2025

Data-Driven Approach to Recruit and Incentivize Banking Agents for Poor Communities: Evidence from Indonesia’s Largest Microfinance Provider

Researchers:
Type:
  • Project development grant
Researchers are collaborating with a state-owned company and the largest provider of microfinance services in Indonesia in an exploratory study to design interventions which could identify productive banking agents among members of the women microcredit groups...
Finance

Evaluating the Impact of Subsidies and Auto-Debit Payment on the Retention of Informal Workers in the National Employment Social Security Programs 

Type:
  • Full project
The Government of Indonesia (GoI) aims to include more informal workers in national employment social security (Jamsosnaker) programs, which provide coverage for workplace accidents or death. However, retention is a major concern, since premiums for informal...
Finance Social Protection

Digital Finance for Household Finances

Researchers:
Type:
  • Pilot project
This research introduces a novel dataset on digital payments, uniquely linked to track both urban and rural households in their dual roles as producers and consumers. This research aims to leverage these data, alongside tailored focus groups, field surveys...
Finance

2024

2023

Bureaucracy, adoption of digital technology, and firm growth

Researchers:
Location:
West Java
Type:
  • Project development grant
Our project aims to strengthen local state capabilities in servicing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and to evaluate impacts on local MSME outcomes, including the adoption of Digital Financial Services (DFS) and e-commerce. We will conduct surveys...

Competition, Trust, and Price Transparency: Evidence from Branchless Banking Agents in Indonesia

Type:
  • Full project
While the rapid expansion of branchless banking agents has made it possible for millions of Indonesians to have access to financial services in their own locations or villages, this implies an increase in competition faced by agents in a market that is often...

2022

2021

Role of Religion as a Barrier to Digital Financial Inclusion

Researchers:
Location:
West Java, Indonesia
Type:
  • Project development grant
Digital financial services (DFS) are dramatically changing the financial inclusion map of the world. Given the promise of DFS, policymakers are prioritizing the rapid expansion of mobile banking by reducing the adaptation barriers. These barriers are often...

2020

Branchless Banking Agents’ Profile, Limitations, and Potential for Agent Network Expansion and Improvement

Researchers:
  • Gianmarco León Ciliotta
  • Erika Deserrano
  • Firman Witoelar
Location:
Nation-wide in Indonesia
Type:
  • Project development grant
Policy reports suggest that agent network size, distribution, sustainability, service reliability, quality and demographics are important determinants of their performance. However, the available causal evidence on what interventions could be used to increase...

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