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Today, the global financial markets are characterized by intensive development of communication and information technologies and the financial globalization, what leads in the world economy to the restrictions on the free movement of capital, what create the basis for the competition intensification. FinTech's market today is determined by one of the most active emerging markets. The issue of financial market transformation under the influence of FinTech, innovations in the banking sector, as well as research and definition of effective adaptation mechanisms for interaction between traditional and non-traditional financial institutions are covered in the research of modern scientists. However, despite the depth and high level of processing of these problems related to the impact and rapid development of world technologies on the banking sector, the obtained conclusions require further analysis and research, as the work is characterized by insufficient ordering of the conceptual apparatus, and not fully reflected the features of the transformation of banking systems. So, there is a need in the sound reseaches on the topic of the perception of FinTech services by consumers in order to take into account their requirements, what helps the banks identify the main areas of business in today's environment and solve the problems that arise in the face of the globalization of the new FinTech. In the article the basic factors of diversification of FinTech according to evolutionary processes of the market are investigated, what allowed to identify the main competitors for banks, directions of their activities and the main technological innovations that promote rapid development. The research of the leading countries of the world on the introduction of FinTech, those who today is determined as the leaders on the basis of EY FinTech Adoption Index data, was conducted. The analysis of the volume of world investments made it possible to determine the global trends of the financial market: mobile payments, money transfers, crowdfunding, blockade, cryptovolume and P2P lending, which will be the priority directions for modern banks when FinTech is introduced, in order to gain competitive advantages on the market with existing proposals of unconventional financial establishments It is established that one of the determinants of the development of the modern banking system is the introduction of modern financial technologies and the activities of FinTech-firms. To keep competitive advantages, banks need constantly monitor, evaluate, select and implement innovative technologies, taking into account ongoing transformations in the expectations of current customers, device capabilities, operating systems, and security requirements., У статті досліджено тенденції адаптації банків до функціонування в умовах стрімкого розвитку фінансових технологій FinTech. Визначення етапів еволюції FinTech дало змогу визначити основні форми взаємодії нових гравців на ринку з банками, вдосконалення яких створить основу для забезпечення необхідного рівня конкурентоспроможності банків на ринку через впровадження нових форм співпраці. На основі даних EY FinTech Adoption Index проаналізовано ринки провідних країн світу, що є лідерами впровадження FinTech. Визначено поточний та очікуваний рівень використання FinTech відповідно до секторів, що отримали найбільші інвестиційні потоки. За результатами дослідження визначено глобальні тренди фінансового ринку: мобільні платежі, грошові перекази, краудфандинг, блокчейн, криптовалюти та Р2Р кредитування, що мають бути пріоритетними сферами для банків при впровадженні FinTech для набуття конкурентних переваг порівняно з наявними на ринку пропозиціями нетрадиційних фінансових послуг.

International audience; This study aimed to investigate the effect on the quality of banking services marketing performance of banks operating in the Gaza Strip in light of the financial transitions from the perspective of employees, and the disclosure of the relationship between the quality of banking services and marketing performance from the perspective of employees and customers. The researcher used descriptive and analytical approach, and the study population of employees and customers at Bank (Palestine Limited, Palestinian Islamic, housing, Jerusalem, the Arab Bank), and the study tool is a questionnaire applied to a simple random sample of employees and customers have been obtained (97) questionnaire rate of recovery (97%) to identify the employees, the customers have been recovered (141) questionnaire by recovery (78%). the results of the study showed a statistically significant relationship between the quality of banking service and financial shifts in operating in the Gaza Strip banks from the perspective of employees, and between financial transformations and marketing performance of banks operating in the Gaza Strip from the perspective of employees, and the quality of banking service and marketing performance in banks operating in the Gaza Strip from the standpoint of employees, customers, and that there is the effect of a statistically significant for the quality of banking services on the marketing performance of banks operating in the Gaza Strip in light of the transformations Finance from the perspective of employees. And changing the mediator of financial shifts weaken the impact of the quality of banking services and the marketing performance. One of the main recommendations: to work on open communication channels between banks and customers departments to keep the banking institutions more flexible and responsive to the aspirations of the entire banking customers about the services provided and it will contribute to the improvement of marketing performance.

