Between January and April 2019, the number of debit cards circulating in the country fell 5%, from 6.03 million to 5.71 million, and the accumulated balance of accounts associated with these plastics fell by 3%.
Based on the information reported by the companies, up to April 30, 2019 there were a total of 5,719,387 cardholders in the domestic market. When comparing this amount with the data from the previous study, a decrease of 311,505 cardholders is registered, informed the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC).
Between 2011 and 2014 the number of people with bank accounts grew in all Central American countries, with noteworthy growth in El Salvador of 23%.
In Guatemala bankariztion grew by 19% in the period in question, reaching 9.2 million people with at least one bank account. In Honduras' growth was 11%, Costa Rica's 14%, Panama's 19%, and in Nicaragua, the increase was only 5%.
The Superintendency of Banks in Guatemala has published the Financial Inclusion Report corresponding to the fourth quarter of 2014, noting an increase of 15% in the number of account holders.
From a statement issued by the Superintendeny of Banks in Guatemala:
Financial Inclusion refers to a set of actions which aim to increase access and improve the use of financial services for all segments of the population, including those who have traditionally been neglected, ie, the poor and rural segments. Its importance centers around the fact that lack of access to financial services causes people limitations in their ability to save, receive credit and to protect against the occurrence of situations or disasters that may affect them in their daily lives, through insurance coverage.
The government has reported that a fake form is in circulation asking non-residents in the country for verification of bank accounts.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Panama:
The Ministry of Finance wishes to make public knowledge, that there is a Verification Form for Non Resident Bank Accounts in Panama in circulation that is fraudulent, since in the organizational structure of the institution there is no such unit.
With the implementation of the Standardized Bank Accounts starting July 1st banking transactions will be streamlined.
From a statement issued by the Bank of Guatemala (BANGUAT):
Standardized bank accounts for Guatemala will come into effect, firstly, to standardize the numbers of current and savings accounts, which are commonly used to transfer funds electronically at the interbank level, through internal and external systems in the country.
Only 14% of the Salvadoran population has a bank account.
As a way to promote financial inclusion, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Spainish-United Nations Fund for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG-F), insist on the creation of a regulatory framework to govern banking services.
"One of the main objectives is approval of the regulation on the subject of mobile transactions, which doesn’t require any physical branches, but access to technologies such as cell phones", says an article in Elmundo.com.sv.