Market Study of Refugees’ Access to Finance

Supply-side survey (SSS) & Demand-side Survey (DSS)

Description

Egypt has been largely welcoming of refugees, delegating their management to UNHCR within a relatively accommodating albeit inequitable policy framework where most FDPs who wish to register are granted rights to residency, work, business ownership and access to public services, including health care and education.  More than half of the refugees in Egypt are Syrian. Refugee population is composed of very diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds and forms a well integrated refugees community compared to others, especially the first Syrians who arrived in Egypt in 2012, who were relatively wealthy and could initiate a business for instance. However, this situation decreased, and more vulnerable Syrians started to arrive while the conflict escalated. Half of them are under the age of 18, and as they are treated like foreigners, making it very hard to find a job, almost all refugees work in the informal sector. Thus, with poor working conditions, low salary, and no secure employment, Syrian refugees’ financial situation is rather unstable.

IFC’s Financial Institutions Group (FIG) engages in a wide range of sub-sectors including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (including Non-Financial Services); Banking on Women; Risk Management; Microfinance; Digital Financial Services; and Agri-finance with both investment and advisory services delivered globally to IFC’s clients through IFC’s global network. 

The overall objective of this assignment was to contribute to the development of a larger intervention to be undertaken by the IFC to increase access to financial and non-financial services for the refugee populations in Egypt, especially from Syria. The study worked to assess demand, supply as well as the enabling environment to identify opportunities for increased access to financial and non-financial services for refugees.

Services

  • Conduct Context Analysis on Financial Inclusion of FDPs in Egypt (Country Context | Status of Financial Inclusion | Foreign Born Resident (FBR) population in Egypt)
  • Examine the enabling environment: the regulatory environment for financial inclusion of FDPs (Entry & Legal Residence | Financial Eco-System | Enablers and Barriers to the Financial Inclusion of FDPs)
  • Conduct supply-side survey (SSS): Perspectives on Financial Inclusion of FDPs (main suppliers of inclusive finance | Barriers & Opportunities | Access to non-financial services inc. cash assistance)
  • Conduct demand-side survey (DSS) (qualitative and quantitative survey of sample of 750 refugee households): Perspectives on Financial Inclusion of FDPs (Socio-Demographic Profiles of FDPs in Egypt | Socio-Economic Profiles of FDPs in Egypt | Usage of and Demand for Financial Services and Non-Financial Services among FDPs)
  • Gaps & Opportunities Analysis: matching demand and current supply
  • Develop recommendations