Extending Financial Inclusion in Africa

Extending Financial Inclusion in Africa discusses the state of access to, and usage of, transactions, payments, savings, credit and insurance services in the varied financial landscapes and banking sectors of Africa. It reviews the evolution, landscape and structure of the formal banking sector in the continent to contextualize financial inclusion. Contributors consider issues of macroeconomics, geographical disparities, and absolute poverty to explain the current level of banking services access. Partial solutions, including economic growth for sustainable development goals (SDGs), improved banking governance and policy coordination, and the adoption of technologies, such as mobile money and crowdfunding for SMEs, are described in depth.

In addition, the work addresses some of the unintended consequences of financial inclusion, including over-indebtedness and increased propensities to spend in cash-poor environments.

• Examines the financial inclusion-economic growth nexus in the African context
• Explores financial regulation and governance issues in developmental finance
• Investigates panel data evidence on the link between financial access and SME growth
• Evaluates the consequences of financial inclusion, including over-indebtedness and increased propensity to spend
• Assesses cross-sectional evidence on the link between technological developments like crowdsourcing and mobile technology in financial inclusion issues

Researchers in the field of finance and banking at tertiary institutions. Graduate and 1st year PhD students of development finance and microfinance. Policymakers and government economists. Some practitioners in African banking and finance

1. An overview of Financial Services, Access and Usage in Africa
2. How did banks evolve in Africa?
3. Financial Market Evolution in Africa
4. Financial Institutions in Africa: Landscape and Structure
5. The landscape of Frontier and Emerging Financial Markets in Africa
6. Financial Regulation and Governance
7. Macroeconomic Determinants of Financial Inclusion: Evidence using Dynamic Panel Data Analysis
8. Financial inclusion, economic growth and poverty reduction: Is there a Link between the Three?
9. Mobile Technology and Financial Inclusion
10. Socio-economic Impacts of Mobile Money Adoption
11. Unintended Consequences of Financial Inclusion
12. Financial Inclusion and Development Goals
13. Prospects of Regional financial Integration in Africa
14. Technology and Financial Development