International audience; This study aimed to identify the impact of the quality of banking services on the marketing performance of the banks operating in the Gaza Strip in light of the financial transformations from the point of view of employees and the relationship between the quality of banking services and marketing performance from the point of view of employees. The researchers used the descriptive analytical method. The research population consisted of employees of Bank (Palestine Limited, Islamic Palestine, Housing, Jerusalem, Arab Bank). The study tool was a questionnaire applied to a simple random sample of employees. A total of 97 responses were obtained with a recovery rate (97%) for the questionnaire of the employees. The results of the study indicated that the level of availability of the quality of banking service (safety, credibility, efficiency of service providers, tact, empathy, reliability, communication, accessibility, material and human aspects, response level) in banks operating in the Gaza Strip from the point of view of employees was high. The results showed that the level of marketing performance of banks operating in the Gaza Strip from the point of view of workers was high. There is a statistically significant relationship at the level of (α≤0.05) between the quality of banking service and the financial transformations on the one hand and the financial transformations and marketing performance in the banks operating in the Gaza Strip from the point of view of employees. There is a statistically significant relationship at the level (α≤0.05) between the quality of banking service and marketing performance in the banks operating in the Gaza Strip from the point of view of employees. There is a statistically significant impact of the quality of banking services on the marketing performance of banks operating in the Gaza Strip in light of the financial transformations from the point of view of employees. The intermediate variable of financial transformations weakens the impact between the quality of banking services and marketing performance. There are no statistically significant differences at the level of (α≤0.05) between the averages of the employees' estimation on the quality of banking services, marketing performance and financial transitions for the variable of scientific qualification and the bank. There are statistically significant differences at the level of (α≤0.05) between the average scores of employees on the quality of banking services for the variable number of years of service and for those who have years of service (less than 5 years). One of the most important recommendations was to promote and develop the skills of bank employees, prepare banking competencies on a global level, develop their performance in the field of assimilation of developments and on the development of the banking industry. The use of special agencies to study and discover areas of weakness and strength in banking services through the use of models developed globally to raise the credibility of the results locally and internationally. The establishment of strategies and policies for the improvement of the quality of the banking service provided by the Department of Banks, taking into consideration the relative importance of the quality of the banking service provided effectively in the design and implementation of quality strategies. The need for banks to face financial transformations emanating from within the bank and not to develop a model system imported from abroad or from other banks in order to achieve effectiveness. Banks must adopt effective strategies to upgrade their services to the level of these different challenges. To develop and strengthen the oversight role of the Monetary Authority over banks, and to adopt an ambitious plan to restructure the Monetary Authority and its operations to become more in line with international standards and practices and to become a modern central bank with full powers. Banks need to encourage researchers and those interested in banking services to carry out applied studies and scientific research in this area by providing them with the financial support and data required to do so.

Cilj ovoga empirijskog istraživanja jest istražiti i analizirati utjecaj odnosa s javnošću na odabir bankarske usluge. Uzorak je obuhvatio ukupno 106 ispitanika, a činili su ga klijenti poslovnih banaka na području Hercegovačko-neretvanske županije. Polazeći od problematike i cilja istraživanja, postavljena je hipoteza: Odnosi s javnošću pozitivno utječu na odabir bankarske usluge. Za obradu prikupljenih podataka primijenjen je odgovarajući softverski paket SPSS. Podatci prikupljeni empirijskim istraživanjem obrađeni su primjenom više odgovarajućih statističkih metoda: deskriptivnom statistikom, kroz tabulacije, izračunavanjem srednjih vrijednosti, izračunavanjem frekvencija različitih odgovora te testiranjem pouzdanosti i valjanosti primijenjenih mjernih ljestvica putem Cronbach Alpha koeficijenta. Postavljana hipoteza testirana je metodom višestruke regresije. Rezultati istraživanja potvrdili su glavnu hipotezu te pokazali da odnosi s javnošću imaju važan i pozitivan utjecaj na klijente pri odabiru bankarske usluge., The purpose of this empirical research is to study and analyze the impact of public relations on specific banking service selection. This sample includes a total of 106 respondents and comprises the clients of commercial banks in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. Based on the topic and research objectives, the main hypotheses is that public relations have positive effect on the selection of banking services. For processing the collected data, there is an appropriate software – SPSS package applied. Data collected in the empirical research were processed with the use of several statistical methods: descriptive statistics, through tabulation, calculating the average value, calculating the frequency of different responses and testing the reliability and validity of the applied measurement scales through Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Suggested hypotheses were tested by multiple regression method. The results of the study confirmed the main and additional hypotheses and showed that public relations have a significant positive impact on customers in their selection of banking services.

