This policy note reports the results of a systematic review of the empirical literature investigating the impact of access to formal banking services on the income of the poor. Taking a functional approach to finance, the authors define formal banking services to include lending, savings and payment services.

Can Formal Banking Raise the Incomes of the Poor?
Rohini Pande, Shawn Cole, Anitha Sivasankaran, Gautam Bastian and Katherine Durlache
2012