금융포용(financial inclusion)과 중앙은행

Lively discussions on financial inclusion have ensued since the Global Financial Crisis erupted in September 2008. According to the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, financial inclusion refers to "a state in which all working age adults, including those currently excluded by the financial system, have effective access to the following financial services provided by formal institutions : credit, savings (defined broadly to include current accounts), payments, and insurance." In order to achieve financial inclusion, it is essential that the various institutions concerned play their part. The government, for example, plays a vital role in supporting financial inclusion through its fiscal policy. Financial supervision authorities contribute with their regulatory and supervisory powers. Financial institutions, of course,directly provide financial services to the financially excluded. Another institution that contributes to financial inclusion is the central bank. Given that the central bank is at the heart of a country's financial system, it cannot but be inseparably related to financial inclusion. Since the Global Financial Crisis there has been a growing interest in the role of central banks in microeconomic policies to support individual economic agents such as small businesses. In addition to enhancing the welfare of the financially deprived, financial inclusion contributes to financial stability and economic growth. It is therefore natural that central banks contribute to financial inclusion, which they can promote by conducting the following policies : First,central banks can use lending facilities, one of the monetary policy tools, to support small and medium enterprises with limited access to finance. Reserve requirements can be another monetary policy tool through which financial inclusion can be supported—central banks can impose a relatively low reserve requirement ratio on deposits related to financial inclusion. Providing payment and settlement services to financially vulnerable people is also a way for central banks to contribute to financial inclusion. Financial education is an essential tool for promoting financial inclusion because it raises public awareness of financial products and services. The compilation and improvement of statistics on financial inclusion, which forms the foundation for efficiently and effectively conducting relevant policies, is another area fit for central banks given their expertise on economic statistics. Central banks with the capacity to perform high quality research can also suggest alternative measures for financial inclusion,and participate in international discussions on financial inclusion. Financial inclusion cannot be achieved with the efforts of one institution alone. Efforts must therefore be exerted by all the institutions concerned, such as the government, the central bank, financial supervision authorities and financial institutions, if exclusion from financial benefits were to be prevented.