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on Community banking and credit unions |
| By: | Ozili, Peterson K |
| Abstract: | This article presents some of the current thinking and arguments about financial inclusion from the perspective of informed financial inclusion experts. It gives the reader an opportunity to reflect on the objective, benefits, risks and challenges of financial inclusion and to make an independent assessment of what the financial inclusion agenda is all about. The viewpoints, presented as quotes in this article, show that financial inclusion is a promising development policy agenda and there are good intentions for promoting financial inclusion. However, achieving financial inclusion is a complex process, with too many interested parties seeking to serve customers in exchange for gain while banked adults are left to deal with the residual risks associated with using traditional and/or digital financial services. |
| Keywords: | financial inclusion, digital financial inclusion, fintech, digital technologies, quotes |
| JEL: | G20 G21 G23 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:129328 |
| By: | Bisimwa Rusaki, Moïse; Binja Ndeko, Guillaume; Xavier, Lushombo Mupunga; Binja Bujiriri, David; Ganywamulume Bazamuka, Jean-Claude; Ompova Ganza, Chancelier; Cizungu Bazibuhe, Désiré; Ushindi Muvanga, Marthe |
| Abstract: | This study shows that VSLAs contribute to the socio-economic development of rural households in Bugorhe by facilitating access to microcredit and income-generating activities. Despite repayment delays, irregular contributions, and lack of public support, they remain a key tool for financial empowerment. |
| Keywords: | Contribution, Village Associations, Savings, Credit, Socio-economic, Microcredit |
| JEL: | D14 G21 I32 O16 O18 |
| Date: | 2026–01–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:128694 |
| By: | Hilbrich, Sören; Berensmann, Kathrin |
| Abstract: | Financial markets still provide financing on a large scale for investments in environmentally harmful activities, while projects conducive to the green transformation are often not funded. Sustainable finance policies, such as new reporting requirements and standards for sustainable financial instruments, have so far mostly focused on creating transparency. However, transparency alone is insufficient to turn the financial sector from a driver of environmental crises into a lever for the green transformation. Many countries of the Global South face special challenges, including high interest rates, currency depreciation and limited opportunities to shape global policies (e.g. banking regulations and standards for sus-tainable financial instruments) in their interests. Aligning financial markets with sustainability objectives requires a comprehensive policy mix comprising policies that change incen-tives. These policies can include credit guidance instruments such as credit targets, green refinancing schemes and differentiated capital requirements, and tax policies such as differentiated capital gains taxes for green and non-green assets. International forums, such as the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) and the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN), remain valuable for mutual learning and for addressing cross-border effects of financial regulations. Policies to mobilise private resources should not be considered as a substitute for public investments or public steering, which are both crucial for the green transformation. |
| Keywords: | Green Finance, Sustainable Finance, Transparency, Credit Guidance, Central Banks, Financial Regulations |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:idospb:341382 |
| By: | Kyle, Jordan; Ragasa, Catherine |
| Abstract: | The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize equal participation and empowerment of women in all levels of decisionmaking, yet frameworks and tools to measure and strengthen women's empowerment in policy spaces remain limited. Focusing on agrifood systems, this paper introduces a framework, metrics, and scoring method to track women’s empowerment in policy processes (WEAGov) and presents findings from pilot applications in India and Nigeria. The pilots draw on novel surveys with more than 200 agrifood organizations and policy experts across the public sector, private sector, civil society, and research communities in both countries. Across both countries, we find that agrifood policy documents incorporate gender priorities on paper but fall short in budgeting, implementation, and evaluation. Prevailing social attitudes and limited awareness of policies, regulations, and legal rights remain major constraints on women’s ability to engage meaningfully in policy processes. Women participate as staff and mid-level managers in agrifood organizations, but their representation at higher decision-making levels are limited. Expert assessments also highlight disconnects between formal roles and the actual influence women can exert over policy decisions. Gender-responsive budgeting processes are absent in Nigeria and weakly-institutionalized in India, where compliance has become procedural rather than transformative. These patterns reveal persistent bottlenecks in translating gender commitments into practice. By systematically tracking barriers and identifying entry points for reform, the WEAGov framework offers governments, researchers, and civil society organizations a practical tool to diagnose gaps in women’s empowerment in agrifood policy processes and to strengthen their inclusiveness and accountability. |
| Keywords: | women's empowerment; gender; women; governance; food policies; India; Nigeria; Southern Asia; Asia; Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa; Africa |
| Date: | 2025–12–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:179834 |