About the Report

Finance for All? is a much needed report on the state of access to finance around the world. It provides sensible measures of access and offers sound policy advice, including the caution that access to finance is much more than simply access to credit. It is a must-read for policy makers, activists, academics, and anyone interested in development.—Raghuram G. Rajan, Eric J. Gleacher Distinguished Service Professor of Finance, University of Chicago, and former Economic Counselor and Director of Research, International Monetary Fund

"The revolution in financial access has been driven by bankers, activists, donors, and governments. Research has lagged behind, but the next steps will require hard-headed analysis about what has worked and where to focus innovation. Finance for All? gathers lessons from a growing body of new research and presents it sharply. The arguments and evidence will inform and provoke readers, and will surely frame coming debates."—Jonathan Morduch, Professor of Public Policy and Economics, New York University, Director, The Financial Access Initiative, and Co-author of The Economics of Mmicrofinance.

"Finance for All? represents a vigorous and broad review of the existing academic research and current practice on the important subject of access to financial services. The report is a carefully crafted analysis that sets forth the current status of empirical research, describes a variety of best practices, and identifies crucial issues that must be addressed if poor and low income people and micro and small enterprises are to have access to a broad range of financial services on a sustainable basis. This compelling report will surely provide a useful tool for policy makers and other decision makers in designing financial systems that work for the poor."—Richard Weingarten, Executive Secretary, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and Chairman, United Nations Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors.

"This study will be a classic in its field. It makes a great contribution to the problem of making finance available to all. Ccovering not only policy problems, but also the institutional side and the political economy of reform, this study provides comprehensive data to back up the theory and analysis."—Andrew Sheng, Chairman, Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and former Deputy Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority.

"This excellent report documents how limited access to finance is in many poor countries and analyzes why this occurs. Policies based on the insights developed provide a real chance of improving the situation. The report is a major contribution to an important area that has not received the attention it deserves up to now."—Franklin Allen, Nippon Life Professor of Finance and Economics, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.