Leora Klapper

Leora Klapper is a Lead Economist in the Finance and Private Sector Research Team of the Development Research Group at the World Bank. Since joining the Bank as a Young Economist in 1998, she has published on entrepreneurship, banking, access to finance, corporate governance, bankruptcy, and risk management. Her current research focuses on consumer finance, digital payments, and measuring financial inclusion (Global Findex). Prior to coming to the Bank she worked at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Bank of Israel, and Salomon Smith Barney. She holds a Ph.D. in Financial Economics from New York University Stern School of Business.

By Leora Klapper

Blog

Global Findex: Digitalization in COVID-19 Boosted Financial Inclusion

The new edition of the Global Findex contains a deep array of insights on global account ownership, usage, and financial resilience. Here, we explore two trends particularly worth exploring.
Blog

What Drives the Financial Inclusion Gender Gap for Young Women?

Ahead of International Women's Day, CGAP and the Global Findex team analyzed how the account ownership gender gap varies across regions and age groups.
Blog

Financial Inclusion Has a Big Role to Play in Reaching the SDGs

The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include greater equality and access to clean water, among other objectives, but not access to savings accounts, loans, insurance and other financial services. Financial inclusion can play an important role in achieving many of the SDGs.
Research

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

While the SDGs do not explicitly target financial inclusion, greater access to financial services is a key enabler for many of them. By reviewing the research on the link between financial inclusion and development, this working paper shows where and how financial services can help achieve the SDGs.
Blog

5 Ways Digital Payments can Bring Women into the Economy

When women are locked out of the formal economy, development suffers and growth stagnates. Wiping out gender discrimination in financial access is not easy, but certainly incorporating more digital tools can help bridge the gap between men and women.