"This paper reviews the evidence on the importance of finance for economic well-being, provides data on the degree of use of basic financial services by households and firms across a sample of countries, assesses the desirability of more universal access, and overviews the macroeconomic, legal,...

"A well developed financial system enhances competition in the industrial sector by allowing easier entry. The impact varies across industries, however. For some, small changes in financial development quickly induce entry and dissipate incumbents' rents, generating strong incentives to oppose...

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT), the Capital Markets Board and the Banking Regulation and Supervisory Authority (BRSA) are the authorities with responsibility for specific elements of the Turkey National Payments System (NPS). The CBRT, is the central bank and has regulatory...

The objective of this Non-Performing Loan (NPL) Market assessment diagnostic report is to examine and assess the NPL market in Pakistan, and identify bottlenecks and practical areas that could be addressed in the short and medium term to make the NPL market in Pakistan more investor friendly....

This is the twelfth in the annual series assessing major development issues. Economic growth rates among the developing countries have varied considerably. The external environment has had an adverse impact on growth, but domestic policies have been more important. Countries striving to adjust...

The Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios - Brazil Securities Commission (CVM) has made substantial progress since the 2002 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). In 2002 the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) assessment rated 8 principles fully implemented and 22...

The regulatory framework for securities markets in Nigeria has improved markedly since the 2002 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), and particularly in the last five years. Since the adoption of the Investments and Securities Act 2007 (ISA) and the first set of rules and regulations of...