A WSBI Roadmap for Postal Financial Services Reform and Development

This publication is a World Savings Bank Institute (WSBI) roadmap on the development and reform of postal financial services.

In a number of countries, especially in Africa, the postal sector is being reformed with a view to optimize the use of the network and strengthen the efficiency and quality of the services offered to the public. WSBI has developed this roadmap for the development and reform of the sector as one third of its membership is made of postal financial institutions from Africa, Asia, and Europe. The roadmap discusses how best to unleash the potential of postal networks to improve financial inclusion, and states that:

• Postal financial services reform should focus on access to finance;
• Diversity of institutional set-ups should be developed to fit national contexts;
• Autonomy and independence must be guaranteed to postal financial services.

The institutional reform of postal financial services should be carried out in the framework of a broad postal sector reform agenda. Adequate policies, enabling legislative and regulatory frameworks, and restructuring of core postal services should be undertaken simultaneously.