Hive COVER
Research
Digital Inclusion Digital Transformation Digitization Benefits Digitization Planning Financial Inclusion FinTech Program Quality Project Design Research Technology Solutions

Digitizing Savings Groups: Rethinking Financial Inclusion for the Poor

Published by
Latif Amars, Sofie Blakstad & Anaïs Ndjavé
2021
hiveonline
View Resource

This white paper, from hiveonline, explores the case for digitizing savings groups. The paper examines the challenges of reaching remote, poor populations and provides a brief introduction to the history, scope, and basic elements of the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) methodology.

The paper notes that digitization of savings groups can result in the rapid acceleration of financial inclusion in developing countries. It can help solve challenges related to liquidity and access to formal financial services, develop a thorough financial history for groups and members, expand access to other services and support, connect savings groups to each other, address challenges related to low levels of literacy, improve inclusivity and trust, and strengthen remote monitoring.

Leave a Reply

View all comments

Related Resources

Read
Brief
Digital Inclusion Gender
Brief
Digital Inclusion Gender

Closing Digital Gender Gaps: A Systems Framework for Connecting Women

By Simone Schaner, Erik Jorgensen, Rohini Pande, Emma Riley, Laura Barasa, Natalie Theys
Yale Inclusion Economics
2025

Closing Digital Gender Gaps: A Systems Framework for Connecting Women

This framework outlines how household dynamics, social norms, and structural inequalities shape women’s digital access—and offers a roadmap for gender-responsive digital inclusion.
Read
Research
Digital Recordkeeping Digital Transformation Digitization Benefits Digitization Planning
Digitizing Savings Groups
Research
Digital Recordkeeping Digital Transformation Digitization Benefits Digitization Planning

Digitizing BeninCajù Savings Groups – Pilot Project Reports

By Saïbou Noumonvi
TechnoServe
2023

Digitizing BeninCajù Savings Groups – Pilot Project Reports

This report offers insights from the pilot of DreamSave conducted in 2021-22 by TechnoServe and DreamStart Labs among 40 savings groups in the Zou, Collines and Borgou Departments in the Benin Republic. This included 31 pre-existing savings groups (“paper-to-digital”) and 9 newly formed groups (“born-digital”).