The Financial Inclusion Landscape in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Dozen Key Findings

By Sarwat Jahan, Jayendu De, Fazurin Jamaludin, Piyaporn Sodsriwiboon, Cormac Sullivan

April 19, 2019

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Sarwat Jahan, Jayendu De, Fazurin Jamaludin, Piyaporn Sodsriwiboon, and Cormac Sullivan. The Financial Inclusion Landscape in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Dozen Key Findings, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2019) accessed September 19, 2024

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

Financial inclusion is a multidimensional concept and countries have chosen diverse methods of enhancing financial inclusion with varying degrees of results. The heterogeneity of financial inclusion is particularly striking in the Asia-Pacific region as member countries range from those that are at the cutting edge of financial technology to others that are aiming to provide access to basic financial services. The wide disparity is not only inter-country but also intra-country. The focus of this paper is to take stock of the current state of financial inclusion in the Asia-Pacific region by highlighting twelve stylized facts about the state of financial inclusion in these countries. The paper finds that the state of financial inclusion depends on several factors, but a holistic approach calibrated to specific country conditions may lead to greater financial inclusion.

Subject: Banking, Financial inclusion, Financial markets, Financial sector development, Financial services, Fiscal accounting and reporting, Mobile banking, Public financial management (PFM), Technology

Keywords: Asia and Pacific, Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific economy, Asia-Pacific EMs, Asia-Pacific region, Developing Asia, Emerging economies in Asia-Pacific, Emerging market, Emerging Markets, Financial Inclusion, Financial sector development, Financial service, Financial system, Fiscal accounting and reporting, Global, Mobile banking, Pacific Islands, South Asia, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

31
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2019/079
Stock No:

WPIEA2019079
ISBN:

9781498305440
ISSN:

1018-5941

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