This report presents an analysis conducted by the World Bank to assess macro-fiscal impacts of earthquakes and floods in European Union (EU) Member States (MS), analyze the financial instruments in place to manage this risk and identify any associated funding gaps. The analysis is underpinned by...

Following a decade of conflicts, Western Balkan countries accomplished robust economic growth in the 2000s. This growth pattern was domestic demand driven and externally financed, hence was hampered significantly by the global financial crisis and subsequent euro area debt crisis. Despite modest...

The report aims to explore and analyze the major gaps in financial inclusion and access to finance in Romania, as identified in the Technical Note on Financial Intermediation prepared in the context of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) (2018). The FSAP technical note analyzed the...

This engagement note provides a snapshot of financial development in the countries of the GulfCooperation Council (GCC), Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and identifies key areas of the financial sector reform agenda where the World Bank Group (WBG)...

The Libya Financial Sector Review represents a snapshot review of the Libyan financial sector which is based on a fact-finding mission to Tripoli, Libya, in January 2019, discussions with leading participants in the financial sector, and desk research. The report is based on the limited...

The South African financial system has weathered the shock of COVID-19 but faces growing risks emanating from a weak macroeconomic outlook. The pandemic crisis hit South Africa hard, with nonresident capital outflows accelerating and the domestic and global slowdown precipitating a6.4 percent...

State-owned financial institutions (SOFIs) and broader interventions by the state need to play a more prominent role in supporting financial inclusion, green activities and fostering competition among private financial providers. While SOFIs have been generally perceived as complementary to the...

This paper analyzes the performance and development of the Mexican pension annuity market in Mexico that stemmed from the 1997 pension reform. The Mexican experience displays interesting characteristics that provide lessons for other countries that still need to design the decumulation phase of...

Financial System Assessment Program (FSAP) update mission to Mexico from February 22 to March 8, 2006, an update of the observance of the CPSS Core Principles for Systemically Important Payment Systems (CPSIPS) was carried out. The Mexican authorities provided the FSAP team with a note in which...

A joint IMF and World Bank team conducted virtual missions to Georgia during January-February 2021 and May-June 2021, to update the findings of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) conducted in 2014. This report summarizes the main findings of the mission, identifies key financial...