Financial inclusion
Regulators must enforce stronger payment data protection – CPMI
Payment oversight needs to be updated to accommodate fintech firms and protect consumers
Qatar Central Bank unveils mobile payments system
Central bank launches “new and safe method” for electronic payments
Lawmakers should halt closures of Canadian bank branches – research
Bank of Canada paper urges lawmakers to look at Swedish proposal to keep remote branches open
US Democrats strongly criticise regulator
Some lawmakers accuse OCC head Otting of ignoring Congress over controversial lending proposals
Female Spanish entrepreneurs face unconscious bias by lenders – research
Double standards suggest credit allocation among start-ups is not efficient
BIS paper: banks may harm customers through ‘steering’
Nudging “naive” households to take decisions can harm their welfare, authors find
India’s approach to national biometric ID applicable to ‘all economies’
BIS paper examines how India created digital financial infrastructure as a public good
Indonesia’s central bank pledges major infrastructure changes
Five-year plan aims to upgrade payments infrastructure and boost inclusion rates
Rwanda central bank spearheading cashless movement
Central bank reports e-payments have increased to 34.6% of GDP, but says there is still work to be done
Ghana sees route to ‘cash-lite’ economy through mobile money
Central bank deputy governor promises development to further encourage fintech
Fed banks collaborate on economic education
“We have a ‘power-in-numbers’ approach,” says officer at the San Francisco Fed
Zambia deputy governor emphasises importance of female financial inclusion
Survey data reveals extent of gender disparity in market
Argentina launches digital platform to foster financial literacy
Central bank will use platform to promote use of bank accounts and electronic payments
BIS chief sees technology as crucial to financial inclusion
Big data and technology are key to overcoming financial exclusion, says Agustín Carstens
St Louis Fed creates educational ‘multiplier effect’
Head of economic education at the St Louis Fed talks to Central Banking about its approach to financial inclusion
Kenya’s financial inclusion rate passes 80%
Mobile banking has helped inclusion rates increase by over 200% over the last 13 years, but the technology has also introduced new risks
Philippines launches inclusion initiative in memory of Espenilla
Late governor honoured in new initiative to help those underserved by financial industry
Fed official suggests reforms to tackle ‘credit deserts’
Brainard advocates greater geographical flexibility in banks’ obligations; FDIC chair appears to agree
Arab countries must improve funding of small businesses – IMF’s Lagarde
SMEs make up 96% of Arab world’s businesses but get only 7% of bank loans – IMF chief
RBI can remove barriers to micro-credit – Acharya
Central bank looking to solve information problems in a “fundamental way”, says deputy
Islamic finance is for everyone, Malaysia’s Zahid says
Bank Negara Malaysia assistant governor stresses inclusiveness of Islamic finance but says SMEs are still not taking advantage
Mexico unveils measures to foster financial inclusion
Plan intends to promote digital payments, facilitate access to credit and deepen capital markets
Bahrain launches new repo instrument to foster interbank lending
Move comes after IMF directors back government’s attempt to diversify oil-based economy
Palestine launches financial inclusion strategy
PMA hopes to push inclusion rate up to at least 50% by 2025