Small Savings Mobilization and Asian Economic Development The Role of Postal Financial Services

Postal savings systems in Asian developing countries have significantly aided social and economic development. In many developing and transition economies, postal savings and remittances have long enabled provision of financial services to all segments of the population, particularly women, rural communities, and the urban poor, and have helped mobilize savings for investment in development. This comprehensive study presents original, first-hand data and analysis in the context of the challenges and current global trends and practices in the household and personal savings and payment markets (postal giro and checking). Based upon first-hand observations in Asia, Europe, and Africa, the study analyzes field research in fifteen Asian developing countries on postal savings, and how domestic financial resources are mobilized to aid local and national development. Through ten individual case studies, each country's author describes the country's past experience, current issues, and expectations for the future. The book offers policy recommendations for more effective utilization of the postal infrastructure in the delivery of financial services, and examines policy issues that have informed postal savings practices, as well as those policies that have challenged savings operations, such as market liberalization and privatization.Scher, Mark J. is the author of 'Small Savings Mobilization and Asian Economic Development The Role of Postal Financial Services', published 2004 under ISBN 9780765614841 and ISBN 0765614847.