El presente trabajo dará a conocer el conocimiento adquirido por la estudiante en el desarrollo de sus prácticas empresariales, a su vez proporcionará un recorrido por aquellos procesos y/o actividades que le permitieron explotar, ampliar y mejorar sus habilidades, en áreas personales e intelectuales que aportaron a su crecimiento profesional. Adicionalmente, brindara un panorama sobre cómo el trabajo en una empresa del sector financiero permite poner en práctica algunos de los conocimientos adquiridos en las aulas de la universidad; por tal motivo es preciso mencionar que dicho trabajo mostrará sin lugar a duda la percepción obtenida por la estudiante, esto por llevar a la práctica los conocimientos anteriormente adquiridos y reflejados en cada una de las labores que tenía a su cargo y en las que se desenvolvía como aprendiz universitaria del Banco Davivienda, más específicamente como apoyo de la Jefatura de Zona. Profesional en Negocios Internacionales http://www.ustavillavicencio.edu.co/home/index.php/unidades/extension-y-proyeccion/investigacion Pregrado

This report was prepared as part of the World Bank engagement in the Philippines to support Islamic Finance and Financial Inclusion. It provides an overview on the context for the development of Islamic finance in the Philippines and is accompanied by two focused reports providing further detail and suggestions on enhancing financial inclusion in the Philippines through Islamic microfinance and assessment of the status of financial inclusion in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)and the proposed Bangsamoro territory. The term Islamic finance is used to refer to financial activities conforming to Islamic Law (Shari‘ah). One of the main principles of the Islamic finance system is the prohibition of the payment and the receipt of ribā (interest) in a financial transaction. A pure debt security is replaced with an “asset-based” security, direct financing of a real asset, and different forms of partnerships of which equity financing is the most desirable.The following key principles guide Islamic Finance: i) Prohibition of interest on transactions (ribā); ii) Financing must be linked to assets (materiality); iii) Engagement in immoral or ethically problematic businesses not allowed (e.g., gambling or alcohol production); iv) Returns must be linked to risks. Table 1 provides a summary description of basic financial instruments.Over the past decade Islamic finance has emerged as an effective tool for financing development worldwide, including in non-Muslim majority countries. Discussion and interest in Islamic finance has also appeared on G20 discussions. Major financial markets are discovering solid evidence that Islamic finance has already been mainstreamed within the global financial system – and that it has the potential to help address the challenges of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.In summary, Islamic finance is equity-based, asset-backed, ethical, sustainable, environmentally- and socially-responsible finance. It promotes risk sharing, connects the financial sector with the real economy, and emphasizes financial inclusion and social welfare.

Policy makers and regulators have devoted much effort to reforms aimed at improving financial stability in response to lessons from the 2007-09 crisis. At the same time, much effort has also been directed to promoting greater financial inclusion as an enabler of equal opportunity. To some extent, these endeavors have been exerted in silos, neglecting the possibility that financial inclusion and financial stability could be significantly intertwined, positively or negatively. If there are synergies or trade-offs between inclusion and stability, policy decisions must be informed, and the policy setting, design, and implementation adjusted accordingly. This paper (i) discusses the relationship between financial inclusion and stability, (ii) illustrates empirically interactions between the two financial sector outcomes, and (iii) outlines policy challenges stemming from these interactions.

This technical note discusses the current status of banking supervision and regulation in Montenegro in the context of select Basel Core Principles (BCP). This note has been prepared as part of a Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) update conducted jointly by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) in September 2015. As agreed with the authorities, the FSAP tea

Transformational engagements are a critical pillar of the World Bank Group’s strategy for achieving its twin goals of extreme poverty elimination and shared prosperity. This learning product uses evaluative evidence from the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) to understand the mechanisms and conditions for transformational engagements and the implications for the World Bank Group if it seeks to rely on such engagements to more effectively pursue its goals.

Myanmar grew at an estimated 8.5 percent in real terms in 2014-15. Economic reforms have supported consumer and investor confidence despite business environment and socio-political challenges. The economic impact of the floods that hit Myanmar from July 2015 is still being assessed, but will likely adversely affect the main rice crop this year. According to preliminary analysis of census data, the areas most affected by the floods are those where people were relatively worse off. Fiscal policy is expected to remain broadly on track, but the current account will come under further pressure due to import demand for post-flood rehabilitation and slowing agricultural exports. Addressing short-term macroeconomic challenges will require continued efforts at maintaining exchange rate flexibility supported by fiscal and monetary discipline. Supporting governance improvements is a core focus of the World Bank Group (WBG) program. The WBG is well positioned to support the improvement of corporate governance standards in order to build confidence and facilitate investment in domestic firms.

