This chapter includes the following articles.
Financial Services
Regulatory reforms aimed at implementing interna¬tional best practices across banks, capital markets and the insurance industry have been undertaken in Jordan’s financial services sector, which already benefits from stable, well-capitalised and profitable lenders, and rapid growth and diversification in Islamic financial services. Yet, there remains room for improvement. The majority of the population is still unbanked and overall financial inclusion is low. Meanwhile, many businesses have difficulty accessing credit, despite growing concerns over excess liquidity, although rising government and donor investment in new lending programmes could see financing to small and medium-sized enterprises improve considerably in 2018. This chapter contains interviews with Ziad Fariz, Governor, Central Bank of Jordan; Iyad Asali, General Manager, Islamic International Arab Bank; and Nemeh Sabbagh, CEO, Arab Bank.
