The recent global financial meltdown was a revelation in one sense. Before the crisis there had been a belief that banks could never fail, a belief that encouraged overleveraging and excessive risk taking. The complexity of financial instruments, opaqueness of transactions, and sophistication of...

This report, getting finance in South Asia 2009, published annually by the unit, reaffirms the World Bank's commitment to working with developing member countries to promote financial sector development and create financial systems that are sound, stable, supportive of growth, and responsive to...