Study on the Promotion of Financial Inclusion: The Case of Cambodia

Financial inclusion is the situation where individuals and enterprises can access the full range of necessary financial services in a sustainable way in order to ensure continuity and certainty of their economic activities. Access to finance allows individuals to make asset formation, engage in consumption smoothing, and reduce risks of income loss from accidents or diseases. In the meantime, there remains a large number of unbanked people around the world.

Ensuring consistency in policy-making is required to promote financial inclusion efficiently and effectively. However, while research has gradually accumulated on financial inclusion and poverty reduction, there is still a paucity of research, which comprehensively investigates an entire financial sector in a country. Thus, the policy implications from the existent literature is limited.

In this regard, this research project investigates a wide range of economic actors in the financial markets in Cambodia, such as financial institutions, households, enterprises, and also women and farmers. For example, we analyze the role of regulation in the promotion of financial inclusion, the impact of financial inclusion on poverty reduction, and the importance of financial inclusion for women. From our analysis, we will elicit an effective policy and general insights into the promotion of financial inclusion.