Challenges and Opportunities for Youth Saving

Youth Save Research Brief No. 12 - 16. YouthSave is a pioneering project designed to study savings and development among low-income youth in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, and Nepal. The goals of YouthSave research are to measure the uptake, savings outcomes, experiences, and impacts of Youth Savings Accounts (YSAs) on clients and financial institutions. The aim of the YouthSave learning agenda is to produce critical knowledge to inform the design of savings products, services, and policies targeted for youth, and at the same time provide guidance in decisions and capabilities for asset-building strategies for youth and their families. One of the learning methods—a multi-faceted case study—informs the “story” of YouthSave in each country from contextual and demand-side perspectives. Research Partners in all four countries, in collaboration with CSD, have conducted background research to understand the context of youth saving ahead of the launch of YSAs. This research brief highlights some of the challenges and opportunities in the four YouthSave countries.