Publications

The 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report, published by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) in partnership with the Bank for International Settlements, IMF, and World Economic Forum, finds that the financial services industry is rapidly outpacing regulators in AI adoption. Fintechs are leading the charge over traditional...

How Alternative Data and AI Are Transforming Lending for Underserved and thin-file Borrowers Cracking the Credit Code: Alternative Data and AI for Financial Inclusion explores how new data sources and artificial intelligence are transforming credit scoring and expanding access to finance for underserved borrowers in emerging markets. Traditional...

The Global SME Finance Forum 2025 was held in Johannesburg from 15 to 17 September as an official side event of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion Working Group. The event brought together nearly 1100 participants from 78 countries including 235 speakers and featured 70 sessions with diverse stakeholders from across the SME finance...

Receivables finance is an underutilised financing arrangement for SME’s. Using the unpaid customer invoice after goods and services have been delivered, the SME can convert the invoice to immediate cash through what was called debtor finance. For the financier, the customer invoice potentially provides an IOU from a more credit worthy client than...

Without strong financial systems to support climate adaptation and resilience, there is a growing risk that FSPs will retreat from high-risk areas, worsening financial exclusion and deepening inequality. Supporting climate goals requires a systematic approach to building financial systems that can respond to the breadth of climate risks and the...

The agentic AI revolution is here. Leading technology giants like Amazon,Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Salesforce are embedding agentic AI into their offerings, possibly signaling a major shift in intelligent automation. AI agents can independently reason, execute complex tasks, and achieve targeted goals, unlocking efficiencies across many...

This paper discusses the imperative for financial supervisory authorities to enhance their toolkit through the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in response to the growing digitalization of financial services. It aims to assist authorities in safely and effectively overseeing applications of Artificial Intelligence in the financial sector by...

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make up the vast majority of businesses in Pakistan, employing 72% of the nonagricultural workforce1 and contributing 40% to the GDP.2 However, SME growth remains stifled owing mainly to their informality and reliance on cashbased transactions, which creates challenges including access to financial solutions...

From a boutique noodle maker in Asia to a producer of hand sanitizers in Africa, SMEs are crucial to the creation of dynamic, competitive, and inclusive economies. They generate jobs and support economic growth in developing markets, playing an essential role in reducing poverty and promoting shared prosperity. SMEs face significantly more...

Across the globe, extreme events are hitting faster, harder, and more frequently, while the impacts are often compounding (WEF 2024). Inflation, mounting debt crises, geopolitical conflict, climate change, trade tensions, demographic shifts, increasing cyber risks, and global pandemics are among the many risks now unfolding simultaneously—and with...