Interest in access to finance and awareness of its importance have increased significantly since the early 2000s. Growing evidence suggests that lack of access to credit prevents many households and firms from financing high-return investment projects, which has an adverse effect on growth and poverty alleviation. Still, there are some major gaps in our understanding of the main drivers of access, as well as about the impact of different policies in this area.

This book aims to fill some of these gaps by discussing recent innovative experiences in broadening access to credit in Latin America.