Linking Youth Transitions to Financial Services
There are an estimated 1.2 billion young people around the world between the ages of 15-24, with the vast majority living in developing countries. Whether countries are able to harness the potential of the vast numbers of youth in their economies will depend in part on how they manage the individual transitions that youth make in their lives.
Creative Partnerships Promote Rural Credit in the Andes
The competitiveness and sizable growth of microlending in the Andean Region can be largely attributed to the favorable regulatory framework, but the creativity of the stakeholders in the industry has been an important factor as well. The supervisory authorities in the region’s financial sector have recognized the importance of microlending in the promotion of financial inclusion and have gradually created an environment that has been open to creativity and has enabled the different players to come up with financial services for previously underserved populations in rural areas.
Consumer Lending and Overindebtedness in Latin America
In Latin America household debt levels have been rising in recent years. Increased consumer debt level can in part be expected with growing economies. However, in several markets these debt levels may be leading large groups of consumers towards overindebtedness, and could pose a risk to economic growth, household well-being, and financial institutions with significant levels of consumer debt in their portfolios. This post examines some interventions underway to better understand the phenomenon of consumer lending and its implications.