ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES

Do Firms Want to Borrow More? Testing Credit Constraints Using a Directed Lending Program. By Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo, August 2004.

Microfinance in the Arab States: Building Inclusive Financial Sectors. United Nations Capital Development Fund, by Judith Brandsma and Deena Burjorjee, October 2004.

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PAYMENT SYSTEMS

Industry Initiatives: New Developments by the Plastic Card Industry.  Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS), October 2004.

Global Electronic Payments. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Emerging Payments & Policy, April 2004.

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Reforming Payments and Securities Settlement Systems
A key element of financial infrastructure   

By Massimo Cirasino, OPD and Mario Guadamillas, LCSFF

   Payment and securities settlement systems are critical to the effective functioning of financial systems worldwide. They provide the channels through which funds are transferred among banks and other institutions to discharge payment obligations arising in the financial markets and across the entire economy. An efficient, secure and reliable payment system reduces the cost of exchanging goods and services. Moreover, it is an essential tool for the effective implementation of monetary policy, and for the smooth functioning of the money and capital markets. It is also the channel for settlement of all other types of transactions, including cross-border financial flows. | more

Providing Better Access to Finance for SMEs In India

New Bank project addresses financing constraints with innovative tools 

By Priya Basu, SASFP

      The World Bank's Board approved on November 30, 2004 a loan of US$120 million to the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), backed by a Government of India guarantee. The loan, which is the first Bank financial sector loan to India since the early 1990s, finances the India Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Financing and Development Project. The objective of the Project is to improve SME access to finance and business development services, thereby fostering SME growth, competitiveness and employment creation, which are key to achieving the Government of India's overall objectives of economic growth and poverty reduction. | more

CREDIT INFORMATION

The legal infrastructure in Russia is developing quickly, making the sharing of credit data possible for the first time.  Interfax, September 21, 2004.

Improving Access to Credit for SMEs: An Empirical Analysis of the Viability of Pooled Data SME Credit Scoring Models in Brazil, Colombia & Mexico. By Margaret Miller and Dina Rojas, October 2004.

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REMITTANCES

A bid to cut costs of money transfers for immigrants. The Washington Post, by Krissah Williams, November 29, 2004.

Policy options for increasing the benefits of remittances. Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, by Jorgen Carling, 2004.

Remittances and Poverty in Guatemala. The World Bank, by Richard H. Adams, Jr., September 2004.

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