This book can be purchased at the World Bank website.This study investigates the relationship between financial sector development and progress in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).We assess the contribution of countries' financial sector development to achieving the MDGs. We...

This paper describes our construction of the Global Financial Development Database and uses the data to compare financial systems around the world. The database (available at www.worldbank.org/financialdevelopment) provides information on financial systems in 205 economies over the period from...

This paper describes our construction of the Global Financial Development Database and uses the data to compare financial systems around the world. The database provides information on financial systems in 205 economies over the period from 1960 to 2010 and includes measures of (1) size of...

Reverse stress tests can be a useful tool to evaluate bank resilience to a credit shock, especially in environments where financial data are limited or opaque. This paper develops a simple and transparent country-level banking sector resilience indicator that focuses on tail risks, the...

Economic frictions such as information asymmetries and economic forces such as economies of scale and scope give rise to financial intermediaries. These frictions and forces also shape market structure. While technological advances are not new to finance, digital innovation has brought major...

Reverse stress tests can be a useful tool to evaluate bank resilience to a credit shock, especially in environments where financial data are limited or opaque. This paper develops a simple and transparent country-level banking sector resilience indicator that focuses on tail risks, the...

Fintech-the application of digital technology to financial services—is reshaping thefuture of finance. Digital technologies are revolutionizing payments, lending, investment,insurance, and other financial products and services-and the COVID-19 pandemic hasaccelerated this process....