SBP regularly conducts surveys/research to gauge state of financial inclusion, the performance of its initiatives, innovations, industry trends, and to determine demand/supply side evolutions/trends.  The findings from these surveys & researches not only provide baseline data for the development of national financial inclusion strategies but also support policy formulation.

Access to Finance Survey

The 1st Access to Finance study was conducted in Pakistan in 2008 by FinMark Trust in support with SBP, which revealed that 12% of Pakistan’s adult population had access to formal financial services. The study, funded by DFID, SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) and PMN yielded a rich data base on many aspects of access to financial services and was used to provide useful inputs for analysis, planning and successfully implementing various financial inclusion initiatives. Since then SBP has made several landmark initiatives to advance financial inclusion and catalyze on innovations to widen the reach of financial services in Pakistan including a dedicated Financial Inclusion Program. Financial Inclusion Program (FIP) has been developed with the aim to improve access to financial services in Pakistan by transforming the microfinance sector, and by introducing several industry level initiatives to promote financial inclusion.

In this backdrop, the 2nd A2F survey was envisioned to gauge the performance of our financial inclusion initiatives since 2008, and provide baseline data for the National Financial Inclusion Strategy. Furthermore, the survey was also designed to determine demand side progress that can supplement upcoming supply side developments. Hence it provides a deeper understanding of the factors determining demand for financial services (information about financial services, understanding of these services; financial literacy, opinions, trust, perceptions, etc.) The full survey was conducted in all four provinces based on nationally representative sample of 10,626 individuals.