This paper evaluates the impact of access to credit from banks and other financial institutions on household welfare in Mauritania. Micro-level data from a 2014 household survey are used to evaluate the relationship between credit access, a range of household characteristics, and welfare indicators. To address potential endogeneity issues, the household isolation level is used to instrument access to credit. The results show that households headed by older, more educated people are more likely to access financial services, as are households located in urban areas. In addition, greater financial access appears to be associated with a reduced dependence on household production and increased investment in human capital.

Access to finance is a key component of poverty reduction, as it enables individuals to make economic decisions that can improve their welfare. The equality of access among different groups in society is also crucial for correctly allocating the positive benefits of improved financial services. In Turkey, bank account, debit card, and credit card ownership, which can serve as the main indicators of access to finance, are at a remarkably high level. However, adjusting the coverage rate of these indicators by controlling for age, education, gender, an income reveals that gender is the main source of inequality in Turkey at the individual level. Despite the progress made in addressing the gender disparity in access to finance between 2011 and 2014, females in Turkey continue to be financially less included. Moreover, Turkey's low level of savings and high rate of informal borrowing compared with its peers diminish individuals' resilience to future shocks. Promisingly, Turkey has been able to improve its rate of savings significantly over the past few years, although it continues to be among the countries that save at a lower level.

Mali is a vast, land-locked country in West Africa with a population of approximately 14.9 million, and a GDP per capita of USD480. The economy is largely rural, with over two-thirds of the population living off agriculture, notably cotton. Gold is the country’s largest export, though production has been declining and the industry faces an uncertain future as proven reserves are limited. The service sector, which represents 40 percent of GDP, is dominated by trade and commerce. Mali’s dependence on crops and gold makes it vulnerable to terms of trade shocks. Industry, which employs just 3 percent of the active population, consists largely of small-scale food processing and textile plants. The overwhelming majority of the population (over 90 percent) works in the informal sector. The FSAP Development Module focused on: i) the banking sector and legal framework (credit to the economy); ii) microfinance; iii) agricultural finance; iv) insurance; and v) housing finance2. The mission carried out in-depth assessments on each topic and provided recommendations aiming at mitigating financial vulnerabilities and supporting the development of the financial sector (i.e. development the credit to the economy while insuring financial stability).

There has been significant development of Mali’s banking sector in recent years, but it remains shallow, and access to banking services is limited. With the opening of a new bank in 2014, there are now 14 commercial banks operating in Mali. There has been a positive evolution of the banking sector in Mali from 2009-13. There have been a number of changes in recent years in the ownership structure of the banking sector, which is now dominated by foreign shareholders, primarily from Africa. The emergence of WAEMU banking groups is a recent phenomenon, spurred in part by the approval of a single banking license for the sub-region. Available financial soundness indicators (FSI) suggest that the banking sector is generally sound, though performance varies widely among banks, and asset quality is weak.

The housing finance market in Mali remains small and under developed. Few banks currently offer a full mortgage product with Banque Malienne de Solidarite, Mali Housing Bank (BHM), Bank of Africa, and EcoBank being the main lenders although at minimal levels. The total annual housing need in Mali based on the household formation rate amounts to 82,500, split between 51,100 urban units and 31,400 rural units. Overall some social housing is constructed and support is provided by the state for low income housing through the Office Malienne de l’Habitat (OMH), but the numbers remain small. The Malien authorities have been working to strengthen financial sector stability which includes measures to stabilize the BHM and put it in a position where it begins to fulfill its mandate of providing credit for the housing sector. A strategy was approved by the council of Minister for a strategic disengagement by the state from the share capital of BHM. Initially the agreed plan was for BHM to be privatized. Overall progress in delivery of affordable housing will require a concerted effort among all stakeholders both in public and private sector. This should be supported through establishment of stakeholder coordination group to oversee change across the housing value chain.

The existence of a sound financial consumer protection framework is fundamental to increasing access to and usage of financial services, and the quality of those financial services, along with supporting further financial sector deepening. Financial consumer protection is a necessary precursor to building trust in the formal financial sector and thus in encouraging financial inclusion. Further, consumer protection helps ensure that expanded access benefits consumers and the economy as a whole. While increased access can result in significant economic and societal benefits, it can be neutral or even harmful if consumers: (i) cannot exercise their rights as consumers, (ii) cannot select the financial products that suit them best; and (iii) are not protected from mis-selling, fraud, and other market abuses. The main objective of a CPFL Review is to assess the legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks for financial consumer protection in a country, with reference to the good practices. The following areas are addressed: (i) institutional arrangements, (ii) the legal and regulatory framework, (iii) transparency and disclosure, (iv) business practices, (v) complaints handling and dispute resolution mechanisms and (vi) financial literacy/capability. All parts of a financial sector can be considered, including banking, non-bank credit institutions, insurance, securities, private pensions, and credit reporting.

