The three-month investigation is being conducted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and will assess the activities of all financial institutions, including the Palestine Monetary Authority (central bank), all other banks, insurance firms and credit businesses.

The bureau will also analyse trends on the Palestinian Securities Exchange in Nablus.

The PCBS hopes to establish the growth rate of financial institutions and to build a picture of which financial products are used by which parts of the Palestinian population, and what contribution financial services make to the economy.