The Nuts and Bolts of Banked Youth

Despite the fact that those in the international development field increasingly look at youth financial inclusion as a viable intervention for youth economic development, little data has existed on whether, how, and which youth would save if given the opportunity to do so in a savings account at a bank. 

A recent publication by YouthSave consortium member, the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, provides significant insight into who is saving and what factors are associated with savings patterns and performance of youth savings accounts. This podcast features an interview with Lissa Johnson, Director of Administration at the Center for Social Development, who led the Savings Demand Assessment for YouthSave in colaboration with the following country research partners: Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, Institute for Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana, Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), and New ERA in Nepal. We would like to thank the participating financial institutions for their support of the research agenda: Banco Caja Social (BCS) in Colombia, HFC Bank in Ghana, Kenya Post Office Savings Bank (Postbank) in Kenya, and Bank of Kathmandu Ltd. (BOK) in Nepal.

To listen to the podcast, click here.