Led by Financial Innovation for Impact (Fii), in partnership with the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, with support from the Gates Foundation, the programme will serve a variety of stakeholders in low- and middle-income countries, including public and financial authorities – central banks, government ministries, financial authorities, competition authorities, sectoral regulators and more. The first phase will focus on Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia.
The aims of the programme include:
- increased awareness among public and financial sector authorities on the importance of competition in DFS for advancing other regulatory objectives such as financial inclusion, as well as how their mandates and powers can directly or indirectly influence competition in their respective markets
- increased capacity and knowledge on competition in DFS, with an emphasis on the most important DFS sectors and technologies
- enhanced ability to identify competition barriers and prioritise competition-enhancing interventions in their jurisdictions
- enhanced inter-agency learning and coordination on competition-related issues
- increased capacity among authorities to implement a competition-enhancing action plan or initiative
Unlocking economic empowerment
The programme will be made up of 3 mutually reinforcing and enabling components, developed in partnership with trusted knowledge partners of the Gates Foundation, CCAF and beyond:
- a new online capacity-building course, ‘Leveraging Competition for Innovation and Inclusive Growth’
- technical assistance to further develop capstone projects developed in the course
- a knowledge hub for continuous learning and peer exchange within and across jurisdictions
Philip Rowan, Head of Competition at Fii and Co-Head of the Cambridge Regulatory Innovation Hub at CCAF, comments:
“Effective competition in digital financial services is not just an ideal – it’s a catalyst for innovation, inclusive financial ecosystems, and economic empowerment. In many low- and middle-income countries, demand and supply side barriers to competition threaten to stifle progress and limit access to affordable, high-quality financial services. This programme is designed to change that.”
Effective competition in digital financial services is not just an ideal – it’s a catalyst for innovation, inclusive financial ecosystems, and economic empowerment.
Tackling real-world challenges
The Leveraging Competition for Innovation and Inclusive Growth course will focus on foundational knowledge pertaining to competition but also highlight 4 critical and interrelated areas that present intensifying competition challenges in DFS:
- digital payments and digital money
- digital credit and access to finance
- open banking and open finance
- bigtech and AI
Yvona Duncan, Head of Capacity Building and Education at CCAF, looks ahead to January’s course:
“We’re excited to launch this first-of-its-kind course on Competition in DFS, tailored specifically for public sector leaders in low- and middle-income countries. Our goal is to provide learners with not only the foundational knowledge, but also the tools, frameworks and peer network needed to tackle real-world challenges in their jurisdictions. Competition is a critical enabler of financial inclusion and innovation, and we’re committed to supporting authorities as they work to create more open, resilient and inclusive digital finance ecosystems.”
Our goal is to provide learners with not only the foundational knowledge, but also the tools, frameworks and peer network needed to tackle real-world challenges in their jurisdictions.
Learn with us
Our 8-week course empowers DFS stakeholders to promote competition and drive inclusive innovation across key focus areas.
Find out if it’s right for you, or someone you know.
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