Correspondent banking services are essential to enabling companies and individuals to transact internationally and make cross-border payments. Recently there have been indications that certain large international banks have started terminating or severely limiting their correspondent banking relationships with smaller local and regional banks from jurisdictions around the world. To find out whether this is indeed happening, the World Bank, with support from the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI), surveyed banking authorities and banks worldwide to examine the extent of withdrawal from correspondent banking, its drivers, and its implications for financial exclusion/inclusion. In total, 110 banking authorities, 20 large banks, and 170 smaller local and regional banks participated in this exercise. This document includes finding of the survey, conclusions, and recommendations.

This assessment of the current state of the implementation of the Basel core principles (BCP) for effective banking supervision in Bulgaria has been completed as a stand-alone report on the observance of standards and codes undertaken by the international monetary fund (IMF) and the World Bank during March of 2015 at the request of the Bulgarian authorities. It reflects the regulatory and supervisory framework in place as of the date of the completion of the assessment. The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has an internal governance structure which, by vesting the majority of the powers of supervision in the Deputy Governor for banking supervision, exposes the supervisory function to risks. Under the BNB’s legal structure, supervision and enforcement is dissociated from the Governing Council, and the Governing Council has no right to compel transparency of decision making or to impose a framework to ensure consistency in the use of the enforcement regime. There are material concerns that the BNB is too resource constrained to deliver effective minimum levels of supervision. Despite a broad range of supervisory powers, there are some gaps in the legal framework that unduly restrict the BNB’s locus. The BNB has a good understanding of risk and many strong practices, and also making good use of international standards and guidelines, but there are some important system wide vulnerabilities. The assessment team reviewed the framework of laws, rules, and guidance and held extensive meetings with officials of the BNB, and additional meetings with the Finance Ministry, auditing firms, professional bodies, and banking sector participants. The authorities provided a comprehensive self-assessment of the CPs, as well as detailed responses to additional questionnaires, and facilitated access to supervisory documents and files on a confidential basis as well as staff and systems.

Growing research and policy interest focuses on the misallocation of output and factors of production in developing economies. This paper considers the possible misallocation of financial loans. Using plant-level data on the organized and unorganized sectors, the paper describes the temporal, geographic, and industry distributions of financial loans. The focus of the analysis is the hypothesis that land misallocation might be an important determinant of financial misallocation (for example, because of the role of land as collateral against loans). Using district-industry variations, the analysis finds evidence to support this hypothesis, although it does not find a total reduction in the intensity of financial loans or those being given to new entrants. The analysis also considers differences by gender of business owners and workers in firms. Although potential early gaps for businesses with substantial female employment have disappeared in the organized sector, a sizeable and persistent gap remains in the unorganized sector.

In September 2014, the Group of Twenty (G20) Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) requested the World Bank Group to undertake a survey in the G20 countries on the issue of commercial banks’ actions to de-risk their operations, specifically in relation to non-bank international remittance service providers or, as they are alternatively referred to throughout this report, money transfer operators (MTOs). The objective of the survey was to assess the status of the de-risking phenomenon in the G20 countries, and to collect evidence from which conclusions on the main drivers and the impact for the MTO market could be drawn. The key findings of this survey and the relative recommendations on potential actions are provided in this report to assist the G20 governments, standard setting bodies, private sector entities and the other relevant stakeholders in the financial sector on future discussions on this topic. In addition to working with the G20 on de-risking in the remittance market, the World Bank Group collaborated with the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) to conduct a global survey on access to foreign correspondent banking relationships. This survey is focused on banking authorities, large international banks, and regional/local banks. The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors endorsed this work in February 2015.

This snapshot provides an overview of financial inclusion trends and challenges in Tunisia. It follows the recent expiration of the Coordinated Vision for the Development of Microfinance in Tunisia 2011-2014, national strategy published in 2011.

