This week, CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), a Washington-based policy and research center, announced the launch of its Financial Inclusion Regulation Center (Regulation Center). The Regulation Center is an online database of news and information on national regulatory environments. The organization hopes “financial sector regulators and supervisors, donors and investors, academics and researchers” and others [1] will utilize the Regulation Center as a resource in their work on microfinance, consumer protection and financial inclusion.

According to CGAP, the Regulation Center will include both summaries and core texts on laws and regulations relating to  banking, microfinance, cooperatives and credit unions, money laundering, financing of terrorism, e-money, consumer protection and more [2].

You may access the Regulation Center at the following URL: http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/regulation_center/. Information is arranged by country, category and newest additions.

By Lindsey Shaughnessy, Research Associate

About GCAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor): Housed at the World Bank Group, CGAP is an independent policy and research center dedicated to providing financial access for the world’s poor. CGAP is supported by approximately thirty development agencies and private foundations. Its mission is to provide market intelligence, to promote standards and to offer advisory services to governments, microfinance providers, donors and investors.

Sources and Additional Resources:

[1] CGAP, “Launch of New CGAP Financial Inclusion Regulation Center”, August 17, 2010. http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.26.14040/

[2] CGAP, “About the Financial Inclusion Regulation Center”, 2010. http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.26.13751/

CGAP, The Financial Inclusion Regulation Center, 2010. http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/regulation_center/

MicroCapital’s Microfinance Universe profile: CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor)

Browse the MicroCapital Universe and add your entry to the wiki at http://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/.