We study the bancarization of marginal borrowers using credit cards and document that this process is difficult: default risk is substantial, returns heterogeneous, and account closings common. We also take advantage of a randomized control trial that varied interest rates and minimum payments...

"Access to financial services is recognised across the world as a powerful contributor to economic growth and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Real Money, New Frontiers is a collection of case studies of innovation in Africa's financial markets, presenting vivid testimony from across...

This paper explores the political factors that determine the price of loans offered to borrowing countries by multilateral development banks (MDBs). The reasons why MDBs set their prices at a given level and why those prices might vary from one MDB to another has received scant attention in...