| Summary: | Morocco has made important progress in economic development and financial inclusion since the 2007 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). Sustained economic growth has contributed to reducing poverty and greater sharing of economic prosperity. The financial sector has emerged as one of the most developed and inclusive in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This technical note covers a large spectrum of financial inclusion topics in Morocco, mostly from the vantage point of banks, microcredit associations and finance companies. However, limits to the FSAP budget prevented extending the analysis to important policy initiatives or subjects, including low-income housing finance, rural finance, financing start-ups, promoting long-term saving, facilitating Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) listings, the role of the National Initiative for Human Development or tax incentives to formalize economic activity. The analysis relies on benchmarking Morocco to the averages of (i) Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries and (ii) its income group as defined by the World Bank. In addition, Peru, South Africa and Turkey were selected as emerging market peers based on income level, financial depth and degree of financial inclusion in specific areas: Peru (microfinance), South Africa (low-income household access), and Turkey (SME finance)
|
|---|