Financial inclusion
Report finds 11% of Rwandans remain financially excluded
Women and younger people more likely to be financially excluded; share of population excluded falls from 28% to 11%
Tanzania launches financial education plan
More than 27% of people remain excluded from financial services in Tanzania; improved financial numeracy and risk management among issues to be addressed
Paraguay’s governor on the ‘new normal’ and inflation targeting
Central Bank of Paraguay governor Carlos Fernández Valdovinos explains why the global economy must adapt to the 'new normal' and how Paraguay is coping with falling commodity prices
Visitors to ‘play policy-maker’ at new MAS gallery
Monetary Authority of Singapore launches latest financial literacy initiative; visitors able to ‘play policy-maker’ through interactive programs
IMF paper seeks to capture complexity of financial development in new index
Research presents six ‘subindices’ measuring the depth, accessibility and efficiency of financial institutions and markets, which are rolled into an ‘overall measure of financial development’
Lifetime achievement award: Zeti Akhtar Aziz
Zeti has played a crucial role in efforts to modernise Malaysia’s financial system, and has worked tirelessly to promote Islamic finance, financial inclusion and South-east Asian integration.
Philippines central bank empowers micro-banking offices
Micro-banking offices can open deposit accounts under new measure; central bank reflects on measures taken to boost financial inclusion in 2015 and challenges ahead
Level playing field could help ‘unlock’ Islamic finance potential, says Lagarde
Speakers at the Islamic Finance Conference in Kuwait highlight the growth benefits of financial inclusion, especially for underserved parts of the Muslim population
Book notes: Civic Capitalism, by Colin Hay and Anthony Payne
A book that espouses redesigning capitalism into 'civic capitalism'
Rajan weighs inclusion challenges as IMF identifies financial stability risks
Reserve Bank of India governor discusses the driving factors behind inclusion and challenges posed to supervisors in IMF panel, following staff note on macroeconomic impacts
DNB director targets better measurement of inclusion
Frank Elderson emphasises the benefits of financial inclusion and says central bank will put forward proposals for financial inclusion index later this week
CPMI launches plan to halt correspondent banking decline
Consultation begins on measures designed to resist the decline of correspondent banking, which is threatening to fragment international payments and damage financial inclusion
Multi-polar system ‘likely’, says ECB executive
Benoît Cœuré considers evolution of global financial system; sees rise of emerging economies leading to greater multi-polarity
CPMI and World Bank say transaction accounts are key to financial inclusion
Joint CPMI-World Bank report stresses importance of transaction accounts in promoting financial inclusion, and offers policy advice for countries looking to improve access to financial services
East African countries top Brookings table on inclusion
Study by think tank in Washington, DC, evaluates inclusion efforts in 21 diverse countries; Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda achieve high scores across categories
Zeti stresses need for good data in promoting financial inclusion
Bank Negara Malaysia governor says better data helps put pressure on countries to improve financial inclusion; offers guidance on how to improve performance
Fiji promotes financial inclusion with dedicated website
Reserve Bank of Fiji and Visa launch a website for the National Financial Inclusion Taskforce, with the aim of ‘bringing about positive behavioural changes towards personal financial management’
IMF paper offers advice on Asian financial integration
Authors suggest improvements to the sharing of information, trade integration, capital market development and a common regulatory framework to improve financial integration in Asia
Central Bank of the Philippines receives international remittances award
Filipino central bank secures award by World Bank, European Commission and the United Nations for its efforts to broaden and deepen the country's financial markets
Improving China's OTC business is a vital for the creation of a multi-layered capital market
Zhu Congjiu, vice-governor of Zhejiang province and former assistant to the chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, explains how the country can effect a multi-layered capital market
Solomon Islands governor shifts financial inclusion focus
Denton Rarawa tells Central Banking the Solomon Islands will meet its target for access to financial services early, and work on improving usage and quality should come next
Bank of Botswana laments productivity ‘constraint’
Central bank recommends range of policies to address low productivity in Botswana, including educational reform, financial inclusion and more efficient public service provision
‘Unbanked’ numbers fall 20%, World Bank study finds
First update to the Global Findex database finds 700 million adults worldwide became new account holders since 2011, but two billion remain without access to basic financial services
Proactive regulation could help a billion to access financial services by 2020
RBI’s unique ID decision helps 33 million people gain access to financial services in six months; proactive approach by regulators could help World Bank offer finance to another billion people