Poor people participate in markets as both consumers and providers. Markets work for the poor when poor people as consumers become able to access a desired product or service provided through a market. But, in any particular good or service market, what does effective access mean and who has it? How much will levels of access change in response to policy action or providers' strategies? Market-based solutions may well not reach all eligible people, in which case, what are the limits of the market and who is excluded? To answer questions like these, policy makers and providers need to be able to define and measure access both now and in the future. The access frontier approach described in this article provides a practical way of doing this. The approach rests on the segmentation of the entire potential market for a good or service into different zones using both demandand supply-side information. This article demonstrates the applications of the access frontier in a financial service market - transactional banking in South Africa - and demonstrates its implications for policy development and market strategy.

Beck, T. and de la Torre, A. (2006) The Basic Analytics of Access to Finance, World Bank Working Paper, World Bank, Washington DC, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTACCESSFINANCE/Resources/AF13BECKarticle.pdf http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTACCESSFINANCE/Resources/AF13BECKarticle.pdf

BFA (2007) “Cross country analysis of FinScopeTM data”, report commissioned by FinMark Trust[Q14]

Honahan, P. and Beck, T. (2007) Making Finance Work for Africa, World Bank, Washington DC.

Leach, J. (2005) ‘The Access Frontier for Health Insurance’, presentation to GIBS Healthcare Strategies Conference, www.finmarktrust.org.za/documents/2005/November/GIBS_healthInsure.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/documents/2005/November/GIBS_healthInsure.pdf

Matul, M. (2005) ‘The Demand for MicroInsurance in Georgia’, www.microinsurancecentre.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=resources.detaildoc&showcontributorID=88 www.microinsurancecentre.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=resources.detaildoc&showcontributorID=88

Melzer, I. (2006a) ‘How Low can you Go: Charting the Housing Finance Access Frontier’, April, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/Access_HFin.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/Access_HFin.pdf

Melzer, I. (2006b) ‘Exploring access to insurance in South Africa using the Access Frontier’, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/AF_insurance.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/AF_insurance.pdf

Meltzer, I. (2007) ‘Access to Savings in LSM1-5’, January, FinMark Trust and SA Savings Institute, ]www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2005) ‘The Access Frontier as an Approach and a Tool for Making Markets Work for the Poor’, paper commissioned by DFID, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2007) ‘Just how transformational is m-banking?’, paper commissioned by FinMark Trust, http://www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html http://www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2008) ‘G2P Schemes as a Business Opportunity for Financial Services at the very Base of the Pyramid’, forthcoming in book of case studies from FinMark Trust.

Beck, T. and de la Torre, A. (2006) The Basic Analytics of Access to Finance, World Bank Working Paper, World Bank, Washington DC, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTACCESSFINANCE/Resources/AF13BECKarticle.pdf http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTACCESSFINANCE/Resources/AF13BECKarticle.pdf

BFA (2007) “Cross country analysis of FinScopeTM data”, report commissioned by FinMark Trust[Q14]

Honahan, P. and Beck, T. (2007) Making Finance Work for Africa, World Bank, Washington DC.

Leach, J. (2005) ‘The Access Frontier for Health Insurance’, presentation to GIBS Healthcare Strategies Conference, www.finmarktrust.org.za/documents/2005/November/GIBS_healthInsure.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/documents/2005/November/GIBS_healthInsure.pdf

Matul, M. (2005) ‘The Demand for MicroInsurance in Georgia’, www.microinsurancecentre.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=resources.detaildoc&showcontributorID=88 www.microinsurancecentre.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=resources.detaildoc&showcontributorID=88

Melzer, I. (2006a) ‘How Low can you Go: Charting the Housing Finance Access Frontier’, April, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/Access_HFin.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/Access_HFin.pdf

Melzer, I. (2006b) ‘Exploring access to insurance in South Africa using the Access Frontier’, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/AF_insurance.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/AF_insurance.pdf

Meltzer, I. (2007) ‘Access to Savings in LSM1-5’, January, FinMark Trust and SA Savings Institute, ]www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2005) ‘The Access Frontier as an Approach and a Tool for Making Markets Work for the Poor’, paper commissioned by DFID, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2007) ‘Just how transformational is m-banking?’, paper commissioned by FinMark Trust, http://www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html http://www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2008) ‘G2P Schemes as a Business Opportunity for Financial Services at the very Base of the Pyramid’, forthcoming in book of case studies from FinMark Trust.

Beck, T. and de la Torre, A. (2006) The Basic Analytics of Access to Finance, World Bank Working Paper, World Bank, Washington DC, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTACCESSFINANCE/Resources/AF13BECKarticle.pdf http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTACCESSFINANCE/Resources/AF13BECKarticle.pdf

BFA (2007) “Cross country analysis of FinScopeTM data”, report commissioned by FinMark Trust[Q14]

Honahan, P. and Beck, T. (2007) Making Finance Work for Africa, World Bank, Washington DC.

Leach, J. (2005) ‘The Access Frontier for Health Insurance’, presentation to GIBS Healthcare Strategies Conference, www.finmarktrust.org.za/documents/2005/November/GIBS_healthInsure.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/documents/2005/November/GIBS_healthInsure.pdf

Matul, M. (2005) ‘The Demand for MicroInsurance in Georgia’, www.microinsurancecentre.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=resources.detaildoc&showcontributorID=88 www.microinsurancecentre.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=resources.detaildoc&showcontributorID=88

Melzer, I. (2006a) ‘How Low can you Go: Charting the Housing Finance Access Frontier’, April, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/Access_HFin.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/Access_HFin.pdf

Melzer, I. (2006b) ‘Exploring access to insurance in South Africa using the Access Frontier’, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/AF_insurance.pdf www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/Documents/AF_insurance.pdf

Meltzer, I. (2007) ‘Access to Savings in LSM1-5’, January, FinMark Trust and SA Savings Institute, ]www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2005) ‘The Access Frontier as an Approach and a Tool for Making Markets Work for the Poor’, paper commissioned by DFID, www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2007) ‘Just how transformational is m-banking?’, paper commissioned by FinMark Trust, http://www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html http://www.finmarktrust.org.za/accessfrontier/accessfrontier.html

Porteous, D. (2008) ‘G2P Schemes as a Business Opportunity for Financial Services at the very Base of the Pyramid’, forthcoming in book of case studies from FinMark Trust.