IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v64y2021ics0160791x20313129.html

Rethinking digital financial inclusion: Evidence from Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Aziz, Abdul
  • Naima, Umma

Abstract

A growing body of literature is advancing the impact of financial inclusion and digital finance on marginalized populations. However, mainstream scholarship has not focused on understanding the potential drivers and challenges of digital approaches to financial inclusion. This study aims to investigate the mismatch between assumptions implicit in the financial inclusion discourse and ideas of access and use of digital technologies and seeks to move the discourse forward through a comprehensive framework for digital financial inclusion. Our study showed that the social dynamics of financial engagement with new technologies require a move beyond a simple individualistic adopter/non-adopter binary framework and ‘supply oriented’ financial infrastructure. We conclude that although digital services have eased and bridged the gap of physical access to financial services, such services have not been utilised due to lack of basic connectivity, financial literacy and social awareness. This article theoretically contributes to digital financial services adoption literature by offering a significant critical overview and a new perspective on both digital finance and financial inclusion mechanisms.

Suggested Citation

  • Aziz, Abdul & Naima, Umma, 2021. "Rethinking digital financial inclusion: Evidence from Bangladesh," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:64:y:2021:i:c:s0160791x20313129
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101509
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X20313129
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101509?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Axelle Asmar & Leo van Audenhove & Ilse Mariën, 2020. "Social Support for Digital Inclusion: Towards a Typology of Social Support Patterns," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 138-150.
    2. Peterson K. Ozili, 2018. "Impact of digital finance on financial inclusion and stability," Borsa Istanbul Review, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 18(4), pages 329-340, December.
    3. Mr. Adrian Alter & Boriana Yontcheva, 2015. "Financial Inclusion and Development in the CEMAC," IMF Working Papers 2015/235, International Monetary Fund.
    4. Miriam Bruhn & Inessa Love, 2014. "The Real Impact of Improved Access to Finance: Evidence from Mexico," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 69(3), pages 1347-1376, June.
    5. Peterson K. Ozili, 2021. "Financial inclusion research around the world: A review," Forum for Social Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(4), pages 457-479, October.
    6. Ozili, Peterson Kitakogelu, 2018. "Impact of Digital Finance on Financial Inclusion and Stability," MPRA Paper 84771, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Gatignon, Hubert & Robertson, Thomas S, 1985. "A Propositional Inventory for New Diffusion Research," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 11(4), pages 849-867, March.
    8. Thorsten Beck & Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Ross Levine, 2007. "Finance, inequality and the poor," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 27-49, March.
    9. Scott, John, 1988. "Social Network Analysis and Intercorporate Relations," Hitotsubashi Journal of commerce and management, Hitotsubashi University, vol. 23(1), pages 53-68, December.
    10. Sassi, Seifallah & Goaied, Mohamed, 2013. "Financial development, ICT diffusion and economic growth: Lessons from MENA region," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 252-261.
    11. M. Niaz Asadullah & N N Tarun Chakravorty, 2019. "Growth, governance and corruption in Bangladesh: a re-assessment," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(5), pages 947-965, May.
    12. Peter Gomber & Jascha-Alexander Koch & Michael Siering, 2017. "Digital Finance and FinTech: current research and future research directions," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(5), pages 537-580, July.
    13. Demirguc-Kunt,Asli & Klapper,Leora & Singer,Dorothe, 2017. "Financial inclusion and inclusive growth : a review of recent empirical evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8040, The World Bank.
    14. Mushtaq, Rizwan & Bruneau, Catherine, 2019. "Microfinance, financial inclusion and ICT: Implications for poverty and inequality," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    15. Noelia Cámara & David Tuesta, 2018. "Measuring financial inclusion: a multidimensional index," IFC Bulletins chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), The role of data in supporting financial inclusion policy, volume 47, Bank for International Settlements.
