Given that majority of the world's financially excluded and underserved customers live in rural areas, extending rural CICO vendor networks is critical to further financial inclusion. In addition, the organization and quality of agent networks impact the demand for retail agent services (Balasubramanian and Drake, 2015). Extending the retail finance networks by addressing the entry barriers to digital financial services (DFS) markets may be one of the ways forward. Yet rigorous studies identifying these barriers, their impact on Agent's business performance, and identifying viable interventions are limited. This exploratory study is set to bridge this evidence gap.
The study will address the following questions:
1. What factors determine entry into DFS retail markets in Nigeria?
2. Does formalisation (e.g., business registration requirements, digital identification, etc.) restrict DFS retail entry in Nigeria?
3. Do the entry requirements affect business performance among agents and vendors?
4. Are there differences in the factors influencing barriers to entry in MNO-led vs. Bank-led services in Nigeria?
5. What are the viable intervention vis-a-vis intervention bundle for reducing DFS retail markets entry in Nigeria
- Toyin S. Olowogbon , CSAE, Ilorin, Nigeria
- Henry Telli, IGC, Ghana
- Adebisi Oloruntoba Luke, ARMTI, Ilorin-Nigeria