El Salvador leads financial inclusion

El Salvador offers the best access to financial services in Central America, and is in 13th place in a ranking of 55 emerging markets, according to Global Microscope 2016, published by The Economist.

El Salvador’s recently approved Law to Facilitate Financial Inclusion aims to make it easier for underserved populations to get access banking services, including those provided by e-money suppliers.

Nicaragua is in 15th place, followed by Costa Rica and Panama, tied at 27.

Colombia tops the list, while Haiti is last.

Microscope assesses the regulatory environment for financial inclusion across 12 indicators (number in brackets indicates each country’s position in the global index).

1            El Salvador (13)
2            Nicaragua (15)
3            Costa Rica (27)
4            Panama (27)
5            Honduras (30)