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Purpose: This chapter examines some policy ideas on how to achieve high levels of financial inclusion. It explores policy options that can be used to achieve greater levels of financial inclusion.

Methodology: The chapter uses a discursive approach to analyse the steps to achieving full financial inclusion.

Findings: The chapter offers some suggestions on how to achieve full financial inclusion. They include reducing interest rates, introducing conditional low-interest rates, supporting monetary policies with social security payments, reducing taxes, using targeted government spending, supporting fiscal policies with conditional tax rebate and tax exemptions, financial inclusion–environment decoupling, de-risking the financial system, and ring-fencing banking for the poor.

Originality: This study contributes to the financial inclusion literature by exploring additional ways to achieve high levels of financial inclusion.

This chapter examines various conditions for optimality in financial inclusion. The optimal level of financial inclusion is achieved when basic financial services are provided to members of the population at a price that is affordable and that price is also economically sufficient to encourage providers of financial services to provide such financial services on a continual basis. Any level of financial inclusion that does not meet these conditions is sub-optimal and incentive-inefficient both for users and providers of financial services.

Purpose: This chapter aims to present the arguments for and against central bank digital currency (CBDC) increasing financial inclusion. Financial inclusion is one of the many reasons for issuing a CBDC.

Need for the study: There is a need to offer a critical perspective on the proposed financial inclusion benefits of CBDC. This is the first paper to present arguments supporting and statement against CBDC for financial inclusion.

Method: This chapter uses discourse analysis methodology to identify the arguments about CBDC promoting financial inclusion

Findings: The arguments in support of CBDC increasing financial inclusion are that CBDCs can digitise value chains, CBDCs can improve access to digital financial services, CBDCs can help to enlarge the digital economy, CBDCs can enhance the efficiency of digital payments, CBDCs can be used offline when there is no internet coverage, and CBDCs have low transaction costs. Some criticisms are that CBDC may not prioritise financial inclusion, a high price to purchase digital devices for holding a CBDC, non-interest-bearing CBDCs, the strong preference for cash over digital currency, the burdensome identification and regulatory requirements, and the imposition of transaction costs.

Implications: Overall, the arguments presented in this chapter show that there is still disagreement over whether a central bank’s digital currency can increase financial inclusion. Nevertheless, in the light of recent events, many central banks are determined to issue a CBDC for many reasons. Even though CBDCs do not achieve the intended financial inclusion objective, at least the other goals for publishing a CBDC will be performed, such as a significant reduction in cash management costs and the effective conduct of monetary policy.

Financial inclusion washing has not been considered to be a crime although it should be. This paper aims to present a discussion about financial inclusion washing. It was argued that financial inclusion washing is the deliberate or unintentional use of exaggerated claims or misleading claims to describe an entity’s commitment to increase the level of financial inclusion.

This paper used the conceptual discourse analysis methodology.

This paper showed that many entities are at risk of practicing financial inclusion washing such as international development organizations, aid organizations, government agencies, central banks, financial institutions, financial inclusion support groups and associations, among others. This paper also highlighted the manifestations, motivations and consequences of financial inclusion washing. This paper also identified ways through which entities can avoid financial inclusion washing.

The literature has not examined how exaggerated claims about financial inclusion efforts mislead people.

Purpose: This conceptual paper aims to identify how financial inclusion relates to sustainability and the level of sustainable development.

Methodology: The paper used discourse analysis to identify how financial inclusion relates to sustainability and the level of sustainable development.

Finding: The paper argued that granting access to basic formal financial services contributes to greater sustainable development by ensuring that access to finance is guaranteed sustainably, and basic financial services are provided sustainably and based on sustainability principles to yield a lasting impact for sustainable development. The paper also argued that financial inclusion increases the level of sustainable development because financial inclusion increases the economic opportunities and social welfare of banked adults while it only provides limited benefits for the environment. This approach links financial inclusion to sustainable development by adopting sustainability principles in offering basic financial services to banked adults.

Implication: Consequently, a synergy between financial inclusion and sustainable development is needed. The synergy should be based on sustainability principles, requiring policies integrating financial inclusion into the sustainable development agenda.

Originality: This paper is the first to identify the relationship between the financial inclusion agenda, the sustainable development agenda and the sustainability agenda.

Purpose: This chapter revisits digital financial inclusion as an international development agenda and discusses everything you need to know about digital financial inclusion.

Methodology: This chapter uses conceptual discourse methodology to explain digital financial inclusion.

