Publication

This paper presents four categories of obstacles to a greater depth of and access to financial services provided by banks throughout Latin America. The first category groups socio-economic obstacles that undercut the demand for financial services of large segments of the population. The second category identifies problems in the operations of the banking sector, impeding the adequate provision of financial services. The third category captures institutional deficiencies, with emphasis on the quality of the legal framework and the governability of the countries in the region. The fourth category identifies regulations that tend to distort the provision of banking services.