Building Inclusive Financial Sectors: Why Are So Many Bankable People Unbanked?

This presentation traces the recent trends in microfinance and states that:

• Only 200 out of nearly 15,000 microfinance operations are investable;
• These 200 institutions serve around ninety percent of the active client base worldwide;
• An increase has been observed in the number of donor-independent microfinance institutions;
• A vast majority of the population is excluded from most financial sectors;
• Estimates of bankable people that are un-banked range between 100 million and 2 billion.

It outlines the United Nations' approach to financial sector development that rests on:

• Assisting public and private sector stakeholders to formulate and implement action plans;
• Building a strong and competitive industry;
• Supporting the development and implementation of favorable policies and regulations.

Further, the presentation gives key information about:

• The data project launched in October 2005 by United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, to address the lack of reliable and comprehensive data on financial access by poor and low-income population.
• Blue book on building inclusive financial sectors for development launched by UNCDF as a consultative process to address constraints and opportunities.

Finally, the presentation lists the challenges that exist in capitalizing on opportunities for socioeconomic development and commercialization. These include:

• Identifying and addressing the constraints that exclude people from access to financial services;
• Encouraging public and private sector to work together to build robust and competitive inclusive financial sectors.