In this interview, Paula Rudnicka, the DSG Hub Program Manager and Sr. Technical Advisor for Gender Integration at Global Communities, shares her insights about financial inclusion, digital transformation, and the role of the Hub in promoting smart and gender-responsive digitization of savings groups.

The glossary is a compilation of definitions related to digitization of savings groups, created to help stakeholders working in the DSG sector use the right words and ask the right questions. DSGs lie at the intersection of savings groups, financial inclusion, and technology—each with their own body of knowledge and technical language. The purpose of […]

This learning brief examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s savings groups in diverse African contexts and explores how the shift to digitization impacted these groups and their members. Conclusions indicate that women’s savings groups contributed to resilience to economic challenges associated with the pandemic. For example, households with a female member in […]

This learning brief examines the design options and essential tradeoffs in solution development based on a survey of 12 digital savings group (DSG) solution providers. The findings are outlined in six sections: 1) Introduction; 2) The benefits of savings groups; 3) User experience; 4) The business of DSGs; 5) Consumer protection, and 6) What will […]

This report provides some of the first insights into how savings groups can successfully transition from paper to digital ledgers and examines some key hypotheses about digitizing savings groups. Specifically, the report presents findings from an evaluation of a pilot test of DreamSave—a digital savings ledger—conducted by Project Concern International (PCI)—A Global Communities Partner, DreamStart […]

This article discusses the persistent gender gap in access to financial services and digital technologies. The key to closing both gaps may be found in savings groups, according to BFA, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Financial Sector Deepening Trust Tanzania (FSDT), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Most savings groups are cash-based. But if […]