Savings accounts for young people in developing countries: Trends in practice

Abstract

Recently, savings initiatives for young people have been garnering increasing attention within the development community for their perceived potential to promote both youth development and financial inclusion. This paper surveys current practice to better understand the diverse range of youth savings initiatives under way in developing countries, and the actors promoting them in a range of forms for various objectives. It also gathers the little evidence available on the extent to which such savings initiatives are fulfilling their perceived dual development potential. The paper ends with key questions that must be answered with further research and practical experimentation, before this development potential can be confirmed.