A national financial-inclusion strategy (NFIS) helps policy makers, in coordination with a wide range of stakeholders, define objectives and outline a set of impactful, sequenced actions to accelerate progress toward achieving financial-inclusion goals. Achieving greater financial inclusion...

While the importance of financial capability has been studied empirically, questions remain about program effectiveness, whether and how effectively these skills can be taught to consumers, and if financial education programs lead to sustained behavioral changes that improve one's financial...

The Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice of the World Bank Group (WBG) aims to help countries build financial systems that are deep, diversified, inclusive, efficient, and stable essential to promoting economic growth, reducing poverty, and increasing shared prosperity. One...

Since 2003, the Philippines have been striving to implement reforms aimed at improving audit quality. Oversight of the audit profession is a key control over the financial reporting architecture of a country's private sector. A Quality Assurance Review system over audit practitioners is a subset...

The Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Center (PFTAC) produced 'A Public Financial Management Roadmap for Forum Island Countries' ("The Roadmap") in 2009 (PFTAC 2010). This document was adopted at the Forum Economic Ministers' Meeting (FEMM) of the Pacific Island Forum as an agreed approach...

There is growing evidence that financially inclusive countries are more financially stable and exhibit better micro- and macro-economic conditions conducive to financial well-being of individual consumers. In order to produce significant economic and societal benefits, financial inclusion needs...

Over the past decade, financial consumer protection has become an increasingly mainstream priority for policymakers. A strong consumer protection regime is key to ensuring that expanded access to financial services benefits consumers, enabling them to make well-informed decisions on how best to...

Financial inclusion in Zambia has nearly doubled in the last ten years - from 21.3 percent in 2005 to 40.2 percent in 2016. This success was made possible by Zambia's Financial Sector Development Plan that concluded in 2015. And yet, when compared to other lower-middle income countries, Zambia...

Financial sector authorities increasingly prioritize financial inclusion and financial consumer protection, alongside existing priorities of stability and integrity. An enabling environment that facilitates competition, promotes innovation and the use of technology, addresses risks in a...

While only 44 percent of adults in Nigeria have an account at a formal financial institution, and only 2.5 percent have a mobile account, there are rapid innovations in both traditional and digital financial services that promote financial inclusion but also add complexity and risks for...