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Path to financial inclusion is better financial education, literacy Aug 10, 2017

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As finance becomes more inclusive, financial services will reach people who have no experience with formal finance structures, and they may fail to use the services fully or properly. Financial education is a crucial component of successful financial inclusion. Even in advanced economies, significant gaps remain in financial literacy. This episode discusses financial literacy in Japan and Malaysia. Read the transcript http://bit.ly/2vpb0we Read the policy brief https://www.adb.org/publications/financial-inclusion-digital-age Authors Shawn Hunter, manager, Inclusive Finance, The Foundation for Development Cooperation Valdimir dela Cruz, ADBI associate at the time the brief was published David Dole, ADBI senior economist https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/david-dole.

E-commerce is changing how the world does business Aug 10, 2017

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E-commerce is increasingly leading the way in the global marketplace, taking a bigger share of world trade, creating more jobs, and pushing economic growth, but also challenging Asia’s developing economies. Although most e-commerce transactions occur in developed markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, and Japan, developing countries led by those in Asia are catching up. Many are important buyers and sellers of goods and services online. Read the transcript: http://bit.ly/2urmimp Read the policy brief, The Development Dimension of E-Commerce in Asia: Opportunities and Challenges: https://www.adb.org/publications/development-dimension-e-commerce-asia-opportunities-and-challenges Authors: Aladdin Rillo, ADBI senior economist https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/aladdin-rillo Valdimir dela Cruz, former ADBI research associate

Pointers from Asia for urbanization in Africa Aug 03, 2017

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Africa and Asia are latecomers to urbanization. In these two continents, less than half live in urban centers, while elsewhere, more than 70% of people do. But Africa and Asia are now rapidly urbanizing, with Asian cities growing at an average of 1.5% per year and Africa’s at 1.1% per year. While the world’s largest megacities of 10 million people or more are in Asia, Africa’s urban populations have been catching up. Incoming residents are competing for new financial and social opportunities but are placing increasing demands on city resources and services. Increasingly, the importance of the transferability of Asian experiences to other regions is being recognized for more efficient development paths. Read the transcript http://bit.ly/2uXYTrb Read the blog post https://www.asiapathways-adbi.org/2017/07/pointers-from-asia-for-urbanization-in-africa/ Authors Naoyuki Yoshino, ADBI dean https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/dean Matthias Helble, ADBI senior research economist and Research Department co-chair https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/matthias-helble Grant B. Stillman, ADBI legal adviser https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/grant-stillman

Trade is ripe for disruption because it’s inefficient and not particularly inclusive. Alisa DiCaprio Aug 03, 2017

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Digital technology can speed up economic growth, but only if people have the right skills, said the panelists at the Asian Development Bank annual meeting in May. ADBI research fellow Alisa DiCaprio told Devex that the bank can advance technology diffusion and adoption, and should invest in information and communication technology or ICT where progress has not benefited the many. Read the transcript: http://bit.ly/2u1CVAO Read the article and watch the interview: https://www.devex.com/news/adb-and-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-90242 Featuring Alisa DiCaprio https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/alisa-dicaprio

Central Asia and the Caucasus farm sector needs a boost Aug 03, 2017

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Agriculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus not only ensures the food supply, but also supports the majority of the rural population and creates jobs. Although agriculture’s share of gross domestic product or GDP has declined since 2000, it still accounts for a large proportion of GDP in several countries. Tajikistan’s agriculture sector makes up over one quarter of GDP. Armenia accounts over a fifth of GDP to agriculture, while and Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic have a little under a fifth. Even so, the relatively small market and reliance on a narrow range of agro-food products have dampened farm output. In order to raise outputs and cash to meet the growing domestic and international demand, the region needs to jointly develop and integrate their agricultural value chains. These value chains encompass the goods and services required for a product to move from farm to consumer. Read the transcript http://bit.ly/2uYsQHU Read the policy brief https://www.adb.org/publications/promoting-agricultural-value-chain-integration-central-asia-and-caucasus Authors Aladdin Rillo https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/aladdin-rillo Suryo Ariyanto Nugroho https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/suryo-ariyanto-nugroho

