
How M-Shwari Works: The Story So Far
Tamara Cook