The Helix Institute in Kenya is the first training institute dedicated to digital finance. It was launched on November 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya. It has been jointly funded by MicroSave, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, International Finance Corporation and UN Capital Development Fund.The Helix has been designed to compile best practices from leading providers of digital financial services around the world, and disseminate them to practitioners interested in building these models in their home countries. It will provide practical training courses in order to:
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Increase the ability of agent network managers to build and manage large, sustainable agent networks in poor and rural communities.
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Train MFIs in the role of, and potential approaches to, digital financial services to optimise their business.
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Improve uptake and usage of digital financial services through marketing & communication.
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Optimise innovation and product design for providers of digital financial services
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Assist providers of digital financial services manage risk and reduce fraud
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Provide a comprehensive introduction to digital financial services and their role in financial inclusion.
The Helix will hold weeklong training sessions in Kenya and other countries several times a year.
The objectives of The Helix Institute of Digital Finance are:
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Develop capacities of carefully chosen agent network managers from selected geographies;
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Develop plans for strengthening and expanding agent networks in those geographies;
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Provide limited on-site mentoring and support for the highest potential agent networks;
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Track and assess the rollout of the highest potential agent networks through an agent assessment system; and thus
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Provide invaluable detailed time series data on the development of agent networks in key countries as well as additional case study materials for The Helix itself.
The Helix offers unique combination of classroom- and field-based experiential learning. It provides practical case study-based approaches combined with a series of exercises and practical tools. Classroom training sessions are coupled with field visits, for example in Kenya, (to PEP-managed M-PESA outlets, master-agents, Equity Bank outlets, etc.) and Tanzania (to Brand Fusion and thus Vodafone and Tigo managed agents) so that participants can observe first-hand key aspects of different types of agent networks. The Helix Institute of Digital Finance has already trained > 60 participants from more than 30 roll-outs based in 11 countries representing over 500 million customers
Helix offers following courses:
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Core Agent Network Accelerator- For those focused on building a network
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Advanced Agent Network Accelerator- For those managing a nationwide network of agents
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Digital MicroFinance: Opportunities for MFIs
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The Product Development Accelerator
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Managing Risk & Fraud in Digital Financial Services
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Increasing Uptake and Usage in Digital Financial Services
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A Comprehensive Introduction to Digital Financial Services