The report emphasized on low-income housing solutions. In some countries in the region, private developers discover that cheaper housing is actually capable of presenting good commercial opportunities. Faster reorientation of the building industry to lower-income construction is predicated on two conditions: developer finance and efficient land administration. Deficiencies in financial systems, the report noted, should be eliminated to address the dearth of long-term funding for mortgage lenders and developers. Financial markets are dominated by large banking sectors in South Asia. Despite the gradual liberalization of the sector in the recent decades and the remarkable growth that came with it, financial services have been limited to basic products and have extended in a very modest manner into housing or related insurance products.

The report emphasized the critical role the private sector must play in the provision of a sustainable solution for expanding the affordable housing market to lower-income groups. Public-sector housing provision alone cannot cope with the demographic and urbanization pressures of low-income groups. Bringing housing finance to low-income families involve a whole set of new instruments and policies. “In South Asia, the key is to make sure there is sufficient land supply with proper urban regulations to avoid land price speculation and inflation,” said Olivier Hassler, the World Bank’s Program Coordinator for Global Capital Markets.