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The Global Financial Development Report is a regular publication of the World Bank Group, now in its fifth edition. Previous editions of the report have covered topics such as the role of the state in finance; financial inclusion; long-term finance; and international banking. Each report builds on a large body of underlying research and analytical work in the World Bank Group and elsewhere as well as our operational expertise. The current edition of the report is accompanied by a large database on bank regulation and supervision that is available online. 

The report is rather unique in its scope and depth. ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº Group has some regional and country reports on finance, but nothing of this sort at the global level. The World Development Report has many other topics to examine and does not regularly cover financial sector issues. Other publications focus on issues such as international capital flows or financial stability. For example, IMF's Global Financial Stability Report concentrates on stability issues, primarily in major financial institutions and developed financial markets. The Global Financial Development Report is a good complement to that. It concentrates on longer-term financial sector development issues, and its ambition is to go beyond the major economies and advanced markets, and to emphasize middle- and low-income economies. Also, the Global Financial Development Report comes with interesting new data and benchmarking of countries around the world in terms of financial sector development, which is not done elsewhere as well.

The report aims to reach country officials working on financial sector issues. That means policymakers and staff of central banks, ministries of finance, regulatory agencies, and other government bodies. But the report¡¯s intended audience also includes staff of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academics and students in focusing on financial development issues, think tanks, private sector participants, and donors, along with the development community more generally. Academic readers may want to see the underlying papers, which we include on the website alongside the report. And many will surely be interested in the financial development and inclusion data that we are putting together and making available.

There are two major aspects. The first aspects is a set of data and measurement framework for financial development. Website users are able to interact with the data, visualize the relevant financial development indicators and analyze trends. This is regularly updated and is a connecting link between the various issues of this report series. The second aspect of the report is thematic. The report covers a specific ¡®featured topic¡¯ each year, presenting the related evidence and policy discussions. For example, the current report is organized around the theme of bank regulation and supervision while the previous edition addressed international banking.