This assessment of the current state of the implementation of the Basel core principles (BCP) for effective banking supervision in Bulgaria has been completed as a stand-alone report on the observance of standards and codes undertaken by the international monetary fund (IMF) and the World Bank during March of 2015 at the request of the Bulgarian authorities. It reflects the regulatory and supervisory framework in place as of the date of the completion of the assessment. The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has an internal governance structure which, by vesting the majority of the powers of supervision in the Deputy Governor for banking supervision, exposes the supervisory function to risks. Under the BNB’s legal structure, supervision and enforcement is dissociated from the Governing Council, and the Governing Council has no right to compel transparency of decision making or to impose a framework to ensure consistency in the use of the enforcement regime. There are material concerns that the BNB is too resource constrained to deliver effective minimum levels of supervision. Despite a broad range of supervisory powers, there are some gaps in the legal framework that unduly restrict the BNB’s locus. The BNB has a good understanding of risk and many strong practices, and also making good use of international standards and guidelines, but there are some important system wide vulnerabilities. The assessment team reviewed the framework of laws, rules, and guidance and held extensive meetings with officials of the BNB, and additional meetings with the Finance Ministry, auditing firms, professional bodies, and banking sector participants. The authorities provided a comprehensive self-assessment of the CPs, as well as detailed responses to additional questionnaires, and facilitated access to supervisory documents and files on a confidential basis as well as staff and systems.

This report will share key findings from the research, starting with an overview in section two of the international remittance context and the UK remittance market. It also provides a view on trends in the UK market, particularly in the wake of significant bank de-risking, leading many remittance service providers (RSPs) to seek out alternative banking solutions. Section three outlines the objectives of the research, the survey design and the sampling techniques for the fieldwork. This is followed by Section 4, which presents the empirical findings of the 602 interviews collected. It begins with demographic and economic characteristics of the participants before focusing on migrants’ attitudes and behaviors regarding remittance sending, using financial services, and savings and investment. Given the current environment for remittance service providers in the UK (and in several other countries) and the global commitment to reducing remittance costs, there is a focus on the service providers used and the costs incurred. Finally, the report concludes with a summary of the main findings and provides recommendations on addressing the barriers and issues faced by migrants in London regarding financial and remittance services, as well as potential areas of further inquiry.

This study was undertaken under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) to assess fiduciary risks in using country financial management (FM) systems in full, or in part, for implementing Donor and Bank-financed investment projects in Zimbabwe and to identify risk mitigation measures required for such use. Fiduciary risk is the risk that Bank funds (or donor funds) will not be used for their intended purposes or that they will be used without due attention to economy and efficiency. In projects using country FM systems, Bank funds are potentially commingled with the country’s own funds; therefore, a fiduciary risk assessment also needs to consider broader country PFM risks that could affect the fiduciary risk. This assessment uses a risk-based approach consistent with the interim guidance note issued by the FM Sector Board in 2009, entitled ‘assessment of fiduciary risks in the use of country FM systems in bank-financed investment projects’; and supplemented by the framework methodology for channeling investment lending projects through country financial management systems and the approach used for regular FM assessments. The risk-based approach provides a ranking of the fiduciary risks to be managed as high, substantial, moderate, or low. The decision to use country systems for a specific project then rests with the project's task team, guided by the country management team, after taking into account this fiduciary risk assessment and other factors such as the nature and complexity of the project and an assessment of implementing entities.

This technical note provides a snapshot of financial inclusion trends and challenges in Tunisia. It follows the recent expiration of the Coordinated Vision for the Development of Microfinance in Tunisia 2011-2014, national strategy published in 2011. This document does not examine all aspects of financial sector development, but rather concentrates specifically on financial inclusion for low-income households and micro-enterprises.

This Technical Note was prepared in the context of a joint World Bank-IMF Financial Sector Assessment Program mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina during October – November, 2014. The FSAP team found the DIA is to be Compliant or Largely Compliant with 12 out of 16 applicable Core Principles and Materially Non-Compliant with three Core Principles. The team found a number of areas where some deficiencies exist in the deposit insurance system and financial safety-net arrangements and accordingly is proposing a corrective action plan to address these areas.

This Technical Note evaluates state bank corporate governance practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analysis was completed during October 27-November 18, 2014. This TN is not a formal assessment against the Basel Committee’s Principles for Enhancing Governance; rather, it assesses key issues and provides a set of recommendations to the authorities with the view to strengthen state bank governance and the State’s ownership structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The governments of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and the Republic of Srpska (RS) are involved in their domestic banking systems through equity stakes and subordinated debt investments in certain banking institutions. Banks’ supervisory boards are not performing their intended leadership role.

