Access to Financial Services and the Financial Inclusion Agenda around the World : A Cross-Country Analysis with a New Data Set
Recent empirical evidence highlights that access to basic financial services can make a substantial positive difference in improving poor people's lives. Accordingly, financial sector reforms that promote financial inclusion are increasingly a...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110118141442 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3310 |
| Summary: | Recent empirical evidence highlights
that access to basic financial services can make a
substantial positive difference in improving poor
people's lives. Accordingly, financial sector reforms
that promote financial inclusion are increasingly at the
core of policymakers agendas. The Consultative Group to
Assist the Poor and the World Bank Group, in response,
launched the Financial Access project, including a
cross-country database on financial inclusion topics and an
annual report to inform the policy debate. Using this
database, this paper (i) counts the number of unbanked
adults around the world at 56 percent, (ii) analyzes the
state of access to deposit and loan services as well as the
extent of retail networks, and (iii) discusses the state of
financial inclusion mandates around the world. |
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