Findings: This chapter identifies the definitions of digital financial inclusion, the goal of digital financial inclusion, the components of digital financial inclusion, the types of providers of digital financial services, the instruments for digital financial inclusion, the benefits of digital financial inclusion, the risks of digital financial inclusion, and the regulatory issues associated with digital financial inclusion. It also proposes suggestions on how to make digital financial inclusion work for the good of all. This chapter concludes by offering some implications for policymaking and practice in the digital finance ecosystem.

Focusing on micro-level indicators, we investigate financial inclusion levels in rural China, examining its determinants and impact on household welfare. We construct a financial inclusion index of four essential financial services: savings, digital payments, credit and insurance. We identify factors influencing financial inclusion among Chinese rural households and assess the effects of financial inclusion on household welfare.

With the entropy method, we use data from the 2019 China Household Finance Survey to assess financial inclusion levels in rural China. Determinants and their impact on welfare are analyzed through probit and ordinary least squares models, respectively. Propensity scoring matching is applied to address potential endogeneity.

We reveal that rural households exhibit limited usage of formal financial services, with notable regional disparities. The eastern region enjoys the highest financial inclusion and the central region lags behind. Household characteristics such as family size, education level of the household head, income, employment status and financial literacy significantly influence financial inclusion. Financial inclusion positively impacts household welfare as indicated by household consumption expenditure. The use of different types of financial services is crucial with varying but significant effects on household welfare.

This study offers valuable insights into China’s rural financial inclusion progress, highlighting potential barriers and guiding government actions.

The purpose of this paper is to calculate the financial inclusion index and analyze its dynamics in developing countries.

The authors use the two-stage principal component analysis (PCA) method and consider financial technology innovations to improve the accuracy of the financial inclusion index.

The authors found a downward trend in the financial inclusion index in most developing countries over the study period. The authors also found that a high financial inclusion index is linked to high scores in the Doing Business and high business climate regulation ranking. In addition, the authors observed that the rates of low financial inclusion in developing countries are due to low utilization of and unequal access to financial services.

The analysis suggests that policymakers in developing countries could invest in digital infrastructure to extend access to financial services in remote areas. They could also encourage financial innovation, particularly in financial technologies, by adopting flexible regulatory frameworks. Promoting the financial inclusion of marginalized groups through targeted initiatives tailored to their needs is another solution. They could also encourage the use of financial services by raising awareness and educating populations through training programs. Finally, to improve the business climate, governments could simplify administrative procedures and promote transparency and legal stability.

Unlike previous studies, the use of the two-stage PCA method and the consideration of financial technology (Fintech) innovations such as mobile money in the determinants of the financial inclusion index improve the accuracy of the index.

The study aims to find out the impact of financial inclusion and financial development on financial stability using panel data from eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

To achieve the aim of the study, the researcher prepared two indicators of financial inclusion and governance to find out the impact of financial development on the relationship between financial inclusion and financial stability. Data on financial inclusion was obtained from the International Monetary Fund, data on financial development and financial stability were obtained from the World Bank.

The results of the fixed and random effect methods show that financial inclusion has a significant positive effect on financial stability. Additionally, financial development represents a moderating variable in the significant positive effect on the relationship between financial inclusion and stability in the MENA countries.

The current study suffers from some limitations that researchers must be aware of in future research. First, there is an inability to determine qualitative aspects such as time and cost when designing a composite indicator of financial inclusion. Second, due to limited data, we used only eight countries from the MENA. It is suggested to expand the sample to include other countries.

This paper contributes to the related literature between financial inclusion and financial stability by confirming or denying the results of previous studies. Also, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the only one that explains the role of financial development in the relationship between financial inclusion and stability in MENA countries, using a composite index to calculate financial inclusion. Finally, the study seeks to focus the attention of the government and policymakers to build a system of financial inclusion that leads to improving financial stability.

This paper aims to conduct a systematic literature review on the fintech services and financial inclusion of the developing nations that particularly focuses on lower middle-income group nations (LMIGN) and upper middle-income group nations (UMIGN) to highlight the research areas that have not received attention and present opportunities for future research.

This paper adopts a systematic approach to examine 65 research articles published from 2016 to 2021, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

The study identifies research gaps in two key themes: backward and outward linkages. In backward linkages, the literature on UMIGN should pay attention to the behavioural patterns associated with lending, investment and market provision-related fintech services. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between fintech services on the usage and quality dimension of financial inclusion in both LMIGN and UMIGN. For outward linkages, future research work should explore the role of fintech and financial inclusion in the development of LMIGN. This study provides valuable insights and guides future research directions by comprehensively mapping the existing studies.

This study does not use quantitative tools, such as meta and bibliometric analysis, to validate the findings.

This research paper offers new perspectives that introduce a novel framework for analysing literature on fintech, financial inclusion and its impact on the overall development of UMIGN and LMIGN.