Financial Inclusion Follow Up

This report follows up on a previous report (HC 848-I, session 2005-06, ISBN 9780215031396), and a related publication on banking services (HC 1717, session 2005-06, ISBN 9780215031426). The Committee commends the Government's response to these earlier reports, but sets out some 33 conclusions and recommendations, including: the development of a wider range of savings options for lower income households; more protection for consumers from the risks relating to prepayment systems, such as Christmas savings schemes; the launch of a targeted national Saving Gateway scheme with the Government matching savings by low-income individuals with its own contributions; a renewed commitment from the Government to the reform and future funding of the Social Fund; the Committee commends the Government's consultation process on changes to legislation within which credit unions operate, and the possible renaming of credit unions to "community banks", the Committee further recommends that such bodies should be able to pay interest on savings.

This book presents a set of conversations with five former Governors of Reserve Bank of India (from 1992 onwards) on the topic of financial inclusion. Two key aspects are introduced in the conversations with each Governor: the initiatives that were undertaken during their tenure and their responses to some of the current issues. Further, they examine the reasons and justifications for significant decisions and measures that were undertaken or withheld. The discussion captures the evolution and approach of the central bank in addressing a variety of questions pertaining to financial inclusion. The volume is an important contribution to the study of India’s continuous but not entirely successful efforts in increasing the reach of its formal financial sector. It reconstructs how the policy approach to inclusive banking has progressed and resisted commercial and market imperatives to safeguard the deprived and dispossessed sections of society. With its wide-ranging blend of conversations, documentation, research and commentary coupled with its engaging style, the book will interest students and researchers in the areas of development, banking, macroeconomics, public administration and governance, as well as academics, analysts, policymakers, think tanks, journalists, media and those concerned with the Indian economic policy.

In 2011 the World Bank—with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—launched the Global Findex database, the world's most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Drawing on survey data collected in collaboration with Gallup, Inc., the Global Findex database covers more than 140 economies around the world. The initial survey round was followed by a second one in 2014 and by a third in 2017. Compiled using nationally representative surveys of more than 150,000 adults age 15 and above in over 140 economies, The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. It has additional data on the use of financial technology (or fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the Internet to conduct financial transactions. The data reveal opportunities to expand access to financial services among people who do not have an account—the unbanked—as well as to promote greater use of digital financial services among those who do have an account. The Global Findex database has become a mainstay of global efforts to promote financial inclusion. In addition to being widely cited by scholars and development practitioners, Global Findex data are used to track progress toward the World Bank goal of Universal Financial Access by 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The database, the full text of the report, and the underlying country-level data for all figures—along with the questionnaire, the survey methodology, and other relevant materials—are available at www.worldbank.org/globalfindex.

Despite some improvement since 2011, Latin America and the Caribbean continue to lag behind other regions in terms of financial inclusion. There is no clear evidence that fintech developments have supported greater financial inclusion in LAC, contrary to what has been observed elsewhere in the world. Case studies by national policy experts suggest that barriers to entry in the financial sector, along with a constraining regulatory environment, may have hindered a faster adoption of fintech. However, fintech development seems to have accelerated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the support of recent policy initiatives.

Financial authorities face a number of key challenges, including maintaining financial stability; ensuring long-term finance for stable economic growth; promoting greater access to financial services for both households and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and fostering a competitive financial industry. Access to finance for SMEs is particularly important, given their large shares in economic activity and employment in Asian economies. Striking the appropriate balance in achieving these objectives through financial supervision and regulation is an important policy issue for financial regulators. This book is the record of a joint conference in 2014 organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute; Financial Services Agency, Japan; and International Monetary Fund Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific on the topic of financial system stability, regulation, and financial inclusion. Participants included noted scholars, policymakers, and financial industrial participants from Asia. ADB Institute The ADB Institute, located in Tokyo, is the think tank of the Asian Development Bank. Its mission is to identify effective development strategies and improve development management in ADB’s developing member countries. Financial Services Agency, Japan The Financial Services Agency, Japan is responsible for ensuring the stability of Japan’s financial system, the protection of depositors, insurance policyholders and securities investors, and smooth finance through such measures as planning and policymaking. International Monetary Fund Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific The International Monetary Fund Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific contributes to economic surveillance and research, leads the IMF’s involvement in regional cooperation, manages regional capacity building programs, and promotes the understanding and two-way dialogue of the IMF in the region.

This book is the second of two volumes which highlight the concept of financial inclusion from the Islamic perspective. An important element of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), financial inclusion has been given significant prominence in reform and development agendas proposed by the United Nations and G-20. The significance of Islamic financial inclusion goes beyond improved access to finance to encompass enhanced access to savings and risk mitigation products, as well as social inclusion that allows individuals and companies to engage more actively in the real economy. It represents one of the important drivers of economic growth. This volume explores the financial risks associated with lending to low-income groups due to high poverty levels and the lack of collateralization mechanisms. The first book on the market to provide empirical evidence of Islamic microfinance, deposit insurance and micro-entrepreneurship through the analysis of models and country case studies, this edited collection will be of value to those researching development finance, financial inclusion and Islamic finance.

Comprehensive coverage, focusing on both B2B and B2C marketing.