Consumer Protection

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Features Section Title
Research Findings

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Kenya Digital Credit Market Inquiry

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The expansion of digital credit in Kenya in recent years has been linked to a decrease in the financial health of Kenyan borrowers (Source: FinAccess 2021 Household Survey). This creates an urgent need to monitor the digital credit market to develop policies to improve product suitability and responsible lending. The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) and IPA audited loan data from Kenya’s leading digital credit providers and conducted a national survey measuring risks like multiple borrowing amongst Kenyan users of digital financial services. The inquiry has informed the development of consumer protection policy strategies for the tens of millions of Kenyans who use digital credit products, including new requirements for lenders to be more transparent about the costs of their loans.

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Using Predictive Modeling to Target Fraud Prevention in Uganda

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Financial fraud is harmful for any population, but especially for people in low- and middle-income countries where people increasingly rely on digital financial services. This project seeks to leverage complaint records and user information from the regulator, mobile network operators, and social media to develop predictive models of third-party fraud. Working with the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), IPA used complaints data from operators to develop new methods to monitor risks such as fraud, and predict which consumers and contexts are most associated with fraud complaints. The UCC has since expanded this project into a biannual Consumer Affairs report which holds providers accountable across key consumer protection metrics.

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Social Media Monitoring and Data Analysis

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As financial services digitize, more consumers are sharing their experiences and raising concerns on social media platforms like Twitter, WhatsApp, or Facebook. Social media data can therefore provide insights into issues affecting digital consumers and how well providers respond, complementing official complaints from providers and regulators. This project identifies and analyzes consumer protection-relevant content on social media platforms in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda to explore their relevance as data sources for consumer protection market monitoring.

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Related Topics

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Fraud

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As fraud and phishing attempts increase with the expansion of mobile and digital financial services, IPA is working to improve fraud monitoring and testing ways to protect consumers.

Complaints

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Easy, accessible, and free ways to lodge consumer issues can increase usage and trust in digital financial services.

Transparency and Product Information

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Providing timely, accurate, and clear product information ensures consumers have the ability to compare and choose between financial products and services.

Lending and Debt Stress

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Credit is a key ingredient to economic growth, but poor debt management can harm consumer welfare. By better measuring factors linked to debt stress and testing solutions, we are able to develop new ways to help consumers avoid overindebtedness.

New Tools for Market Monitoring

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With the expansion of digital financial services comes an abundance of new data on consumer protection risks. New research methods are emerging which can leverage this data to monitor the quality of consumer protection in financial services.

Transaction Cost Index

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IPA will develop a multi-country transaction cost index (TCI) to measure the cost consumers actually pay for mobile money transactions across a set of low-and middle-income countries.

Our Team

Our Team

Director

Paul Adams

Paul Adams directs both IPA's Consumer Protection Research Initiative and IPA's Financial Inclusion Program.

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Senior Research Manager

William Blackmon

William serves as Senior Research Manager for IPA's Financial Inclusion Program. He previously worked in IPA's Kenya office as a Research Coordinator where he managed studies focused on education and employment.

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Research Manager

Brian Mwesigwa

Brian Mwesigwa is currently serving as the Research Manager for the Consumer Protection portfolio of IPA's projects in Nigeria.

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Senior Manager, Consumer Protection Embedded Lab

Henry Chukwu

Henry Chukwu is the Senior Manager of the Consumer Protection Embedded Lab, a program that seeks to support IPA’s Consumer Protection Research Initiative in Nigeria to develop solutions for digital financial services and consumer risks.

Read Full Bio

Director

Paul Adams

Paul Adams directs both IPA's Consumer Protection Research Initiative and IPA's Financial Inclusion Program.

Read Full Bio

Senior Research Manager

William Blackmon

William serves as Senior Research Manager for IPA's Financial Inclusion Program. He previously worked in IPA's Kenya office as a Research Coordinator where he managed studies focused on education and employment.

Read Full Bio

Research Manager

Brian Mwesigwa

Brian Mwesigwa is currently serving as the Research Manager for the Consumer Protection portfolio of IPA's projects in Nigeria.

Read Full Bio

Senior Manager, Consumer Protection Embedded Lab

Henry Chukwu

Henry Chukwu is the Senior Manager of the Consumer Protection Embedded Lab, a program that seeks to support IPA’s Consumer Protection Research Initiative in Nigeria to develop solutions for digital financial services and consumer risks.

Read Full Bio