Financial inclusion is receiving increasing attention for its potential to contribute to economic and financial development while fostering more inclusive growth and greater income equality. Although substantial progress has been made, there is still much to achieve. East Asia, the Pacific, and...

Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a significant role in the Indonesian economy, however most MSMEs have difficulties in accessing finance. The Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS) is a popular program for guaranteeing bank lending to MSMEs by the government. The objective of this...

The paper discusses state, regulative framework, and recent developments in leveraging access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Kyrgyz Republic through global value chain (GVC) examples in the Kyrgyz Republic. Access to finance in the Kyrgyz Republic is...

This study takes stock of the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the CAREC landlocked economies in terms of their access to finance resulting from demand-side, supply-side and institutional constraints. This includes identifying cultural, procedural, institutional...

Uzbekistan set an ambitious goal to achieve the status of an upper-middle-income country by 2030, with the focus on growing a large and solid middle-class social stratum. The current reforms in Uzbekistan largely target the development of small businesses and private entrepreneurship (SME) as...

Germany's bank-based financial system provides a high level of financial inclusion, measured by bank outreach and use of financial services. However, the most vulnerable individuals and small enterprises in Germany tend to be excluded or credit constrained. The quality of financial inclusion is...

We introduce the Credit Risk Database (CRD) and its contribution to financial inclusion efforts in Japan. By collecting financial data about small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the CRD contributes to the overall understanding of the SME sector, to the adaptation of risk-based lending and...

This paper discusses the status of financial inclusion, education, and literacy in Azerbaijan as well as measures to foster the development of SMEs, which currently have inadequate access to financial resources. The primary policy challenge faced by the government of Azerbaijan is defining its...

Many reforms have taken place in Indonesia following the Asian financial crisis of 1997 - 1998. The government has embarked upon institutional transformation, making the country one of the region's most vibrant democracies. In social, economic, and political areas, Indonesia has seen much...