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Albania : Access to Finance for Enterprise SectorThis report was prepared in close collaboration with the Bank of Albania. This report focused on trade, services, and agriculture; however, the limited scope of their operations still leaves a potentially large unmet demand for credit in agriculture. This report focuses on problems related to the operation of Immovable Property Registry System (IPRS) and other institutions and the formalization of property rights and inscription of mortgages. This study believes the reform with most optimum impact on sustainable credit growth will be focused on (i) improving the quality, breadth, and depth of financial intermediation, (ii) growth and development of credit unions and microfinance institutions, and (iii) facilitate the development of new instruments. The authorities will also focus on implementing reforms to become compliant with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendation.
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Linking Up and Reaching Out in Bangladesh : Information and Communications Technology for MicrofinanceThis book presents a new paradigm for introducing technology in the microfinance industry of Bangladesh that could help ameliorate current constraints. Under the new paradigm, a centralized Information and communication technology (ICT) platform will be established to serve the microfinance industry of Bangladesh and technology will be deployed more rapidly to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in all parts of the microfinance value chain, from the head office to branch offices, loan officers, and clients. Unlike in the traditional paradigm, the technology needs of all MFIs will be pooled together in one central office. The central office will offer technology tools, services, and know-how to MFIs throughout the country. Several benefits will be achieved under this new paradigm: i) because all technology needs will be pooled in one place, the central office will be able to exploit economies of scale and offer technology services to MFIs at a lower cost; and ii) because their technology needs will be outsourced, MFI staff will no longer need to devote as much time and effort to learning new technologies. The central office will provide all technology-related training and support.
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Bringing Finance to Pakistan's Poor : Access to Finance for Small Enterprises and the UnderservedAccess to financing is now widely acknowledged as a path to meaningful economic inclusion and reduction in poverty. Policy efforts to increase access to finance in Pakistan have taken time to bear fruit, but now access is indeed expanding quickly in certain financial sectors (microfinance, remittances), albeit from a very low base. Nevertheless, policy measures cannot single-handedly increase financial access; financial institutions' willingness to expand access in Pakistan has been stinted by slow technologic advances, weak legal foundations, and unsuitable financial processes and products. Poor socioeconomic conditions, gender bias, and low levels of basic education and financial literacy remain barriers, but perhaps the single strongest driver of low demand for financial access has been income. The primary purpose of this study is to measure and describe the state of financial service provision to underserved segments of the market in Pakistan, particularly those with low incomes and small enterprises, and to identify ways to improve investment and create inclusive markets that meet the needs of underserved people and enterprises.