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This chapter introduces what a digital ID is, why it is important, how it works, the design choices, as well as how central banks can collaborate with other stakeholders in promoting digital ID infrastructures for use in digital financial services.

This chapter reviews digital payment infrastructures at the retail, wholesale and cross-border levels, available operating and governance models and trade-offs. Various developments in the field of digital payments, key challenges and the role of the central banks in helping to address those challenges are introduced. This chapter starts by examining issues in retail payments, before moving on the wholesale and large-value payments, real-time gross settlement (RTGS) which is the core settlement of payment systems before examining cross-border payments. This chapter ends with an overview of the role of central banks in promoting digital payment infrastructures.

This chapter first reviews open banking, a key data sharing initiative promoted by various central banks and regulators around the world to help nudge competition, innovation and better financial services for consumers in the digital age. The chapter then reviews various models and approaches as well as key success factors of open banking, as well as the extensions of open banking into open finance in various jurisdictions.

The description of “blockchain banking”, the determination of “the sub-processes” of “blockchain banking” as a “business process”, and the assessment of “maturity level” in Parsian Bank.

Theoretical sources on “blockchain banking” were initially investigated. Then the “sub-processes” of “blockchain banking” as a “business process” were extracted by Parsian Bank's experts through the “Delphi method”. Next, the “sequence” of the “sub-processes” was determined by means of the “AHP”. Eventually, Parsian Bank's maturity levels for all the sub-processes as well as the overall maturity level were specified on the basis of the “CMMI” V1.3 in order for Business Process Management (BPM).

Blockchain banking’ combines traditional banking with cryptocurrencies, which can be provided by merging “hybrid e-wallet” with “bank account” and “bank card” – all together as “crypto bank account”. Plus, “hybrid e-wallet” is a form of mobile e-wallet on blockchain that supports both cryptocurrencies and traditional currencies in the same platform by which the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies are possible. Besides, “Blockchain banking service” can also be offered within the framework of “open banking” aligned with “open innovation” through a FinTech (or a beta bank) in collaboration with a licensed bank via “open API”, which is called “blockchain banking based on FinTech”. At last, the eight sub-processes of “blockchain banking” were determined and Parsian Bank's “maturity level” was specified.

This is the very first practical guide to “blockchain banking service”.

Entrepreneurship policy is a vital component of any entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, the specific policy initiatives that have a greater impact on women's entrepreneurship remain unclear in many developing economies. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of entrepreneurship policies targeted at women’s entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Employing fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this paper utilises and analyses secondary data collected by the World Bank's Women, Business, and the Law (WBL) from 1970 to 2020, encompassing 48 countries within SSA.

Through our analysis, we identified two configurations that sufficiently support women's entrepreneurship. First, a combination of gender-based policies focussing on enabling “access to credit” and “signing of contracts”; and second, a blend of policies supporting “signing of contracts”, “business registration”, and “opening a bank account”, represent significant antecedents to supporting women's entrepreneurship. These distinct pathways are crucial to fostering women’s entrepreneurship in the SSA region.

The study's findings indicate that the impact and effectiveness of entrepreneurship policies targeted at women entrepreneurs in developing economies depend on the effectiveness of other policies that are in place.

This study offers new insights into the intricate interrelationship between entrepreneurship policies and women’s entrepreneurship in developing countries by considering the interdependence and combinative value of gender-based policies that effectively support women’s entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa.

This paper examines the relationships between bank switching and both customer vulnerability and consumer-oriented policies (financial education and disclosure practices).

The analysis employs microdata from the Special Eurobarometer on Financial Products and Services, for 24 European nations. It carries out a probit estimation on the factors explaining propensity of bank switching, focusing on three characteristics associated with customer vulnerability: an advanced age, low educational attainment and residence in a rural or a relatively poor region.

The authors report that the probability of bank switching is significantly lower for three groups of vulnerable customers: the elderly, the less educated and those living in deprived regions. Further the authors identify that national financial education policies and disclosure practices have no significant effects on bank switching.

Based on these results, the authors propose more targeted policies recognising customers' heterogeneity are required to increase bank switching behaviour.

This paper exploits a unique source of information on bank switching behaviour and customer characteristics across European nations. These data are complemented with information about consumer financial education policies and disclosure practices from the World Bank and geographical, market and regulatory factors at the regional and national levels. The paper contributes to two academic areas. First, it presents further evidence on heterogeneity of bank customer switching behaviour, addressed at improving the understanding of customer vulnerability in banking services. Second, it examines the efficacy of consumer-oriented policies (financial literacy and disclosure practices) in encouraging bank switching.

This chapter examines why the central banks might need to engage in innovation work. Externalities and public good rationales for innovation at central banks are examined. This chapter then looks at different tools such as sandboxes, innovation hubs and TechSprints that the central banks might use to promote innovation with external stakeholders, and how the central banks can promote internal innovation within the central banks. Governance issues related to innovation promotion are also examined.

This paper aims to empirically examine the influence of macroeconomic and socioeconomic factors on improving financial inclusion in India, with a specific focus on two distinct indicators of financial inclusion.

This study has used a time-series data set covering the years 1996 to 2022, using a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag methodology. This approach allows for the examination of both short- and long-run effects of key macroeconomic and socio-economic indicators, including GDP per capita growth, remittance inflows and the income share held by the lowest 20% of the population on the growth of two financial inclusion indicators: the number of commercial bank branches and ATMs per 100,000 adults.

Model-1 investigates how commercial bank branch growth affects financial inclusion. Positive remittance inflow growth and a rise in the income share of the bottom 20% both lead to increased financial inclusion in both the short and long term, with the effects being more pronounced in the long run. Conversely, negative effects of remittance inflow growth and a decline in GDP per capita growth lead to reduced financial inclusion, primarily affecting the long run. Focusing on ATM growth, Model-2 reveals that positive remittance inflow growth has the strongest impact on financial inclusion in the short term. While income share growth for the bottom 20% and GDP growth also positively influence financial inclusion, their effects become significant only in the long run. Conversely, a decline in GDP per capita growth hinders financial inclusion, primarily affecting the short run.

This study fills a gap in research on macroeconomic and socioeconomic factors influencing financial inclusion in India by examining the impact of GDP per capita growth, remittance inflows and the income share held by the lowest 20% of the population, an area relatively unexplored in the Indian context. Second, the study provides comprehensive distinct results for different financial inclusion indicators, offering valuable insights for policymakers. These findings are particularly relevant for policymakers working toward Sustainable Development Goal 8.10.1, as they can use the results to tailor policies that align with SDG objectives. Additionally, policymakers in other developing nations can benefit from this study’s findings to enhance financial inclusion in their respective countries.

This chapter explores the vast array of fintech opportunities. The industry commanded approximately $250 billion in revenue in 2022, which is predicted to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2030. Fintech firms are involved in everything from digital currencies to payment systems, lending platforms, and embedded finance. Firms use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to create personalized financial products. One of the most important benefits to society is that fintech makes finance more inclusive to the traditionally underserved. However, fintech has its challenges. Regulations evolve, making compliance a challenge. Also, the industry is vulnerable to cyberattacks and money laundering. Companies hold large amounts of sensitive data, making them obvious targets for bad actors. As with many industries, governance, compliance, and transparency are essential for fintechs as they transform the financial services landscape.