Worldwide Landscape of Postal Financial Services : Asia Region

Postal networks in the nine countries in the Asian region profiled here have 289,067 post offices. In many of these Asian countries, post offices have provided payments and savings services for more than 130 years. At the end of 2002, 335 million Asians had postal savings accounts, for a total balance of USD 83 billion (about 20 percent of the adult population). In China and Vietnam, postal savings have only been recently established, but are growing quickly. In addition to payment services, it provides domestic money transfers, including collecting bill payments. In some countries, e.g. Thailand, the role of postal networks in the payments system is significant. In general, however, transaction volumes for savings and payments together appear low, suggesting that many of these accounts may be dormant and may play only a marginal role in the payment system. Vigorous reform is required to develop intrinsically strong and competent institutions. The issue is not limited to repositioning postal financial services in the financial sector (instead of the public postal sector), the issue is also repositioning the postal network as the front-end of the financial sector and the modern information services (instead of the back office for mail processing, collection, and distribution). A vigorous approach will therefore have to include assessment of options, such as participation of and/or alliances with privately managed financial institutions, cross-border co-operation, private postal agents, and a process and approach not necessarily dependent on the pace and course of postal reform.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	World Bank
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:	ACCESS POINT, ACCESS POINTS, ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES, ACCESS TO INSURANCE, ACCOUNTING, ACCOUNTING STANDARDS, ACTUAL COSTS, AIR CARGO, AIR FREIGHT, AIRMAIL, AIRMAIL SERVICES, ATM CARD, ATM CARDS, ATM NETWORK, AVERAGE BALANCE, BALANCE SHEET, BANK ACCOUNT, BANK BRANCH, BANK BRANCH NETWORK, BANK BRANCH NETWORKS, BANK BRANCHES, BANKING NETWORKS, BANKING SERVICES, BULK MAIL, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS PLAN, BUSINESS VOLUME, CASH PAYMENTS, CASH REMITTANCES, CASH TRANSFERS, COMMERCIAL BANK, COMMERCIAL BANKS, COMMERCIALIZATION, COST-EFFICIENCY, COUNTER NETWORK, CREDIT PRODUCTS, CREDIT RISK, CROSS-SUBSIDIES, CURRENT ACCOUNTS, CUSTOMER BASES, DEBIT CARDS, DEFICITS, DEPOSIT, DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS, DEPOSIT MOBILIZATION, DEPOSIT PRODUCTS, DEPOSITOR, DEPOSITS, DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE, DEVELOPMENT BANK, DEVELOPMENT BANKS, DEVELOPMENT FINANCE, DIRECT MAIL, DISTRIBUTION OF COURIER, DIVERSIFICATION, DOMESTIC MAIL, E-BANKING, E-GOVERNMENT, E-MAIL, ELECTRONIC MAIL, ELECTRONIC MAIL SERVICE, EXPENDITURE, EXPRESS MAIL, FINANCIAL CRISES, FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE, FINANCIAL PRODUCTS, FINANCIAL RESOURCES, FINANCIAL SERVICE, FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, FINANCIAL SERVICES, FINANCIAL SYSTEM, FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS, FLOW OF MONEY, FORMAL FINANCIAL SECTOR, FORMAL FINANCIAL SERVICES, HOUSEHOLDS, HYBRID MAIL, ID, INCOME GROUPS, INFORMATION SERVICES, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INITIAL DEPOSIT, INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING, INSTITUTIONAL REFORM, INSURANCE, INSURANCE AGENCY, INSURANCE SERVICES, INTEREST RATE, INTEREST RATES, INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, INTERNATIONAL MAIL, INTERNATIONAL POSTAL, MAIL BUSINESS, MAIL FLOWS, MAIL ITEMS, MAIL PROCESSING, MAIL SERVICE, MAIL SERVICES, MAIL SORTING, MAIL SORTING CENTERS, MAIL VOLUMES, MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS, MARKETING, MICROFINANCE, MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS, MIGRATION, MONEY LAUNDERING, MONEY ORDER, MONEY TRANSFER, MONEY TRANSFERS, MUTUAL FUNDS, NATIONAL POSTAL, NATIONAL POSTAL OPERATORS, NUMBER OF POSTAL OPERATORS, NUMBER OF POSTS, OPERATING REVENUES, OPERATIONAL COSTS, ORDINARY MAIL, OUTREACH, PACKAGES, PARCEL SERVICES, PARCELS, PAYMENT SERVICES, PAYMENT SYSTEMS, PAYMENTS INSTRUMENTS, PAYMENTS SERVICES, PAYROLL SERVICES, PENSIONS, POINT OF SALE, POST, POST CORPORATION, POST OFFICE, POST OFFICE COUNTER, POST OFFICE SAVINGS, POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK, POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANKS, POST OFFICES, POSTAL, POSTAL ACCOUNTS, POSTAL AGENTS, POSTAL BANK, POSTAL BANKING, POSTAL BANKS, POSTAL BUSINESS, POSTAL COUNTERS, POSTAL EXPRESS, POSTAL FINANCE, POSTAL FINANCIAL SERVICES, POSTAL LIFE INSURANCE, POSTAL MAIL, POSTAL MANAGEMENT, POSTAL MARKET, POSTAL MARKETS, POSTAL MONEY ORDER, POSTAL MONEY ORDERS, POSTAL NETWORK, POSTAL NETWORKS, POSTAL OPERATIONS, POSTAL OPERATOR, POSTAL OPERATORS, POSTAL ORGANIZATIONS, POSTAL OUTLETS, POSTAL POLICY, POSTAL REFORM, POSTAL REFORMS, POSTAL REVENUES, POSTAL SAVINGS, POSTAL SAVINGS BANKS, POSTAL SERVICE, POSTAL SERVICE MODELS, POSTAL SERVICES, POSTAL STAFF, POSTAL SYSTEM, POSTAL SYSTEMS, POSTS, PRIVATE ENTREPRENEUR, PRIVATE ENTREPRENEURS, PRIVATE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, PRIVATE FINANCIAL SECTOR, PRIVATE OPERATORS, PRIVATIZATION, PRODUCTIVITY, PROFITABILITY, PUBLIC AGENCIES, PUBLIC POSTAL OPERATOR, PUBLIC POSTAL OPERATORS, PUBLIC POSTAL SECTOR, PUBLIC SERVICE, QUALITY OF SERVICE, REMITTANCE, RETAIL BANKING, RURAL CREDIT, RURAL CREDIT COOPERATIVE, RURAL POST OFFICES, SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, SAVINGS BANK ACCOUNTS, SAVINGS MOBILIZATION, SAVINGS PRODUCT, SAVINGS PRODUCTS, SAVINGS SERVICE, SAVINGS SERVICES, SOLVENCY, STATE BANKS, STATE ENTERPRISES, SUBSIDIARY, TAX EXEMPTIONS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, TELEPHONE SERVICES, TIME DEPOSITS, TRADITIONAL MAIL, UNFAIR COMPETITION, UNIVERSAL POSTAL, UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION, UNIVERSAL SERVICE, UPU, URBAN AREAS, WORLDWIDE POSTAL NETWORK,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/01/16461280/asia-region-worldwide-landscape-postal-financial-services https://hdl.handle.net/10986/12709
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