The Global Financial Inclusion (Global Findex) database, launched by the World Bank in 2011, provides comparable indicators showing how people around the world save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. The 2014 edition of the database reveals that 62 percent of adults worldwide have an account at a bank or another type of financial institution or with a mobile money provider. Between 2011 and 2014, 700 million adults became account holders while the number of those without an account—the unbanked—dropped by 20 percent to 2 billion. What drove this increase in account ownership? A growth in account penetration of 13 percentage points in developing economies and innovations in technology—particularly mobile money, which is helping to rapidly expand access to financial services in Sub-Saharan Africa. Along with these gains, the data also show that big opportunities remain to increase financial inclusion, especially among women and poor people. Governments and the private sector can play a pivotal role by shifting the payment of wages and government transfers from cash into accounts. There are also large opportunities to spur greater use of accounts, allowing those who already have one to benefit more fully from financial inclusion. In developing economies 1.3 billion adults with an account pay utility bills in cash, and more than half a billion pay school fees in cash. Digitizing payments like these would enable account holders to make the payments in a way that is easier, more affordable, and more secure.

Jamaica has experienced 30 years of low economic growth and high fiscal deficits, with a significant impact on the development of the financial sector. As part of the overall growth and competitiveness reform agenda, the authorities have embarked on ambitious financial sector legislation reforms to address weaknesses. Lack of access to credit and equity constrain Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (MSME) operations and growth, and ultimately their contribution to the economy. High interest rates and low penetration of credit to households and MSMEs can be explained by high credit risk as a result of high information asymmetries in the market, as well as limited competition in the banking sector. The authorities should complete the establishment of a regulatory and supervisory framework for deposit-taking institutions proportionate to the risks and the activities they undertake. The impact of public policies has been limited and programs on housing, MSME finance, and agriculture finance would be welcomed to address market gaps, in support of financial inclusion. The financial inclusion agenda also requires a comprehensive strategy on consumer protection regulation and supervision.

Financial infrastructure is the underlying foundation of a country’s financial system. It is comprised of all institutions, information, technologies, rules, and standards which enable financial intermediation. The quality of a country’s financial infrastructure determines the efficiency of intermediation, the ability of lenders to evaluate risk and of borrowers to obtain credit, insurance, and other financial products at competitive terms. This report covers two dimensions of Jamaica’s financial infrastructure: 1) payments, remittances, and securities settlement systems, and; 2) credit reporting systems. This technical note does not provide a detailed assessment of individual payments system in the form of a Report on Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC), but uses the framework of international standards for carrying out a detailed analysis of the existing systems in Jamaica, including the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Principles for Financial Markets Infrastructure (PFMIs), the CPSS General Guidance for National Payment System Development, the CPSS-World Bank General Principles on International Remittance Services (GPs), the World Bank General Principles for credit reporting and related methodologies. The information used in the assessment includes relevant national laws, regulations, rules and procedures governing the systems and other available material.

The poor and other underserved populations in developing countries have unique financial service s needs. However, there is often a mismatch between what financial institutions offer and what underserved populations need or want. This product gap may reflect a lack of interest by financial institutions in designing more target products, or a lack of willingness or capacity on the part of financial institutions to design, market and implement tailor-made financial products. The objectives of the Product Design Case Studies are to 1) develop expertise related to product design and innovation processes through a better understanding of best practices in the field, in depth research and application of behavioral economics concepts; 2) increase awareness of product design/innovation and the links between product development and financial inclusion; and 3) generate publicity and knowledge sharing around product design and innovation. While the hand loan product was broadly successful in achieving its original intent, the pilot encountered considerable institutional and execution challenges that are instructive for future product innovation efforts. The first two sections describe the problem and the innovative product designed to address it. The next section describes the final design and implementation of the product in detail. The fourth section covers post-pilot data collection and results. The final sections discuss lessons learned and planned future enhancements.

Economists have long known that financial services have benefits for users by allowing them to smooth consumption, save for bulky purchases, etc. But the recognition of their importance even for people with relatively low incomes those earning one to two dollars a day, for instance is relatively recent. This recognition has been spurred by a better understanding of the financial lives of the poor, and of the critical role played by uncertainty and volatility. The objective of this case study is to describe the design and implementation of WING, a Cambodian mobile-phone-based payment system. The product has been successful in providing access to formal banking to the previously unbanked in Cambodia. The following sections present the problem of financial exclusion, how WING meets this problem by providing a mobile banking network, the unique aspects of WING s design compared to other products, challenges in achieving technology adoption and other constraints faced by the product, and how WING has responded to these challenges throughout implementation. Finally, the case study presents lessons learned and behavioral applications for future products.

Malawi s economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, especially tobacco, which comprises a majority of the country s exports. Tobacco farmers have one harvest a year, and while their income stream occurs over several months it must last them for the entire year, making it difficult to smooth consumption throughout the year. The objective of this case study is to present the design and implementation of a commitment savings product for groups of tobacco farmers in Malawi. The product was successful in encouraging savings, increasing input purchases and yields for the next year s harvest, and increasing consumption after the harvest. The following sections describe the lack of formal savings options for rural farmers, the behavioral concept behind commitment savings accounts, the product designed to address these problems and subsequent changes to the original design, results of a field experiment evaluating the product, and lessons learned for other commitment savings products.

