McKinsey · Public sector / financial inclusion · Advanced · 35-45 min

Diconsa: should a rural retail network offer financial services?

Diconsa: should a rural retail network offer financial services? is an advanced McKinsey public sector / financial inclusion case interview that runs 35-45 min. Determine strategic attractiveness, delivery feasibility, and public impact. A strong answer works through 3 phases: Target customer need; Network capability and branch economics; Partnership and implementation model.

Last updated 2026-09-05

The brief

Assess whether the Diconsa network in Mexico could be used to provide basic financial services to rural communities.

How to approach it

  1. Target customer need
  2. Network capability and branch economics
  3. Partnership and implementation model

What a strong answer does

  • Determine strategic attractiveness, delivery feasibility, and public impact.
  • A strong answer should connect social impact to operating feasibility, trust, economics, and rollout sequencing.

Practice drills

  • Segment which services should launch first.
  • Estimate adoption in a pilot region.
  • Recommend a rollout plan with public-risk mitigation.

Why this case

McKinsey lists Diconsa as one of its published sample cases.

Adapted from McKinsey sample case: Diconsa (official sample).

Cases are written in each firm's style, written and reviewed by working consultants; they are not the firms' own published cases.

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