IMF Releases the 2019 Financial Access Survey Results

On September 30 2019, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the results of the tenth annual Financial Access Survey (FAS). The FAS is a unique supply-side dataset that enables policymakers to measure and monitor financial inclusion and benchmark progress against peers. The dataset covers 189 jurisdictions with more than 150 indicators on financial access and use with historical data from 2004.

The FAS was launched in 2009 and has evolved over time to adapt to the changing landscape of financial services, including the rise of fintech and growing demand for more granular data. Key enhancements include introducing country-level data on mobile money in 2014, adopting gender statistics in the FAS questionnaire in 2018, and expanding FAS’s coverage of innovations in traditional banking services, including branchless banking and debit and credit cards in circulation.