Role of Government in Financial Inclusion
In the Focus Note Financially Inclusive Ecosystems: The Roles of Government Today, CGAP authors identified three potential roles government bodies can play in the financial inclusion landscape as they become more invested and involved in promoting financial access within their countries. This blog series will expand on the governmental roles discussed in the paper and provide real-world examples of how the governments of Kenya, Mexico, Fiji and the U.S. are participating in the financial inclusion agenda globally and at home.
CGAP’s Focus Note outlines roles that Governments can play in promoting the development of inclusive financial ecosystems, including through rules, infrastructure and transaction volumes. National Financial Inclusion Strategies provide an effective framework for the successful implementation of these roles. National Financial Inclusion Strategies, together with clear mandates, can accelerate progress towards financial inclusion. Regulators with [...]
by Tim Lyman : Thursday, February 23, 2012
In October of 2006 in Basel, home to the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and several other financial sector standard-setting bodies, Johann de Waard of the Dutch Foreign Ministry (and member of CGAP’s Council of Governors) remarked with excitement to me and his Crown Princess, Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima, that we had just given [...]
by Maria Otero : Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The interconnected nature of today’s world makes instability and conflict—even in distant corners of the world—a much greater threat to global security. And despite a rise in global wealth, we all know far too well that millions remain in dire poverty, beyond the rising tide of prosperity from globalization and 21st century progress. We’ve seen it [...]
Over the last few years, the Mexican financial system has been moving toward a more inclusive financial system by expanding access to and usage of financial services. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Finance, the number of Mexicans in 2009 with a formal savings product substantially increased over the previous five years. [...]
by Eliki Boletawa : Sunday, February 12, 2012
Fiji is a multi-ethnic country in the South Pacific — an archipelago home to a population of 883,000. The Government of Fiji has taken an active role in developing a financially inclusive ecosystem and a key component has been the implementation of the first electronic government-to-person (G2P) payment program through the Department of Social Welfare [...]
by Njuguna Ndungu : Thursday, February 9, 2012
Regulators have traditionally focused their efforts on ensuring stable and sound financial systems, and this role has been amplified in developed countries since the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2009. During this period, most practitioners have rightly argued that to forestall financial crises and ensure financial stability we need better regulation, not more regulation, [...]
by Tilman Ehrbeck : Monday, February 6, 2012
Financial inclusion today is about financial markets that serve more people with more products at lower cost. The term “microfinance,” once associated almost exclusively with small-value loans to the poor, is now increasingly used to refer to a broad array of products (including payments, savings, and insurance) tailored to meet the particular needs of low-income [...]
Questions and Comments for Role of Government in Financial Inclusion
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March 7th, 2012 at 9:03 pm, Dr V.Rengarajan ()
Role of government for pro poor financial inclusion
While discussing on the creation of broader interconnected ecosystem of market actors and infrastructure needed for safe and efficient product delivery to the poor and for that purpose ,the role of government in development of financially inclusive ecosystem , it seems more focus has been given ‘how to deliver the financial services or make these services accessible to the poor’? in the supply front ignoring or assuming many vital factors in the demand side.. To put it succinctly, the whole purpose of such a delivered or accessed financial services most particularly micro credit would not be served since productive utility of the financial service is impossible without adequate supportive infrastructure for effective risk free credit absorption adequately taken cognizance of in the post delivery stage ? Many financial inclusion attempts regardless of its innovative feature, has failed with too many assumption in the demand side of the given area/region.
To elaborate further , financially inclusive ecosystem calls for filling up of two types of infrastructure gaps 1) financial infrastructure gap – in supply front for creating risk free delivery points or conduits and 2) supportive physical capital infrastructure in the demand side for ensuring risk free productivity of the delivered financial service or product for the poor.
It is therefore considered that state’s role assumes very significant in not only creating a conducive financial ecosystem by creating necessary infrastructure for delivery of financial services but also equally in parallel the same for productive functioning of the delivered services there by facilitating income increase and economic graduation of the poor and at the same time making the asset performing at institutional level. To further probe on details on functioning of financial product in Post delivery stage , these demand side supportive infrastructure for effective absorption of financial services could be conveniently broadly classified different types viz., physical capital infra, human capital infra, social capital; infra and others
Physical capital infra gap- Many area in rural front which are financially excluded regions and districts /villages suffer from low level of investment in roads, bridges, canals, power supply, market yards, and warehousing, .The absence of this leads to a general malaise in the local economy and disincentive for private investments in directly productive sectors. State intervention has become inevitable to fill the gap.
Human capital infra gap- Two vital prerequisites for financial inclusion are health and education.. Access to health services helps the poor protecting from health vulnerabilities and livelihood risks .Educationally the facts like illiteracy. School Drop outs, low skill, make the poor with poor capability to productively use the financial services . Here again the state role assumes great in filling the gaps in health and education as a part of inclusive financial eco system
Social capital infra gap
As there is also general correlation between financial exclusion and under developed or defunct local community institutions This development of social capital like village/gram panchayat, SHG, federation, Farmers clubs, Mahila mandals, J LGs, commodity cooperatives, local market/mandies, local welfare clubs/associations may go a long way in making financial inclusion more effective but also empower with smart power gained thorough these village democratic institutions towards helping themselves.
Dr V.Rengarajan