The faiV

Week of April 7, 2014

1. Savings: FAI affiliate Ignacio Mas challenges us to step back from usage data and rethink how we approach the development of savings products for the poor. Center for Financial Inclusion

2. Behavioral Economics: According to Helaine Olen, Americans' financial woes have "more to do with the outside economy than their inner psyche."  Bloomberg

3. Payments: New research presents findings on who is using prepaid debit cards and why.  One suprising finding? it's not necessarily the unbanked - 7 in 8 users have or previously had a checking account. The Pew Charitable Trusts

4. Remittances: The latest report on remittance prices shows the global average cost of sending money is 8.36% - a new all-time low. The World Bank

5. Research Methods: How to tell if measuring impact is valuable or if you're just going through the (costly) motions. Standford Social Innovation Review