Under what conditions can government interventions in the financial sector be a successful tool to increase the financial resources available for productive investment in sub-Saharan Africa? This is the question which drives this paper. Historically and in line with welfare economic theory...

As regulators, central banks can play a stabilising role, using prudential regulation to ensure financial system stability, and a transformative role, using regulation to promote financial system development and so encourage financial deepening and inclusion. While there are strong arguments for...