Timothy F Geithner: Systemic risk and financial markets Testimony of Mr Timothy F Geithner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, before the Committee on Financial Services, US House of Representatives, Washington DC, 24 July 2008. *  *  *  Good morning, Chairman Frank, Ranking Member Bachus and other members of the Committee. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify today. I very much welcome the opportunity to appear before you with Chairman Cox of the Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC). The Federal Reserve and the SEC are working very closely together in navigating through the present challenges, and my colleagues at the Fed and I very much appreciate his, and his colleagues’, support and cooperation. The U.S. and global financial systems are going through a very challenging period of adjustment. The critical imperative today is to help facilitate that adjustment and to cushion its impact on the broader economy. The forces that made the system vulnerable to this crisis took a long time to build up, and the system will need some time to work through their aftermath. Looking forward, the United States will have to undertake substantial reforms to the framework of policy, regulation and oversight of the financial system. There was a case for reform before this crisis. The regulatory framework in the United States was designed in a different time for a very different type of financial system than the one we have today.
Significant findings from the survey were that 66.3% of the Zambian adult population did not have access to financial services and that only 33.7% used banks, other formal and informal financial services and products (such as those offered by microfinance and savings clubs). Above all, only 15% of the adult population had access to commercial banking services. This low level of financial access therefore constitutes one of Zambia’s main challenges in facilitating economic empowerment of every citizen. Arising from these findings, the Government has since set targets or performance monitoring indicators. One such target is to increase the level of access to financial services to 48% by 2008 and 50% by the end of 2009. Following the earlier survey, a subsequent study called the “Finscope Supply – Side Survey” was conducted in 2007. Some of the key findings were that: a.  bank charges are unaffordable for 90% of the rural adult population in Zambia;  b.  Zambian banks generally have high operating costs and interest rate spreads; and  c.  the physical coverage of financial outlets may not increase at current cost levels. It is therefore, my hope that this Forum will address these and other challenges that slow the pace of financial inclusion in our countries.