Emerging guidelines for linking youth to financial services

Author

Lara Storm, Beth Porter and Fiona Macaulay, Making Cents International

Abstract

Access to appropriate financial services can play a critical role in enabling young people to navigate the challenges and opportunities they face, regardless of their employment or educational status. This paper discusses: 1) the results of a global survey conducted in 2009 by Making Cents International; and 2) findings of leading NGOs and financial institutions which are pioneering youth-inclusive and youth-specific financial products. The outcomes of the survey findings and lessons learned have been synthesized into six ‘Emerging Guidelines’ for linking young people to financial services. Existing concerns are explained regarding defining and achieving impact, sustainability, scale and a favorable regulatory environment as it relates to youth-inclusive financial services. The paper concludes with practitioners’ visions for this nascent field by 2020.

Keywords

Youth, young people, children, savings, credit, financial product development, non-financial products

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