Por: Oscar Iván Cardona González
|
Fecha: 01/01/2015
Financial inclusion has become an important objective for policy makers and regulators around the world. This is perhaps due to greater access to financial services has been associated with promote more economic growth and sustainable development, therefore, greater inclusion is being considered as a fundamental tool to reduce poverty and as a key element to boost the economy, particularly in developing countries.However, despite the apparent benefits that it can bring to society, there are some aspects that are worth being considered in order to frame a clear vision that inspires better policies towards financial inclusion. An important question that emerges is what would be the challenges and the best alternatives to reach inclusion without going beyond what is necessary. Answering this question is perhaps the key point that regulators and policymakers should carefully consider before setting out new policies that seek better and greater access to financial services.The aim of this work is therefore highlight the emerging challenges and the possible alternatives that might have a positive impact in the enhancement of financial inclusion. To this end, it will provide a general overview of the current state of inclusion and it will present some figures of the progress achieved so far. It will also address two of the main issues that need to be overcome, specifically the shortcomings of regulations and the lack of financial literacy.This document will argue that the main challenge is to strike a balance between the interests of the different actors involved in the provision of financial services; therefore, the main role for regulators and policy makers should be set out a framework with fair condition for all participants and particular for those new actors, such as mobile network operators and correspondent banks, which are playing a fundamental role in the enhancement of financial inclusion. However, the shift towards proper inclusion might also require that these interventions are complemented by adequate education policies that promote a better use of financial services.
Fuente:
Biblioteca Virtual Banco de la República
Tipo de contenido:
Tesis
