This diagnosis is part of the World Bank's technical assistance to the Haitian authorities regarding financial inclusion and financial sector development. The industrial development fund (FDI), a public instrument under the umbrella of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), maintains...

The agricultural sector plays a critical role in the Zambian economy. The share of the agriculture sector's GDP financed by the banking sector is among the highest in Africa. Nearly half the population is working in agriculture. Yet less than 5 percent of institutional credit goes to small and...

This policy note (PN) provides an analysis of the rural finance system in Brazil. The PN aims to inform policymaking on agriculture finance policies at a relevant time for the reform agenda. Its main objective is to provide recommendations on potential reform areas for agriculture finance, in...

Transport connectivity is an essential part of the enabling environment for inclusive and sustained growth. In many developing countries, particularly in Africa, most people are still not connected to local, regional, or global markets. Such rural accessibility is crucial to reduce poverty and...

As 2019 drew to a close, a year when Mozambique faced devastation caused by two severe cyclones, the country looks ahead having made significant progress in terms of economic stability, having strengthened its external buffers and having improved its fiscal position. The metical has been broadly...

One of the most pervasive development issues related to the provision of rural water supply and sanitation services (RWSS) is their lack of sustainability. Assessing and measuring sustainability is a difficult task for which there has not emerged a consensus on which indicators to use. Unlike in...

This report applies the framework to diagnose the opportunities and constraints faced by the rural economy and households and to assess policy options to address these constraints. The approach builds on four steps. The first step consists in examining the socio-demographic profile and living...

This report is based on a study of the costs of retail payments in Kosovo, using a methodology (A Practical Guide for Measuring Retail Payment Costs) developed by the World Bank's Payment System Development Group (PSDG), part of the Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice. The...

This report is based on a study of the costs and savings of retail payments in Albania using a methodology (A Practical Guide for Measuring Retail Payment Costs) developed by the World Bank's Payment Systems Development Group, part of the Financial Inclusion, Infrastructure, and Access at the...