News 

It has been a busy and encouraging period for Diasporanomics, with continued growth in training, policy discussion and sector engagement around refugee and migrant finance.

This quarter, Diasporanomics delivered sessions with organisations including IRC UK, International Care Network and the School of Artisan Food, supporting teams to better understand the financial realities faced by refugees, people seeking asylum and migrant communities in the UK.

A key focus has been the continued development and delivery of the training:

An Overview of Refugee and Migrant Finance: Contextualising Debt, Credit, Financial Exclusion and its Impact on Integration.

The training explores how debt, remittances, informal lending networks, financial exclusion, income volatility and transnational family obligations shape integration outcomes. It also supports frontline staff, senior leaders and policy teams to move beyond generic financial capability conversations and towards a more grounded understanding of the economic pressures affecting refugee and migrant households.

This quarter also saw further development of the Diasporanomics refugee and migrant personal finance simulation, an interactive learning tool designed to help participants engage with real-world financial trade-offs. The simulation brings together income shocks, debt, remittance obligations, housing pressures, informal borrowing and safeguarding risks in a practical and accessible format.

Across recent sessions, discussions have highlighted several recurring themes:

• The distinct economic and financial pressures within Afghan Resettlement schemes, alongside areas of commonality with other asylum-to-refugee routes.

• The role of debt, rent arrears, utility costs and delayed income in shaping integration outcomes.

• The importance of understanding informal lending networks, mutual aid and community-based financial systems without assuming they are automatically exploitative.

• The need for stronger financial inclusion responses across refugee support, housing, education, employability and safeguarding practice.

• The value of bringing applied economics, frontline insight and lived experience together to improve policy and practice.

Diasporanomics continues to focus on refugee and migrant personal finance, diaspora economics and remittances, financial inclusion and capability, and policy, research and evidence generation.

Thank you to all the organisations, teams and colleagues who have created space for thoughtful, practical and sometimes challenging conversations this quarter.

For training, workshops, research or advisory support, please get in touch via:

hello@diasporanomics.com

2025 in Review: Expanding Financial Inclusion Training

Throughout 2025, I delivered a series of specialist trainings on refugee and migrant finance, working with organisations committed to supporting displaced and marginalised communities. Sessions were provided for Refugees at Home, Breadwinners, Northumberland County Council, and Rooted Finance, covering themes such as debt, credit, remittances, informal lending networks and the realities of financial exclusion.
These sessions brought together frontline staff, volunteers and community practitioners to explore how financial systems intersect with integration, resilience and everyday decision‑making across diverse migrant cohorts.

Looking Ahead to 2026!

In 2026, this programme of work will continue to grow, with upcoming training already arranged for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Illegal Money Lending Team, and Routes. The focus will remain on equipping organisations with the knowledge needed to understand culturally‑embedded financial practices and to better support refugees and migrants navigating the UK’s financial landscape.

Scammers and loan sharks target debt-ridden migrants in UK
by Lin Taylor

https://www.context.news/socioeconomic-inclusion/scammers-and-loan-sharks-target-debt-ridden-migrants-in-uk