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Doing Business Regional Profile 2012Doing business sheds light on how easy
 or difficult it is for a local entrepreneur to open and run
 a small to medium-size business when complying with relevant
 regulations. It measures and tracks changes in regulations
 affecting 10 areas in the life cycle of a business: starting
 a business, dealing with construction permits, getting
 electricity, registering property, getting credit,
 protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders,
 enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. In a series of
 annual reports doing business presents quantitative
 indicators on business regulations and the protection of
 property rights that can be compared across 183 economies,
 from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time. This economy
 profile presents the doing business indicators for European
 Union. To allow useful comparison, it also provides data for
 other selected economies (comparator economies) for each
 indicator. The data in this report are current as of June 1,
 2011 (except for the paying taxes indicators, which cover
 the period January December 2010).
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Financial Inclusion in the Middle East and North Africa : Analysis and Roadmap RecommendationsThe paper provides an assessment of the
 state of financial inclusion in the MENA region, and
 identifies constraints, opportunities, and priorities for
 significantly improving access to finance. Practical
 recommendations for improving financial inclusion are
 outlined. Firstly, governments could agree a Financial
 Inclusion Strategy that is underpinned by improved data,
 that has both public and private sector commitment, and that
 scales up financial access on a large scale, principally
 through bank accounts. Secondly, the regulators should
 provide a legal and supervisory framework that enables
 access to finance to be expanded primarily through banks,
 but with regulatory space for the use of agents, mobile
 phone technology, and for a finance company model for
 microcredit and leasing. Interest rate caps on microloans
 should be removed, and instead consumer protection and
 supervisory capacity for microfinance should be
 strengthened, while prudent competition between financial
 service providers should be promoted. Thirdly, financial
 infrastructure needs to continue to be a focus area, and in
 particular credit information and secured transactions.
 Finally, barriers to the growth of Islamic financial
 services should be removed so that they can better meet
 market demand.
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Niger : Financial Sector AssessmentSince 1999, the Nigerien authorities have embarked on a program of reform to develop the financial system and ensure its stability in the wake of a regional banking crisis. Despite this progress, much remains to be done to bring the financial sector up to sub-regional standards. The first step is to formulate a financial sector development strategy that will serve as a roadmap for future reforms. Issues of access to financial services are crucial in Niger, in view of indicators that place Niger at the lowest level in the Union (except for Guinea-Bissau). The stability of the financial sector has improved, but still requires vigilance on the part of national and monetary authorities. The country's economic activity is based on agriculture and services, but uranium is Niger's main export. The primary and tertiary sectors account for 42 and 38 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) respectively. Agriculture sustains roughly 80 percent of the population. Industrial activities are extremely limited apart from uranium mining in the north, which accounts for 60 percent of the country's exports on average. The medium-term macroeconomic outlook in Niger appears favorable due to the greater margin for budget maneuvering attributable to debt reduction initiatives and the increased investments in the mining, infrastructure, and agriculture sectors. Niger has a small banking sector with a moderate degree of concentration. The banking sector is not highly concentrated and the customer base is relatively diversified. Four of the 10 banks account for 80 percent of total assets but in relatively equal proportions, which could help competition. The remaining banks are small with limited activity. The two specialized financial institutions that are either state-controlled or controlled by local governments are in the process of privatization or liquidation.