ISBN 978-0-8213-8835-8
SKU 18835
Financial Access and Stability
Financial Access and Stability shows that poor access to financial services is due to lingering weaknesses in financial infrastructure (such as limited coverage of credit information and weak creditor rights), weaknesses in banking competition, and the lack of nonbanking financial institutions and markets to provide alternatives to bank finance. Expanding access to finance to households and small enterprises will entail improving financial infrastructure, strengthening banking competition, and developing nonbanking financial institutions and markets. A financial stability agenda is proposed to enable MENA countries to expand access to finance while preserving the resiliency of their financial systems.
A Road Map for the Middle East and North Africa
F
inancial Access and Stability: A Road Map for the Middle East and North Africa provides a diagnostic of financial development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and a road map for expanding access to finance while preserving financial stability. MENA has large banking systems but also the highest loan concentration ratios in the world, reflecting the focus of banks on large and well-connected enterprises. Large segments of the population and the enterprise sector—especially small and medium enterprises—remain deprived from finance due to the limited access to bank lending and other financial services as well as the lack of suitable alternatives to bank finance.
MENA DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Financial Access and Stability A Road Map for the Middle East and North Africa