Publication database

Fomento Social Banamex is the philanthropic arm of Citibanamex Mexico, and its goal is to reduce inequality in Mexico. It promotes capacity-building for social organizations to better meet the needs of marginalized communities living in poverty. Under this scheme and through its strategic partners, it has supported Unión Majomut, a cooperative of coffee farmers from Chiapas, so that it partakes in the entire value chain and earns a higher income for partner families.

Argidius Foundation supports small and mediumsized enterprises to improve the quality of life of the population living in poverty by promoting entrepreneurship ecosystems that involve strategic partners. To this end, Argidius has supported Thriive (in Guatemala), an organization that provides institutional strengthening and equipment acquisition services to small and medium-sized enterprises, under a “repay the community” model.

Insurance supervisors in emerging markets have developed different approaches to foster markets for inclusive insurance. Several markets have undergone transformative changes as a result, but what has been the impact of these measures? The Access to Insurance Initiative (A2ii) and the Facility have commissioned this study to assess the impact of microinsurance regulatory frameworks on developing inclusive insurance markets by way of a Regulatory Impact Assessment. 

Some banks have started to develop partnerships with commercial outlets, such as shops or pharmacies, who provide a set of financial services on behalf of the bank. This model has been particularly successful in Brazil, where the number of bank branches remained stable from 2002 to 2011, but the number of banking correspondents experienced a 19 per cent annual growth rate. Find out about Bradesco’s experience using its extensive network of almost 47,000 banking correspondents to sell personal accident and funeral insurance.

In the past decade, some insurance associations have expanded beyond their traditional core functions to develop insurance consumer education (ICE) programmes. While the motivations for doing so are diverse, ICE programs ultimately aim to improve the perception, and spread the culture, of insurance.

Microinsurance Paper #34 discusses the different approaches available to insurance associations in Latin America to effectively deliver ICE. Emphasis is placed on a business model for associations, while providing key general lessons and links to useful reference material. The discussion is based on a review of the experiences of insurance associations in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. 

Increasingly insurance is being seen as a way to protect low-income people against the worst effects of catastrophes, such as the storms, floods and earthquakes which are regular and devastating for poor Haitians. Yet a chasm exists between the world of multinational reinsurers and the daily life of Haiti’s most vulnerable. Find out how Fonkoze, Haiti’s largest microfinance institution, was able to bridge this gap.

Mexican agriculture provides a large majority of the food consumed in the nation, but production is frequently constrained by the climate. A government agricultural insurance scheme was developed to offer protection for farmers. However, small-scale farmers struggled to access the scheme. Find out in Case Brief #4 about how an intermediary was able to extend access.

In 2012, Aseguradora Rural registered the first approved health microinsurance product in Guatemala, sold through its partner, a large, trusted bank network. As highlighted in Case Brief #1, it has been able to leverage clients´ trust in the bank to grow quickly. Now it is tackling the challenge of ensuring understanding and use of the product on an equally large scale.

The aim of Research Paper #5 was to extend analysis on a randomized evaluation of voluntary health insurance in Managua, Nicaragua. The paper presents evidence that this insurance product did not increase wasteful consumption: children who were insured but not sick at the beginning of the study reported fewer visits to all providers than those who were uninsured but not sick. Importantly, this insurance product did result in some targeting towards less healthy children, as those who were sick at the beginning of the study reported significantly more visits to all providers, including covered providers. The researchers also present retention results where they find that only 6 percent of those insured were retained 18 months after subsidies were no longer available. Lastly, they present some descriptive statistics of diagnoses at health centres and costs to discuss the implications of the main burdens of disease.

Using a survey of 300 workers conducted in May 2006, assesses levels of over indebtedness in the sample population and determines if there are any socio-economic characteristics or financial use behaviours associated with people who are over indebted.