MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Snapshot, Eliminating Entry Barriers in Brazil, and Savings Commitments in Malawi

“2011 Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Snapshot;” published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX); February 2012; 36 pages; available at: http://vx.worldbank.org/t/3341406/27487238/32401/0/

CGAP and MIX have released a set of microfinance analysis and trends based on 2011 information from Sub-Saharan Africa. This includes data on about 23,000 providers of deposit, credit or mobile banking services. Information is provided on client base, level of financial access, sources of funding. There is a focus on consumer protection, as well as discussion of the following goals for 2012: a sharp client focus, a vision of comprehensive financial inclusion, healthy markets and capacity to reach scale.

“Eliminating Entry Barriers for the Provision of Banking Services: ‘Banking Correspondents’ in Brazil;” by Juliano Assuncao; January 12, 2012; 18 pages; available at: http://www.cfsp.org/sites/all/modules/pubdlcnt/pubdlcnt.php?file=http://www.cfsp.org/sites/default/files/assuncao_2012_-_eliminating_entry_barriers_for_the_provision_of_banking_services.pdf&nid=357

The author of this paper discusses the elimination of entry barriers for the provision of banking services through “banking correspondents.” The study considers the entry of financial providers in Brazilian municipalities during the period 2002 to 2007. The data indicates that the size of the populations necessary to sustain banking correspondents are consistently lower than for bank branches.

“Commitments to Save: A Field Experiment in Rural Malawi;” by Lasse Brune, Xavier Gine, Jessica Goldberg, Dean Yang; October 2010; 20 pages; available at:
http://www.moodys.com/microsites/miic2010/presentationfiles/Yang.pdf

The authors of this paper report on results from a field experiment in Malawi testing methods of encouraging the use of formal savings accounts. The results indicate that accounts that restrict access to savings until a date of the saver’s choice improve savings levels. This allows savers, who often set savings release dates immediately prior to the next planting season, to invest more into planting and had a positive effect on crop sales and on household expenditures in the months immediately after harvest.

By Natalie Baer, Research Associate

Sources and Additional Resources:

“2011 Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Snapshot” http://vx.worldbank.org/t/3341406/27487238/32401/0/

“Eliminating Entry Barriers for the Provision of Banking Services: ‘Banking Correspondents’ in Brazil” http://www.cfsp.org/sites/all/modules/pubdlcnt/pubdlcnt.php?file=http://www.cfsp.org/sites/default/files/assuncao_2012_-_eliminating_entry_barriers_for_the_provision_of_banking_services.pdf&nid=357

“Commitments to Save: A Field Experiment in Rural Malawi”
http://www.moodys.com/microsites/miic2010/presentationfiles/Yang.pdf

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