Financial Inclusion Unlocked
Financial Inclusion Unlocked
Podcast Description
The podcast meeting the sector leaders that are unlocking the potential of financial inclusion as an enabler of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes such as financial inclusion, sustainable development, community resilience, and innovative economic solutions. Specific episode topics include parametric insurance for cyclone protection, empowering refugee entrepreneurs, and instant payment systems, showcasing breakthrough solutions that address global challenges and contribute to sustainable development initiatives.
The podcast meeting innovators and sector leaders who are unlocking the potential of financial inclusion as an enabler of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through a mix of in-depth conversations and documentary-style storytelling, the podcast highlights the people and projects driving meaningful change, while also exploring the big questions the sector needs to confront to move forward.
Produced by SIJ Media
Fundación Génesis Empresarial in Guatemala is one of the largest microfinance institutions in Latin America, and its approach to measuring success is built around a framework it calls the Ruta del Desarrollo, or the development pathway, sketched out on a napkin nearly four decades ago.
In this episode, we're joined by Edgardo Perez, CEO of Fundación Génesis Empresarial, to talk about how that napkin sketch became a system tracking eight financial and twelve social variables for every client, why the organisation built its own resilience pathways, and how insurance, agri-tech, and a shift from ”financial inclusion” toward ”financial health” are shaping where Génesis goes next.
Episode Themes
- The founding story of Génesis, born out of a chance conversation on an airplane and a $500,000 loan
- From commercial banking to microfinance: Edgardo's journey and what changed his mind about who counts as a customer
- The Ruta del Desarrollo, and how a concept sketched on a napkin became a scientifically tracked development pathway
- Turning loan officers into ”development promoters,” and how their goals are measured differently
- Building the digital development path in response to the rise of fintech, and why Génesis didn't want to compete on speed alone
- How AI-driven agricultural tools shape lending decisions for smallholder farmers
- Communicating impact to funders and investors, and why purpose has driven Génesis's consistent 25-30% annual growth
- From financial inclusion to financial health: what the shift means for the sector, and the influence of Queen Máxima's UNSGSA advocacy
About Our Guest
Edgardo Perez is CEO of Fundación Génesis Empresarial, a microfinance institution in Guatemala serving over 550,000 customers, 85% of them women. He has spent most of his career in commercial banking, becoming a CEO at 29 in a credit card company and going on to lead several banks across Latin America before joining Génesis as CEO in January of 2015.
Connect With Us
Don't miss the rest of Series 3! Subscribe to Financial Inclusion Unlocked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.
Join the conversation on LinkedIn at Financial Inclusion Unlocked for video highlights, insights, and updates from the world of financial inclusion.
Financial Inclusion Unlocked is produced by SIJ Media, and hosted by Jack Farren.
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