In 2011 the World Bank—with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—launched the Global Findex database, the world's most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Drawing on survey data collected in collaboration with Gallup, Inc., the Global Findex database covers more than 140 economies around the world. The initial survey round was followed by a second one in 2014 and by a third in 2017. Compiled using nationally representative surveys of more than 150,000 adults age 15 and above in over 140 economies, The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. It has additional data on the use of financial technology (or fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the Internet to conduct financial transactions. The data reveal opportunities to expand access to financial services among people who do not have an account—the unbanked—as well as to promote greater use of digital financial services among those who do have an account. The Global Findex database has become a mainstay of global efforts to promote financial inclusion. In addition to being widely cited by scholars and development practitioners, Global Findex data are used to track progress toward the World Bank goal of Universal Financial Access by 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The database, the full text of the report, and the underlying country-level data for all figures—along with the questionnaire, the survey methodology, and other relevant materials—are available at www.worldbank.org/globalfindex.

Inclusive Finance India Report 2016 provides in-depth, well-researched, and well-analyzed evidence on how the financial inclusion agenda has progressed at various levels. The report covers a review of the performance of diverse institutional initiatives working in inclusive finance—banks, specialized banks, self-help groups, and microfinance institutions. It also covers the initiatives in technology that address last-mile delivery as well as provides an overview of new initiatives. The report focuses on a larger landscape of financial inclusion while continuing to report progress on microfinance in mainstream financial inclusion activity. It tracks the growth of financial inclusion across institutional structures and delivery models, provides a better understanding of the complexities of the sector, and contributes and informs the policy development process on inclusive finance. It also informs banks and investors, both national and international; highlights key issues that require the attention of the financial sector and policymakers; highlights the positive impact of the sector; and identifies policy and practice gaps on an annual basis. The report involves participation by the RBI, Ministry of Finance, banks, apex financial institutions, technology service providers, business correspondents, and diverse delivery models. This is the best reference book on the annual trends and progress of the financial inclusion and microfinance sector. It includes data-based analysis of all streams of financial inclusion with the most current information in terms of numbers and developments and is a must read for every practitioner in the financial inclusion value chain.

This book addresses the gaps in the present institutional structure of inclusive finance framework in India. It provides a comprehensive review of the role of banks in financial inclusion policy and micro-finance landscape in India at present. It identifies the key issues within the banking system which prove to be obstacles in the way of achieving financial inclusion and sustainable growth. The book conceptualizes inclusive banking, delves into the theoretical foundations thereof and suggests an institutional framework to avoid overlapping of their functions in order to ensure profitability. It reviews the existing market structure and competition in the inclusive finance arena while considering the role of banks, micro-finance institutions and SHGs in financing the poor. The book proposes a distinct change to the existing business model, examines the bank business model for inclusion and how the banks can and should treat the micro lending clientele as their core client base to counter the issues of profitability and competition in today’s banking sector. It also discusses some of the latest initiatives in inclusive finance and the importance of entrepreneurship development experiments in India and their efficacy in comparison with the micro-lending model.

On the path of achieving inclusive growth and adhering to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, which envisages inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all, the ground-level situation of this huge section of the informal sector in India needs to be mainstreamed into the economic policies. Studies estimate that 11% per cent of the urban workforce in India is engaged in street vending. The problems faced by these sellers are unique, as they struggle not only to make their ends meet by selling on the streets facing all vagaries of the whether but also many times are at the receiving end of the civic bodies and law enforcement agencies. The government in India has taken commendable initiatives to bring this informal sector into the formal financial sector through its financial inclusion. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the flagship financial inclusion scheme started by the Government in 2014 aims at assuring financial access to everyone without a bank account. The drive of financial inclusion does not stop just at opening an account but also aims to facilitate access to credit and micro insurance. This book will be good and resourceful reading for anyone interested to know about the global, national and regional status of the financial inclusion of street vendors and would initiate further discussions on the subject through the in-depth analysis of various critical issues covered in this book.

Inclusive Finance India Report 2014 presents in-depth research and analysis on financial inclusion with evidence on the decisive shift in the positioning of microfinance within the financial system of India. Following up on Microfinance State of the Sector Report 2013 by the authors, this year's report focuses on recent developments in inclusive financing and efforts by governments and banks in extending financial services to the unbanked and underbanked regions and populations. The report tracks the progress of financial inclusion initiatives across institutional structures and delivery models, including the main microfinance channels. It contributes to an understanding of the complexities of the financial inclusion process, reviews policy development on inclusive finance, and highlights key challenges and opportunities for diverse stakeholders. A comprehensive reference on annual trends and progress of financial inclusion and the microfinance sector, the report synthesizes data and inputs from the Reserve Bank of India, NABARD, Ministry of Finance, banks, apex financial institutions, technology services providers, sector experts, and resource agencies. It serves to provide a perspective on the practice of financial inclusion in India as well as informing the policy formulation process.

The second issue in a new series, Global Financial Development Report 2014 takes a step back and re-examines financial inclusion from the perspective of new global datasets and new evidence. It builds on a critical mass of new research and operational work produced by World Bank Group staff as well as outside researchers and contributors.

Technology is changing the landscape of the financial sector, increasing access to financial services in profound ways. These changes have been in motion for several years, affecting nearly all countries in the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has created new opportunities for digital financial services to accelerate and enhance financial inclusion, amid social distancing and containment measures. At the same time, the risks emerging prior to COVID-19, as digital financial services developed, are becoming even more relevant.