The Role of Services in Achieving Financial Inclusion

The situation is no different in Egypt, where despite improvements in recent years, only 14 per cent of adults have a bank account. While financial inclusion has featured prominently in policymakers’ agendas over the last decade, discussions have often ignored the potential contribution of trade in services to financial inclusion, and the role that trade in services policy may play in promoting and supporting national financial inclusion initiatives. Focusing on Egypt’s situation with regard to financial inclusion, this presentation will overview the main barriers to financial inclusion and will discuss, drawing from various case studies and examples, how trade in services may be harnessed to promote financial inclusion.