18 June 2026 · financyeconomyinsuranceinvestmentwomenparticipationAustradeDFATSMEMSME
Finance and economic research
Tebbutt Research has worked on a wide range of finance, financial inclusion and economic research projects across the Pacific.
Our work in this area has included micro-insurance demand research, digital and financial literacy studies, MSME and informal sector research, access-to-finance studies, private sector development research, and trade and investment research.
These projects help governments, development partners, financial institutions and business support organisations understand how people and businesses experience financial systems and economic opportunity in Pacific markets.
Financial inclusion and micro-insurance
One example is the Fiji micro-insurance demand study conducted for PFIP, ADB and AusAID.
The research included focus group discussions and household surveys to understand demand for micro-insurance in Fiji, including household exposure to risk, willingness to pay, product preferences and potential delivery channels.
Microinsurance in Fiji: An Evaluation of Demand for Insurance
Tebbutt Research is also listed in Fiji’s national financial inclusion structures, including the Statistics Working Group of the National Financial Inclusion Taskforce.
National Financial Inclusion Taskforce – About Us
Digital and financial literacy
Tebbutt Research has also worked with UNCDF on digital and financial literacy research across the Pacific.
UNCDF and Tebbutt Research implemented surveys across Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga and Timor-Leste to measure digital access, financial knowledge, digital financial competencies and use of digital financial services.
The findings provide baseline evidence for financial inclusion policy, digital economy programmes and interventions aimed at groups that may face barriers to safe and effective participation in digital financial services.
Assessing Digital and Financial Literacy in Fiji
The survey approach was also discussed in a peer-reviewed article on developing a lean digital and financial literacy survey tool for wider use.
SME finance and access to capital
Access to finance is a recurring issue in Tebbutt Research’s work on small business and private sector development.
In Papua New Guinea, Tebbutt Research conducted the 2014 SME Baseline Survey and the 2024 PNG Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Informal Sector Study. These studies examined business constraints, access to capital, formalisation, business support needs, gender and inclusion, and the conditions affecting formal and informal businesses.
Research using the 2014 SME survey data has examined SME policy priorities in PNG, including access to finance, interest rates, bank fees, difficulty dealing with banks and access to capital.
A scoping study to provide an assessment of SME policy priority areas for Papua New Guinea
Tebbutt Research SME survey findings have also been cited in wider public discussion of SME finance in PNG, including by Oxford Business Group.
Oxford Business Group: Starting small
Trade, investment and the business environment
Tebbutt Research has also conducted business environment research for Austrade, examining Australian businesses operating in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Samoa.
The research explored barriers to trade and investment, commercial risks, operating conditions and the practical challenges businesses face when working in Pacific markets.
Banks, superannuation, insurance
Besides the social research on public record, Tebbutt Research has long relationships with private-sector clients in the financial space, including multi-national banks, superannuation and life-insurance companies, and micro-insurance providers.
Research grounded in Pacific markets
Finance and economic research in the Pacific often requires direct engagement with people and businesses whose experiences are not fully visible in administrative data.
Households may be outside the formal insurance market. Small businesses may have limited records or operate informally. Consumers may use a mix of cash, bank accounts, mobile phones, informal savings and family networks. Businesses may face barriers that differ by location, gender, sector, size and access to services.
Tebbutt Research’s role is to help collect and analyse this evidence in ways that reflect local conditions.
Across these projects, our work has supported research into:
- Financial inclusion
- Digital financial literacy
- Micro-insurance demand
- SME finance
- Access to capital
- Informal businesses
- Women’s economic participation
- Trade and investment barriers
- Private sector development
- Business environment constraints
- Consumer and household financial behaviour
Public reports and references show how this research has been used by development partners, policy organisations, financial inclusion stakeholders and researchers working on economic development across the Pacific.