Access to Finance
Measuring Access to Finance: Developing evidence-based access policies
According to the recently-published Global Findex data, 45% of adults in the ECA region have access to financial services, making it among global leaders in financial inclusion. However, performance within the region is mixed. Some countries (such as Slovenia) boast near universal access, while in others (such as Kyrgyzstan), less than 5% of adults use any type of financial product. Other challenges exist around quality of access, availability of appropriate financial products and institutional infrastructure.
In response to these challenges, MFC conducts comprehensive research around access to finance, including data collection and review of current policies and regulations. The aim is to gather evidence for policy-level changes designed to increase the use of financial services. In Belarus, we focus on the conditions that facilitate financial access (market conditions, policy environment, etc.) to develop a strategy for broadening and deepening access to finance based on local market reality and data.
More information about the approach is presented in project leaflet which can be downloaded here.
Project outputs
- an access to Financial Services (AFS) framework on the supply of financial services, demand for financial services and pro-access policies
- a total financial inclusion index (TFII) developed and larger research on access to finance conducted
- proposals for pro-access policies and regulations based on detailed analysis of client use of financial services.
Learn more about our projects in: