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Digital Financial Services Go a Long Way: Transaction Costs and Financial Inclusion

Author

Listed:
  • Pierre Bachas
  • Paul Gertler
  • Sean Higgins
  • Enrique Seira

Abstract

Debit cards reduce the travel distance to access bank accounts and can increase financial inclusion. We show that in Mexico, cash transfer beneficiaries who already received their transfers in bank accounts and subsequently received debit cards reduce their median distance to access the account from 4.8 to 1.3 kilometers and report being less likely to forgo important activities (childcare, work) to withdraw their transfer. Using account level data, we find a strong negative correlation between the reduction in travel distance and financial activity: beneficiaries facing the largest reductions in distance increase both their number of withdrawals and their savings balances.

Suggested Citation

  • Pierre Bachas & Paul Gertler & Sean Higgins & Enrique Seira, 2018. "Digital Financial Services Go a Long Way: Transaction Costs and Financial Inclusion," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 108, pages 444-448, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:108:y:2018:p:444-48
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20181013
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2021. "Epidemic Exposure, Fintech Adoption, and the Digital Divide," CESifo Working Paper Series 9173, CESifo.
    2. Galiani, Sebastian & Gertler, Paul & Navajas-Ahumada, Camila, 2022. "Trust and saving in financial institutions by the poor," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    3. Ozili, Peterson Kitakogelu, 2021. "Financial inclusion-exclusion paradox: how banked adults become unbanked again," MPRA Paper 108494, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Lucas A. Mariani & Jose Renato Haas Ornelas & Bernardo Ricca, 2023. "Banks’ Physical Footprint and Financial Technology Adoption," Working Papers Series 576, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department.
    5. Xiaomeng Lu & Yali Lai & Yong Zhang, 2023. "Digital financial inclusion and investment diversification: Evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(S2), pages 2781-2799, June.
    6. Zhong, Weiqiang & Jiang, Tingfeng, 2021. "Can internet finance alleviate the exclusiveness of traditional finance? evidence from Chinese P2P lending markets," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    7. Giulia Bettin & Claudia Pigini & Alberto Zazzaro, 2020. "Financial inclusion and poverty transitions: an empirical analysis for Italy," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 164, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    8. Bo Yang & Xiangnan Wang & Tong Wu & Weihua Deng, 2023. "Reducing farmers' poverty vulnerability in China: The role of digital financial inclusion," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 1445-1480, August.
    9. Pierre Bachas & Paul Gertler & Sean Higgins & Enrique Seira, 2021. "How Debit Cards Enable the Poor to Save More," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(4), pages 1913-1957, August.
    10. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2022. "Epidemic Exposure, Financial Technology, and the Digital Divide," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(7), pages 1913-1940, October.
    11. Hilt, Eric & Jaremski, Matthew & Rahn, Wendy, 2022. "When Uncle Sam introduced Main Street to Wall Street: Liberty Bonds and the transformation of American finance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(1), pages 194-216.
    12. Daniel Lederman & Marwane Zouaidi, 2022. "Incidence of the Digital Economy and Frictional Unemployment: International Evidence," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(51), pages 5873-5888, November.
    13. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2022. "Epidemic Exposure, Financial Technology, and the Digital Divide," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(7), pages 1913-1940, October.
    14. Camara,Youssouf, 2021. "Digital Payments and Business Resilience : Evidence in the Time of COVID-19," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9665, The World Bank.
    15. Marcos Agurto & Habiba Djebbari & Sudipta Sarangi Author-Name: Brenda Silupú Author-Name: Carolina Trivelli Author-Name: Javier Torres, 2020. "Local ambassadors promote mobile banking in Northern Peru," Working Papers PIERI 2020-04, PEP-PIERI.
    16. Ozili, Peterson K, 2020. "Comparing digital finance in the UK, US, India and Nigeria," MPRA Paper 104498, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Heng Chen & Matthew Strathearn & Marcel Voia, 2021. "Consumer Cash Withdrawal Behaviour: Branch Networks and Online Financial Innovation," Staff Working Papers 21-28, Bank of Canada.
    18. repec:zbw:bofitp:2021_013 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Ozili, Peterson K, 2021. "Financial inclusion: the globally important determinants," MPRA Paper 111342, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Ozili, Peterson K, 2022. "Digital financial inclusion," MPRA Paper 113789, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Brown, Martin & Hentschel, Nicole & Mettler, Hannes & Stix, Helmut, 2022. "The convenience of electronic payments and consumer cash demand," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 86-102.
    22. Kodongo, Odongo, 2023. "Does the fintech ecosystem promote effective financial inclusion in Kenya?," KBA Centre for Research on Financial Markets and Policy Working Paper Series 70, Kenya Bankers Association (KBA).
    23. Yun Ye & Yongjian Pu & Ailun Xiong, 2022. "The impact of digital finance on household participation in risky financial markets: Evidence-based study from China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(4), pages 1-16, April.
    24. Ozili, Peterson Kitakogelu, 2022. "Financial inclusion in Nigeria: an overview," MPRA Paper 113572, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    25. Yang, Tong & Zhang, Xun, 2022. "FinTech adoption and financial inclusion: Evidence from household consumption in China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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