Farms in Central Asia and the Caucasus face hurdles Jul 26, 2017

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Farms need the right policies, regulations, and institutions backing them. They need access to credit and adequate market infrastructure, support for technology and innovation, and greater opportunities for private sector investment. With these reforms in place, countries will be able to access new markets and meet growing local and overseas demand, which will create jobs and boost incomes of the rural poor. Landlocked economies stand to benefit, thanks to cross-border production sharing and investments. An integrated value chain can make all the players more productive and efficient and contribute to agriculture-driven economic growth. Read the transcript http://bit.ly/2v6NGpG Read the policy brief https://www.adb.org/publications/promoting-agricultural-value-chain-integration-central-asia-and-caucasus Authors Aladdin Rillo, ADBI senior economist https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/aladdin-rillo Suryo Ariyanto Nugroho, ADBI research associate https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/suryo-ariyanto-nugroho

Postal savings accounts benefit women, the poor, and rural people the most Jul 26, 2017

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Putting savings to work is crucial for Asia’s developing economies. In developing Asia, however, access to credit, savings and payment services remains limited. In 2014, only 36 percent of adults in East Asia and the Pacific had formal savings accounts and only 11 percent had access to formal credit. With more than 600,000 branches worldwide, post offices provide an alternative to rural people to access services that traditional financial institutions cannot provide. So developing postal savings may be good for increasing financial inclusion, reducing poverty and achieving higher economic growth. Read the transcript http://bit.ly/2uYep6O Read the policy brief https://www.adb.org/publications/innovating-financial-inclusion-postal-savings-system-revisited Authors Aladdin Rillo, ADBI senior economist https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/aladdin-rillo Jeffrey Miyamoto, former ADBI research associate

Blockchain pilots making waves in developing Asia Jul 26, 2017

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In a blockchain, each block is “chained” to the previous one in a peer-to-peer data sharing network. We’ve all heard the buzz about the potential applications of blockchain technology. But what’s actually happening in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific? Beyond bitcoin payments and remittances, blockchain exists largely in the pilot stage. Governments and banks are collaborating with technology firms to see if it can be used to solve persistent problems like traceability, identification, and trust. Let’s bring some clarity to the hypotheticals. But first, what exactly is blockchain? It's a type of database that takes records and puts them in a block (akin to, say, a sheet in your Excel file). Each block is then “chained” to the previous block, using a cryptographic signature. This allows blockchains to be used like a ledger, which can be shared and corroborated by anyone with permission. In short, it’s peer-to-peer sharing of data – it does not require a trusted intermediary. Read the blog post https://www.asiapathways-adbi.org/2017/07/blockchain-pilots-making-waves-in-developing-asia/ https://blogs.adb.org/blog/blockchain-pilots-making-waves-developing-asia Authors Alisa DiCaprio, ADBI research fellow https://www.asiapathways-adbi.org/author/alisa-decaprio/ Steven Beck, Asian Development Bank head of trade finance https://www.asiapathways-adbi.org/author/steven-beck/

Post offices can serve those who can’t access banks but must be regulated so they’re accountable Jul 18, 2017

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Post offices can deliver financial services to people who don’t have access to traditional banks. But developing efficient postal finance isn’t easy. Although it can have a powerful presence in an economy, postal finance can also be inefficient and corrupt. Good regulation is important to make sure that it is both effective and accountable. Read the transcript http://bit.ly/2tlooyD Read the policy brief https://www.adb.org/publications/innovating-financial-inclusion-postal-savings-system-revisited Authors Aladdin Rillo https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/aladdin-rillo Jeffrey Miyamoto

Viet Nam shows how to integrate an agricultural value chain Jul 18, 2017

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In 2010, Viet Nam launched a public–private partnership project called the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture, which drew interest from big companies. The partnership successfully established training programs for farmers, which increased their productivity and income, and improved both crop quality and yield. Countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus where farms are inefficient might gain insight from the partnership model used by Viet Nam. Read the transcript http://bit.ly/2t9QMJa Read the policy brief https://www.adb.org/publications/promoting-agricultural-value-chain-integration-central-asia-and-caucasus Authors Aladdin Rillo https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/aladdin-rillo Suryo Ariyanto Nugroho https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/suryo-ariyanto-nugroho

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