IFAD Inclusive Financial Services Portfolio Stocktaking

This Inclusive Financial Services (IFS) stocktaking exercise assesses IFAD’s capacity to deliver IFS and addresses rural poor market development needs both historically and looking forward within the context of emerging opportunities and challenges. The broad objective of the stocktaking is to provide substantive, foundational information and evidence with which to guide IFAD’s engagement in IFS.

The stocktake considered 68 programmes designed since the 2009 Rural Finance Policy was articulated. It assesses both programmes and projects where IFS interventions predominate and/or are a smaller part of a larger programme of activities; it focuses on how instruments, approaches and products are designed and deployed, within both projects and country contexts. Integration of IFAD mainstreaming themes - environment, climate change, nutrition, women, youth and other disadvantaged groups -- are also assessed. Analysis offers observation on operational  issues as well as providing strategic direction and policy guidance for IFAD as it engages in IFS markets to further its institutional goals. Analysis provides a global overview as well as disaggregated assessment at the regional level.