Access to formal banking services in the SADC, 200-2009

Abstract

Access to basic financial services is one possible path leading to a better life for the poor. This is endorsed by SADC governments, and various strategies were in the past decade implemented to advance financial access. South Africa was particularly successful in enhancing access via its government-incentivised Mzansi entry-level bank account. This study researches what happened in the other SADC countries and specifically the role governments played in lifting the barriers to access to and use of formal banking services. It is concluded that no other SADC country was as successful as South Africa.