Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) Results of baseline survey

This fact sheet presents the results of a baseline survey conducted in March 2020 as part of the Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) project. The project, launched by FSD Uganda and FSD Africa, aims to support financial service providers (FSPs) in offering services to refugees and host communities in Uganda to build resilience and drive access to basic financial tools.

• The baseline survey identifies a significant gap in financial tool usage between refugees and host communities. While 63% of refugees use mobile money compared to 54% of host communities, refugees have much lower rates of bank or SACCO usage (13% for refugees versus 7% for host communities).
• Refugees rely heavily on informal financial instruments. The most common tools used by refugees include 'Savings in house' (41%), 'Borrowing from informal group' (31%), and 'Rotating Savings and Credit Association ROSCA' (31%).
• Median monthly income for refugees varies significantly by location. In Kampala, the median monthly income is 205,000 UGX, followed by Nakivale at 199,933 UGX, Bidibidi at 160,000 UGX, and Palorinya at 90,417 UGX.
• Digital access among refugees is limited; 71% of refugees own cell phones. Of those owners, 53% use a basic phone, 20% use a feature phone, and 27% use a smartphone.
• Three financial service providers are partnering in the FI4R project: Equity Bank Uganda Limited (EBUL), which focuses on bank accounts for humanitarian aid payments; VisionFund Uganda (VFU), piloting a wholesale credit model in the West Nile region; and the Rural Finance Initiative (RUFI), providing savings and lending products using the village savings and loan association (VSLA) model.

APA

FSD Africa (2020). Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) Results of baseline survey. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Financial-Inclusion-for-Refugees-FI4R-in-Uganda-Infographic.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) Results of baseline survey. 2020. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Financial-Inclusion-for-Refugees-FI4R-in-Uganda-Infographic.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) Results of baseline survey |date=March 2020 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Financial-Inclusion-for-Refugees-FI4R-in-Uganda-Infographic.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafrica2020financial, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) Results of baseline survey}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Financial-Inclusion-for-Refugees-FI4R-in-Uganda-Infographic.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }