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Broadening and deepening financial inclusion in Ghana is important for ensuring inclusive growth and achieving the objectives of the Financial Sector Strategic Plan. Deeper and more inclusive financial sectors allow poor households to manage risks and smooth consumption; they provide opportunities for very micro and small enterprises to survive and grow; they can bridge geographical dispersion by providing access to savings and payment services to populations in rural and remote regions. Ghana fares well on some indicators of financial inclusion compared to other Sub-Saharan African countries, and is comparable to lower middle-income countries. However, it lacks a clear strategy for financial inclusion and development of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and other methodologies of making financial services more widely available. Microfinance - the provision of savings, credit, and other financial products to the poor - grew rapidly in Ghana during the 2000s in existing institutions, performing well by international benchmarks for MFIs and raising the percentage of the population that is financially included.5 While the universal banks have the bulk of the assets of the financial system, microfinance institutions (MFIs) reach more clients (around 8 million) through over 3,000 outlets spread throughout the country. Although not all such institutions were directly regulated by the Bank of Ghana (BoG), capacity building, oversight and monitoring support from MFI Associations and donor-supported programs helped ensure stable growth. During the late 2000s, however, new types of unregulated microfinance service providers proliferated, increasing the number of operators who lacked sufficient capacity, skills, governance, transparency, and accountability to act as responsible financial intermediaries. This posed a risk to the sector, with increasing incidents of reported fraud, insolvency, and loss of savings by low-income households. In 2011, BoG initiated measures to bring all types of MFIs under a consistent regulatory framework by issuing Guidelines for MFIs. This paper summarizes the situation and development of microfinance institutions in Ghana, reviews progress and problems in implementing the BoG regulations for MFIs, highlights current risks and challenges, and proposes strategies for mitigating risks. The analysis includes three different levels: BoG and Government of Ghana (GoG); MFIs and their associations; and the public. It is aimed at providing information on the complex issues in the microfinance sector as a basis for dialogue on concrete reforms.

Access To Finance --- Finance And Development --- Finance And Financial Sector Development --- Financial Regulation And Supervision --- Legal Framework --- Rural Development --- Rural Finance

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China has achieved remarkable success in financial inclusion. China's rate of account ownership - a basic metric of financial inclusion - has increased significantly in the past two decades and is now on par with that of other G-20 countries. Traditional financial service providers have dramatically increased the reach of the formal financial sector, including through the world's largest agent banking network. China has also been an established leader in the fintech revolution, with new technology-driven providers transforming how millions of Chinese consumers make payments, borrow, save, invest, and insure themselves against risk. This report examines in detail China's approach to financial inclusion over the past 15 years. The report benchmarks China's progress against peer economies and analyzes key developments and factors in China's financial inclusion experience. The report also outlines remaining challenges to achieving further advances in financial inclusion in China, and distills key lessons policymakers from other countries can learn from China's experience. The report was written jointly by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) and the World Bank Group.

Access to Finance --- Accountability --- Consumer Protection --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Literacy --- Financial Regulation and Supervision --- Insurance and Risk Mitigation --- Microcredit --- Rural Finance

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Logistics and supply chains are the wheels of trade, commerce and economic activity around the world. However, in developing economies and emerging markets there are numerous challenges that make access difficult. Most prominent are the lack of standardized addressing systems, and inefficient or inadequate countrywide postal infrastructure that raises the cost of logistics, especially in delivery at the last mile. The authors proposal recommends a low cost peer-to-peer delivery system where senders are connected to local transporters who can carry out scheduled or on-demand deliveries. This system will be executed by means of a technology platform that facilitates this interaction between the different customer segments. There is significant opportunity and potential in establishing this service in emerging economies around the world that face similar problems. Because of the large market opportunity and its significance in the West-African region, Nigeria is the authors target for the solution. The authors plan is to eventually expand this service regionally.

Air Pollution --- Citizen Security --- Community-Driven Development --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Sector and Social Assistance --- Insurance & Risk Mitigation --- Labor Markets --- Life Insurance --- Quality of Life --- Remittances --- Rural Finance --- Social Protections and Labor --- Transparency

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The study, conducted assesses the current state of agricultural finance in the Republic of Kosovo (Kosovo) and determine ways to improve the provision of finance to Kosovo's growing agricultural economy. The study is aimed at informing the full range of stakeholders about the best options to scale up financial services for agriculture. The study relies on data from available statistics as well as on individual and group discussions with stakeholders. Kosovo's business environment is improving, despite slow advancement in the capacity and function of the public institutions responsible for providing guidance and direction to the industry. Government focus on the World Bank (WB) Doing Business indicators has produced encouraging results. According to the Doing Business 2018 report, Kosovo is currently ranked 40th in the world, up from 126th in 2012, a leap of 86 places. In ease of starting a business, Kosovo very substantially improved its ranking, by 160 places. A law on strategic investments is under consideration, and attention is being given to support public institutions that improve the business environment, such as the Business Registration Agency, which ultimately will support investors. These developments are taking place in an economy marked by high general unemployment (30.5 percent) and very high youth unemployment (52.7 percent). The public sector remains the dominant employer and pays higher wages on average than he private sector. The supply of skilled workers is insufficient to satisfy private sector demand. Small and medium enterprises dominate the economic landscape; while these are increasing in number, few grow into larger entities.

Access to Finance --- Agricultural Finance --- Agricultural Productivity --- Agricultural Sector Economics --- Agriculture --- Business Environment --- Finance and Development --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Food Processing --- Insurance --- Insurance and Risk Mitigation --- Investment Climate --- Rural Finance

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China has made significant progress in financial inclusion. High levels of account penetration, savings, and usage of payments services have been achieved, largely due to extensive branches and access points (particularly a vast network of rural cash withdrawal points), innovations by non-bank payment providers, and expansion of government-to-person transfers and bankcard programs. Account penetration in China is quite high, with estimates ranging from over 80 to 90 percent, which compares well to the EAP regional average but is lower than the high-income country average. The rapid growth in fintech has led to millions of previously underserved mass retail consumers accessing lower cost and better tailored financial products and services.

Access to Finance --- E-Finance and E-Security --- Finance and Development --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Literacy --- Financial Regulation and Supervision --- Financial Structures --- Privacy --- Risk Management --- Rural Finance