Financial Inclusion in Asia: An Overview

Meghana Ayyagari () and Thorsten Beck
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Meghana Ayyagari: George Washington University

No 449, ADB Economics Working Paper Series from Asian Development Bank

Abstract: This paper provides an analysis of financial development and inclusion in developing Asia using data from a wide array of sources. We show that in terms of aggregate measures of financial development, the region as a whole has superior banking sector depth compared to other developing regions; however, this masks a great deal of variation across Asian economies. Furthermore, in terms of financial inclusion, fewer than 27% of adults in developing Asia have an account in a formal financial institution, and only 33% of enterprises report having a line of credit or a loan from a financial institution. Cost, geographic access, and lack of identification are the most commonly reported barriers to financial inclusion that can be addressed by policy makers.

Keywords: financial development; financial inclusion; financial system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D14 G20 G21 G30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27 pages
Date: 2015-09-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa and nep-sea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Working Paper: Financial Inclusion in Asia: An Overview (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:adbewp:0449

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