    16. Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Klapper, Leora, 2012. "Measuring financial inclusion : the Global Findex Database," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6025, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Francisco Jesús Gálvez-Sánchez & Juan Lara-Rubio & Antonio José Verdú-Jóver & Víctor Meseguer-Sánchez, 2021. "Research Advances on Financial Inclusion: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, March.
    2. Song, Quanyun & Li, Jie & Wu, Yu & Yin, Zhichao, 2020. "Accessibility of financial services and household consumption in China: Evidence from micro data," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    3. Gallego-Losada, María-Jesús & Montero-Navarro, Antonio & García-Abajo, Elisa & Gallego-Losada, Rocío, 2023. "Digital financial inclusion. Visualizing the academic literature," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    4. Eduardo Polloni-Silva & Naijela da Costa & Herick Fernando Moralles & Mario Sacomano Neto, 2021. "Does Financial Inclusion Diminish Poverty and Inequality? A Panel Data Analysis for Latin American Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 889-925, December.
    5. Tuan-Hock Ng & Ying-Zhee Lim & Chun-Teck Lye & Kar-Hoong Chan & Ying-San Lim, 2025. "Catalysing sustainable change: the role of digital finance in poverty alleviation in Asia," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 1305-1325, April.
    6. US Thathsarani & Jianguo Wei & GRSRC Samaraweera, 2021. "Financial Inclusion’s Role in Economic Growth and Human Capital in South Asia: An Econometric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-18, April.
    7. Ozili, Peterson K, 2020. "Optimal financial inclusion," MPRA Paper 101808, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Shreya Pal & Indranil Bandyopadhyay, 2022. "Impact of financial inclusion on economic growth, financial development, financial efficiency, financial stability, and profitability: an international evidence," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(9), pages 1-29, September.
    9. Ma, Yechi & Ding, Yibing & Bu, Ziwen & Li, Suyang, 2024. "Political freedom and financial inclusion: Unraveling social trust and political rent-seeking," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 46-65.
    10. Guillaume Edou Tchidi & Wei Zhang, 2025. "Mediating effect of financial inclusion on FinTech innovations and economic development in West Africa: Evidence from the Benin Republic," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(2), pages 1032-1048, April.
    11. Ozili, Peterson K, 2020. "Financial inclusion: a strong critique," MPRA Paper 101813, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Baptiste Venet, 2019. "Fintech and Financial Inclusion," Post-Print hal-02294648, HAL.
    13. Liu, Dan & Jin, Yanhong & Pray, Carl & Liu, Shuang, 2020. "The Effects of Digital Inclusive Finance on Household Income and Income Inequality in China?," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304238, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    14. Nkambule, Maxwell Banele, 2022. "The financial inclusion status of rural households in Eswatini," Research Theses 334766, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    15. Pradhan, Rudra P. & Arvin, Mak B. & Nair, Mahendhiran S. & Hall, John H. & Bennett, Sara E., 2021. "Sustainable economic development in India: The dynamics between financial inclusion, ICT development, and economic growth," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    16. Thereza Balliester Reis, 2022. "Socio‐economic determinants of financial inclusion: An evaluation with a microdata multidimensional index," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(3), pages 587-611, April.
    17. Tran Huong Thi Thanh & Le Ha Thi Thu, 2021. "The Impact of Financial Inclusion on Poverty Reduction," Asian Journal of Law and Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(1), pages 95-119, April.
    18. Guillermo Boitano & Deybi Franco Abanto, 2020. "Challenges of financial inclusion policies in Peru," Revista Finanzas y Politica Economica, Universidad Católica de Colombia, vol. 12(1), pages 89-117.
    19. Guo, Jie & Chen, Leqi & Kang, Xia, 2024. "Digital inclusive finance and agricultural green development in China: A panel analysis (2013–2022)," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PA).
    20. Mushtaq, Rizwan & Bruneau, Catherine, 2019. "Microfinance, financial inclusion and ICT: Implications for poverty and inequality," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:64:y:2021:i:c:s0160791x20313129. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.