Digital financial services (DFS) are transforming access to financial products across emerging markets, yet the rapid transformation brings new challenges around responsible provision and inclusive practice. Cerise+SPTF recognised the need for clear guidance and practical tools to help DFS providers deliver services that are effective, ethical and responsible. Their work focuses on equipping providers with the knowledge, frameworks, and actionable insights needed to drive financial inclusion while safeguarding the interests of their clients.
Cerise+SPTF recently developed the Management Standards for the Responsible Provision of Digital Financial Services (DFS)—a comprehensive framework designed to promote responsible use of digital financial services while advancing financial inclusion. Alongside these standards, they created an evaluation tool that enables DFS providers to assess how closely their practices align with the standards, highlighting both areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Identified gaps become the focus of targeted improvement plans, helping providers to deliver DFS in a more responsible and inclusive manner.
While Cerise+SPTF run their own live training sessions on these standards, they observed that much of the initial content was repeated across groups, consuming valuable time in the sessions. This limited the opportunity to work closely with DFS providers to review their performance and explore practical ways to refine their practices.
To address this, Cerise+SPTF partnered with our Digital Learning Solutions Team to develop a dedicated learning course covering all foundational content and guidance on how to use the evaluation tool. This meant that live sessions could begin with DFS providers reflecting on the results of their evaluations, making virtual face-to-face time with Cerise+SPTF facilitators more focused and effective. In turn, providers were better supported in developing a way forward for their organisations to ensure more responsible and inclusive provision of digital financial services.
Read more about our bespoke digital learning solution for Cerise+SPTF.