Savings for the Poor in the Philippines

As part of building the stock of knowledge for the Savings for the Poor Innovation and Knowledge Network (SPINNAKER), the Global Assets Project partnered with MicroSave to conduct the first exploratory savings landscape country study. The goal of the study was to not only capture the range of savings products for the poor and identify opportunities for further innovative development, but also to help develop data gathering instruments and approaches and identify gaps for future research. From this experience, more country studies and researches may be pursued to fill and fuel the SPINNAKER online platform with a wide variety of guides, toolkits, events, and articles focused on savings for the poor. In summary, the research objectives of the study were the following:

• To explore the landscape of savings products for the poor in the Philippines
• To bring out insights on product innovation and development
• To develop and test research instruments and approaches
• To identify gaps for future research

To provide a comprehensive examination of the Philippines savings landscape, the study surveyed 81 products across 27 financial institutions and conducted key informant interviews with three stakeholder groups: 1) practitioners, 2) regulatory bodies, and 3) networks.

Please click here for the full report.