Pearce, Douglas2012-03-192012-03-192011-03-01https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3376The paper provides an assessment of the state of financial inclusion in the MENA region, and identifies constraints, opportunities, and priorities for significantly improving access to finance. Practical recommendations for improving financial inclusion are outlined. Firstly, governments could agree a Financial Inclusion Strategy that is underpinned by improved data, that has both public and private sector commitment, and that scales up financial access on a large scale, principally through bank accounts. Secondly, the regulators should provide a legal and supervisory framework that enables access to finance to be expanded primarily through banks, but with regulatory space for the use of agents, mobile phone technology, and for a finance company model for microcredit and leasing. Interest rate caps on microloans should be removed, and instead consumer protection and supervisory capacity for microfinance should be strengthened, while prudent competition between financial service providers should be promoted. Thirdly, financial infrastructure needs to continue to be a focus area, and in particular credit information and secured transactions. Finally, barriers to the growth of Islamic financial services should be removed so that they can better meet market demand.CC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS INDICATORSACCESS POINTSACCESS TO BANK LOANSACCESS TO CREDITACCESS TO FINANCEACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICESACCESS TO LOANSACCOUNTS RECEIVABLESAGRICULTURAL BANKAGRICULTURAL CREDITANTI-MONEY LAUNDERINGATM ACCESSATM NETWORKATM NETWORKSBANKBANK ACCOUNTSBANK ASSETSBANK BRANCHBANK BRANCH NETWORKBANK BRANCH NETWORKSBANK BRANCHESBANK DEPOSITBANK DEPOSITSBANK LENDINGBANK LOANBANKERBANKING SERVICEBANKING SERVICESBANKING SYSTEMBANKSBORROWERBORROWERSBORROWINGBUSINESS TRANSACTIONSCAPITAL REQUIREMENTCASH FLOWCASH PAYMENTCHECKING ACCOUNTSCOLLATERALCOMMERCIAL BANKCOMMERCIAL BANKINGCOMMERCIAL BANKSCONSULTING SERVICESCONSUMER EDUCATIONCONSUMER PROTECTIONCONSUMER PROTECTIONSCONVENTIONAL BANKINGCOOPERATIONCOOPERATIVECOOPERATIVESCOSTS TO BORROWERSCREDIT BANKCREDIT BUREAUCREDIT BUREAUSCREDIT CARDCREDIT INFORMATIONCREDIT INFORMATION SYSTEMCREDIT INFORMATION SYSTEMSCREDIT REGISTRIESCREDIT SCORINGCREDIT UNIONSCREDITORCREDITWORTHY INDIVIDUALSCURRENT ACCOUNTSCUSTOMER BASEDEBIT CARDSDEBTDEBTSDECEPTIVE PRACTICESDEPOSIT ACCOUNTDEPOSIT ACCOUNTSDEPOSIT PRODUCTSDEPOSIT VOLUMESDEPOSITSDIRECT DEPOSITSDISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTSDIVERSIFICATIONDONOR FUNDINGELECTRONIC PAYMENTELECTRONIC PAYMENTSELIGIBILITY CRITERIAEMPLOYEESEMPLOYERENFORCEMENT MECHANISMSENTERPRISESEQUIPMENT LOANSEQUITYFAMILYFAMILY RESOURCESFEEFEESFINANCE COMPANIESFINANCE COMPANYFINANCIAL ACCESSFINANCIAL AGENCYFINANCIAL DEPTHFINANCIAL EXCLUSIONFINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTUREFINANCIAL INSTITUTIONFINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSFINANCIAL INSTRUMENTSFINANCIAL INTERMEDIATIONFINANCIAL LITERACYFINANCIAL NEEDSFINANCIAL PRODUCTSFINANCIAL PROVIDERSFINANCIAL REFORMSFINANCIAL REGULATORFINANCIAL REGULATORSFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYFINANCIAL SERVICEFINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERSFINANCIAL SERVICESFINANCIAL SYSTEMFINANCIAL SYSTEMSFINANCINGFIXED ASSETSFOREIGN CURRENCYFORMAL CREDITGENDERGOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONGOVERNMENT POLICIESGOVERNMENT POLICYGROUP LENDINGGROUPS OF BORROWERSGUARANTEEHIGH INTEREST RATESHIGH LEVELS OF ACCESSHOUSEHOLDHOUSEHOLDSHOUSING LOANSIDINDEBTEDNESSINFORMATION ASYMMETRIESINFORMATION ASYMMETRYINFORMATION GAPINFORMATION SHARINGINSTITUTIONAL CAPACITYINSTITUTIONAL REFORMINTERESTINTEREST RATEINTERESTSINTERNATIONAL BANKINVESTMENTINVESTMENTSLEGAL BARRIERSLENDERSLEVELS OF CREDITLOAN PAYMENTLOAN PORTFOLIOLOAN PORTFOLIOSLOAN PRODUCTLOAN PRODUCTSLOAN REPAYMENTLOAN REPAYMENTSLOAN SIZELOANSMERCHANTMERCHANTSMFIMFISMICRO ENTREPRENEURSMICRO LENDINGMICRO LOANSMICROCREDITMICROFINANCEMICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONMICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONSMICROFINANCE LOANSMONEY TRANSFERMONEY TRANSFERSMORAL HAZARDMORTGAGEMORTGAGE LOANSMOVABLE COLLATERALNEW BUSINESSNEW MARKETOUTREACHOUTSTANDING LOANOVERDRAFTSPAYMENT SERVICEPAYMENT SERVICESPAYMENTSPAYMENTS INFRASTRUCTUREPAYMENTS SERVICESPENETRATION RATESPEOPLEPOINT OF SALEPOINT-OF-SALEPOOR CLIENTSPOSTAL BANKPOSTAL BANKSPOSTAL SAVINGSPREJUDICEPRIVATE CREDITPRIVATE SECTOR BANKSPROFITABILITYPROPERTYPROPERTY AS COLLATERALPUBLIC BANKPUBLIC BANKSREAL ESTATERECEIPTREGULAR PAYMENTSREMITTANCEREMITTANCESREPAYMENTREVENUESRISK MANAGEMENTSAVINGSSAVINGS ACCOUNTSSAVINGS BANKSSAVINGS PASSBOOKSSAVINGS PRODUCTSSECURITYSMALL ENTERPRISESMALL ENTERPRISESSMART CARDSSOCIAL WELFARESOURCES OF FINANCESTART-UPTARIFFTAX INCENTIVETAX LIABILITIESTECHNICAL ASSISTANCETRADE CREDITTRANSPARENCY OF INFORMATIONUNIVERSAL ACCESSUSURYUSURY CEILINGSWELFAREWOMENWOMEN BORROWERSWORKING CAPITALWorld Bank10.1596/1813-9450-5610