CA Fin Inclusion

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Financial inclusion is a cornerstone of an efficient financial market and can have positive effects on economic growth, financial stability and social cohesion. Studies show that financial exclusion inhibits human and physical capital accumulation, contributing to persistent income inequality and poverty. It has been a development objective for many years. The project covers 4 components and has been designed to cover current gaps in achieving financial inclusion, complementing many projects related to financial inclusion being carried out by the WBG. COMPONENT 1: Support development of the NFIS Advancement of full financial inclusion requires a clear strategy that considers diverse needs of various population segments, as well as an effective implementation plan to manage a broad range of financial inclusion activities in the country. National Financial Inclusion Strategies (NFIS) are usually developed by National Banks to serve as key tools in achievement of these objectives. The project will support the National Banks of both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in developing and rolling out their respective NFIS. COMPONENT 2: Support local financial institutions in the development of innovative products informed by behavioral finance and build internal capacity through trainings. The project will work with FIs at the sectoral level, using different approaches to develop better financial products, and improve their internal capability. Activities under this component go hand in hand with the work under component 3 with individuals, being mutually beneficial. COMPONENT 3: The project will strengthen financial capability of clients and help them to make responsible financial decisions. This component is closely aligned to component 2 and will contribute to product innovations with partner FIs. COMPONENT 4: The project will strengthen and assess financial capability in Uzbekistan To improve financial inclusion and behavior, people need to become financially more capable. There is a need to improve the skills, attitudes, and motivation of stakeholders. The classical process of knowledge-skills-behavior activities has proven to be ill equipped to tackle these issues. The project will focus specifically on influencing behavior, using key principles of behavioral economics, such as nudges and edutainment. To this extent, the project will expand on experimental approaches successfully tested previously in the pre-implementation period.