We implemented a randomized field experiment that tested ways to stimulate savings by international
migrants in their origin country. We find that migrants value and take advantage of opportunities to
exert greater control over financial activities in their home countries. In partnership with a Salvadoran
bank, we offered U.S.-based migrants bank accounts in El Salvador. We randomly varied migrant
control over El Salvador-based savings by offering different types of accounts across treatment groups.
Migrants offered the greatest degree of control accumulated the most savings at the partner bank, compared
to others offered less or no control over savings. Impacts are likely to represent increases in total savings:
there is no evidence that savings increases were simply reallocated from other savings mechanisms.
Enhanced control over home-country savings does not affect remittances sent home by migrants