Patrick Meagher

Patrick Meagher works with CGAP’s Inclusive Markets Team on the regulatory dimensions of financial inclusion, particularly digital financial services. He has extensive experience in providing legal and policy advice related to microfinance and small enterprise credit. He also has worked on public sector governance, where he has analyzed the frameworks of accountability in regulatory bodies, national and local public administrations, and transitional governments in the wake of conflict. Patrick has worked in nearly all regions of the world and with a diverse array of agencies and governments. He has written articles that have appeared in publications on law, economics, public policy, and international development. He holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and degrees in philosophy and international relations.

By Patrick Meagher

Blog

How Can Regulators Enable Last-Mile Agent Networks?

Extensive and inclusive cash-in/cash-out (CICO) agent networks are key to ensuring DFS access in rural areas. Regulators play an essential role here by enabling DFS providers to innovate agent network models that are sustainable in rural areas.
Blog

Regulating Platform-Based Finance: Seeing the Big Picture

The scale and scope of platform-based finance extends beyond the powers of a single regulator – cooperation across agencies will be essential.
Blog

Platform-Based Finance: How Can Regulators Preserve Competition?

As big tech platforms enter the financial services space, they could potentially undermine competition in ways that set back financial inclusion. How can regulators preserve healthy competition and harness the potential of platform-based finance?
Blog

3 Regulatory Challenges Posed by Platform-Based Finance

Between the global big techs and the local unicorns, platforms will soon be a major force in financial services if they are not already. Here are the three main sets of challenges they pose for regulators.
Research

The Use of Agents by Digital Financial Services Providers

Agents play a crucial role in lowering the cost of delivery to reach the unbanked and underbanked population. An increasing number of countries, especially emerging markets and developing economies, allow a diverse array of banks and nonbank institutions to distribute digital financial services through agents.