Financial sector capacity is strengthened in the West Bank and Gaza

Location: West Bank and Gaza

Under the Expanded and Sustained Access to Financial Services (ESAF) program, FHI 360 is building a more inclusive financial sector for Palestinian households and businesses. FHI 360 has partnered with regulators, industry associations, educational institutions and the private sector to promote financial literacy and improve access to savings, credit and insurance. We assisted the Palestinian Monetary Authority to establish a consumer protection department, cited by the International Monetary Fund as one of the agency's most significant recent reforms. We also led a national media campaign that improved public knowledge about and confidence in the financial sector, during which the number of people aware of the Palestinian Capital Markets Authority, a key regulatory body, nearly tripled to 680,000. Through a US$8 million grant fund, FHI 360 improved the productivity of 38 small and medium enterprises, stimulating US$16 million in private investment and creating 698 jobs.