Financial inclusion is an important enabler of economic development and aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In most sub-Saharan African countries, financial inclusion efforts take place in the presence of concentrated and bank-dominated systems. This study...

Most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are implementing fast payment systems (FPS), often with the goal of enhancing access to and use of affordable financial services. FPS offer immediate transfer of funds on a 24x7 basis between end users. This paper assesses how FPS can promote...

This study examines FinTech adoption in the Palestinian banking sector, highlighting its role in driving innovation, improving customer satisfaction, and ensuring competitiveness. Using an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and SmartPLS 4.0 software for structural equation modeling, the...

The integration or resettlement efforts aimed at self-reliance of refugees are requisite for their adaptation to social and economic shocks and consequently to their human development and contribution to economic growth. This study analyses the drivers of financial inclusion and social...

We empirically examine the causal impact of women's financial inclusion on their exposure to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in India using data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey. However, establishing a causal link between women's financial inclusion and IPV is...

The urgent need to address climate change has placed environmental degradation and sustainable development at the centre of policy discussions. This highlights the importance of examining how the financial system directs funds toward green investments or emission-intensive industries. Expanding...

This study analyses income dynamics and economic vulnerability in the Republic of Moldova between 2019 and 2023, using data on income and expenditures from the Household Budget Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics. The findings reveal significant socio-demographic disparities,...

A large share of the global workforce lacks access to employer-sponsored retirement plans. In Colombia, where labor informality is high, the government introduced the Beneficios Economicos Periodicos (BEPS) program to promote voluntary retirement savings. However, many enrollees fail to...

Women in emerging economies face unique constraints rooted in cultural norms, socio-economic disparities, and limited access to education and technology. Narrowing the digital gender gap by ensuring access to financial services may reduce the economic inequalities for women in these countries....

Over the past decade, the debate on the microeconomic effects of financial inclusion has intensified, with a growing body of research exploring how access to financial services impacts banks' behaviors. Studying the effect of financial inclusion on bank risk is crucial because it helps...

The link between financial inclusion and financial stability is a central concern in public economic policymaking, particularly in emerging countries where access to financial services remains limited. While financial inclusion is widely regarded as a key driver of economic development, its...

Retail central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and fast payment systems (FPS) share a number of similarities. Both allow for instant transactions for end users, can rely on underlying infrastructures operated by the central bank and can allow for an important role for private payment service...

This volume provides insights and lessons learned from a range of fast payment systems (FPS). Over 100 jurisdictions worldwide, including 15 jurisdictions in Latin America, have implemented FPS, which are a promising tool to improve people's payment experience, access to financial services and...

Despite questions surrounding their reliability, much of the financial literacy literature continues to rely on simple metrics - without checking whether using an alternative might yield different findings. The present paper does just that: we replicate two prior studies and substitute the...

Financial technologies metamorphose economies with customer-focused innovation. In this way, financial inclusion is fostered and economic growth is increased. However, risks, trust issues, and ethical concerns stem from the faster advancement of digital technologies and expanding financial...

While the financial inclusion would induce greater pollutant emissions through its impact of economic activity, the increased access to financial services may unleash investments in green technologies. This papier investigates whether the financial inclusion influences the dynamic of carbon...

The present research extends the extant literature by investigating the hypothesis on whether marriage can be a substitute for financial inclusion in energy poverty reduction in Ghana. Pooled data and two stage least squares techniques are used in the estimation process and the validity of the...

The digital economy's rise has fueled the growth of digital banking, but concerns linger about customer protection. While offering advantages like financial inclusion, this shift disrupts traditional banking experiences and introduces potential risks. Customer safety in this new landscape is...

Financial inclusion is a mechanism that provide accessibility and application of formal financial system at an affordable cost. Mobile money as a financial service allows value to be exchanged and stored in mobile money accounts as this facilitates economic development, expand investment...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of financial inclusion on corporate investment. More specifically, this paper investigates the possibility of a nonlinear relationship between financial inclusion and corporate investment, as well as the moderating effect of audit quality in...

This study analyzes how fintech credit affects bank lending in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and how this relationship is influenced by financial inclusion measured by bank branch networks. We utilized the system GMM to examine data spanning 19 SSA economies from 2013 to 2019. This study finds that...

This study investigated the impact of mobile financial services on the shadow economy in Southern Africa countries and explored how regulatory quality moderates this relationship. Utilising panel data from 1993 to 2022, this study employed dynamic common-correlated effect (DCCE) and dynamic...

Interoperability is the characteristic of a payment service (e.g. digital wallets) to allow its users to pay any person or company, regardless of the financial institution providing services to the payer or payee. On October 7, 2022, the Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP) issued the Payment...

Drawing on the rich firm-level enterprise survey dataset of more than 58,000 small enterprises in 39 developing and emerging economies, this study investigates gender disparities in firms' financial fragility, credit demand, and credit provision during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of...