Farming is a mainstay of the Kenyan economy, representing three quarters of employment in the country. Nearly half of all farming output in the country is for subsistence purposes. Therefore, many farmers livelihoods are entirely dependent on their harvests, both for the income generated by selling crops and for feeding their families. Unfortunately, there is little certainty in subsistence farming since the size of the harvest is largely determined by the timing and amount of rainfall. The objective of this case study is to describe the design and implementation of an index-based agricultural insurance product targeting rural farmers in Kenya. The Kilimo Salama (Safe Agriculture in Kiswahili) product has been successful in protecting farmers against risks from drought or excessive rainfall, both of which can have disastrous effects on the harvest. The following sections present weather-related risks affecting farmers, the steps taken to address these problems by designing a new insurance product, the product development and implementation process, and the impact of this new product thus far. Beyond the focus on product design, this case also discusses lessons learned since the product's launch, how the product is expected to evolve in future versions, and scalability.

Africa is rapidly urbanizing and will lead the world’s urban growth in the coming decades. Currently, Africa is the least‐urbanized continent, accommodating 11.3 percent of the world’s urban population, and the Sub‐Saharan region is the continent’s least‐urbanized area. However, the region’s cities are expanding rapidly, by 2050; Africa’s urban population is projected to reach 1.2 billion, with an urbanization rate of 58 percent (UN‐HABITAT 2014). With this rate of growth, Africa will overtake Asia as the world’s most rapidly urbanizing region by 2025 (UN 2014). Although the nature and pace of urbanization varies among countries, with over a quarter of the world’s fastest growing cities, Africa is undergoing a massive urban transition. Globally, cities are major drivers of economic growth, and the quality and location of housing has long-term consequences for inclusive growth. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, urbanization is not accompanied by the level of per-capita economic growth or housing investment that is observed elsewhere in global trends. Incomes in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) have not kept pace with urbanization, which, in many African countries, has not necessarily been accompanied by industrial growth and the structural transformation as has occurred in other regions. Housing stocks, along with investment and employment in related construction and finance industries, constitute a major component of national economic wealth. The key challenge for African cities, however, has been the comparatively low growth in per‐capita income, which limits the resources that households have to consume or invest in housing. At the same time across the region, the formal channels through which quality housing is produced and financed face major constraints that limit access to a large share of urban households. Hence, the formal housing sector is only a small part of the economy because the construction and finance services have very little effective demand, evidenced by the lack of formal investment in housing across the region. Recent studies have found that in Africa, formal housing investment (in national current accounts data) lags behind urbanization by nine years (Dasgupta et al. 2014). Furthermore, the capital investment in infrastructure needed to handle rapid urbanization typically happens (if at all) after housing has already been built, often in informal settlements.

This paper is organized as follows: section one briefly presents the structure of MFS implementations and in particular the four key roles which must be fulfilled. Section two describes the case study implementations and the partnership arrangements between the key actors. Section three describes the importance of aligning competitive forces, economic motivation and partner roles. Section four presents key lessons related to the four underlying businesses of an MFS implementation, distinguishing between the direct and indirect revenue that can accrue to the core businesses of the partner organizations. It also presents key lessons related to the distribution of this revenue between partners.

A arquitetura de software é um dos principais habilitadores em proporcionar ganhos efetivos em agilidade e eficiência na manutenção e evolução dos sistemas de informação corporativos, fator preponderante para ambientes competitivos. Os benefícios proporcionados pela adoção da arquitetura de software orientada a serviços são evidenciados neste artigo por meio da análise de um caso prático de sua implementação na instituição financeira ABN AMRO Brasil. O caso apresenta como a instituição conseguiu resolver um dilema tradicional das instituições financeiras: a composição e integração dos serviços financeiros, entregues por meio de software nos diferentes canais de comunicação disponíveis aos clientes. Software architecture is a major enabler in providing effective profits related to agility and efficiency in corporate information systems maintenance and evolution: a key factor in competitive environments. The benefits resulting from the adoption of software- oriented architecture (SOA) are demonstrated in this article through the analysis of a practical case of its implementation in the financial institution: ABN AMRO, in Brazil. The case describes how the institution solved a traditional dilemma faced by financial institutions: the composition and integration of financial services delivered through software to different communications channels made available to clients.