IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i8p6727-d1124743.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can Digitalization Foster Sustainable Financial Inclusion? Opportunities for Both Banks and Vulnerable Groups

Author

Listed:
  • Ying Chu

    (School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Shujun Ye

    (School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Hongchang Li

    (School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Jack Strauss

    (Reiman School of Finance, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208, USA)

  • Chen Zhao

    (School of Accounting, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China)

Abstract

Financial inclusion is a crucial link in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Strengthening the capability of financial institutions to provide inclusive financial services can help to narrow the inequality gap and increase access to opportunities. Digitalization, with its competitive advantages and rapid growth, may be a powerful tool to foster financial inclusion and sustainable development. This paper examines the effects of bank digitalization on sustainable financial inclusion and explores two underlying incentive mechanisms in banks: profit driven and risk aversion. We construct a basic model and a mechanism model and exploit a nonlinear attempt, heterogeneous estimation as well as supplementary variable and instrument variable methods for a robustness test. The results of the basic model demonstrate that bank digitalization has significant positive effects on financial inclusion and the current financial inclusive effects are sustainable. The mechanism models designed as the mediation effect panel model suggest that digitalization enables banks to expand the business probability frontier of profit-driven behavior and pursuit of credit portfolio diversity in risk aversion behavior, thereby promoting sustainable financial inclusion. As a result of digitalization, vulnerable groups can benefit from sustainable financial inclusion, while financial inclusion feeds back into banks’ sustainable development. This paper conforms to the trend of the development of digitalization and provides theoretical and empirical support for banks to build digitalization and realize sustainable financial inclusion, which contributes to the “triple-win” financial ecology for improving banks’ performance, increasing the rights of vulnerable groups and promoting sustainable development throughout society.

Suggested Citation

  • Ying Chu & Shujun Ye & Hongchang Li & Jack Strauss & Chen Zhao, 2023. "Can Digitalization Foster Sustainable Financial Inclusion? Opportunities for Both Banks and Vulnerable Groups," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6727-:d:1124743
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6727/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6727/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thakor, Anjan V., 2020. "Fintech and banking: What do we know?," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    2. Borochin, Paul & Rush, Stephen, 2022. "Information networks in the financial sector and systemic risk," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    3. Olga Kukushkina & Natalia Larionova & Julia Varlamova, 2020. "How Digital Technologies Affect Consumers’ Financial Behavior," Rivista Internazionale di Scienze Sociali, Vita e Pensiero, Pubblicazioni dell'Universita' Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, vol. 128(3), pages 321-344.
    4. Ovi, Nafisa & Bose, Sudipta & Gunasekarage, Abeyratna & Shams, Syed, 2020. "Do the business cycle and revenue diversification matter for banks’ capital buffer and credit risk: Evidence from ASEAN banks," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1).
    5. Bülbül, Dilek & Hakenes, Hendrik & Lambert, Claudia, 2019. "What influences banks’ choice of credit risk management practices? Theory and evidence," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-14.
    6. Bouwman, Harry & Nikou, Shahrokh & de Reuver, Mark, 2019. "Digitalization, business models, and SMEs: How do business model innovation practices improve performance of digitalizing SMEs?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(9).
    7. Paunov, Caroline & Rollo, Valentina, 2016. "Has the Internet Fostered Inclusive Innovation in the Developing World?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 587-609.
    8. Banna, Hasanul & Kabir Hassan, M. & Rashid, Mamunur, 2021. "Fintech-based financial inclusion and bank risk-taking: Evidence from OIC countries," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    9. Oona Voican, 2020. "The Digital Transformation and Disruption in Business Models of the Banks under the Impact of FinTech and BigTech," Database Systems Journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 11(1), pages 117-127.
    10. Kouladoum, Jean-Claude & Wirajing, Muhamadu Awal Kindzeka & Nchofoung, Tii N., 2022. "Digital technologies and financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(9).
    11. Stiglitz, Joseph E & Weiss, Andrew, 1981. "Credit Rationing in Markets with Imperfect Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(3), pages 393-410, June.
    12. Jon Frost & Leonardo Gambacorta & Yi Huang & Hyun Song Shin & Pablo Zbinden, 2019. "BigTech and the changing structure of financial intermediation," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 34(100), pages 761-799.
    13. Katz, Michael L & Shapiro, Carl, 1985. "Network Externalities, Competition, and Compatibility," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(3), pages 424-440, June.
    14. Wei Yu & Huiqin Huang & Xinyan Kong & Keying Zhu, 2023. "Can Digital Inclusive Finance Improve the Financial Performance of SMEs?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, January.
    15. Rossi, Stefania P.S. & Schwaiger, Markus S. & Winkler, Gerhard, 2009. "How loan portfolio diversification affects risk, efficiency and capitalization: A managerial behavior model for Austrian banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(12), pages 2218-2226, December.
    16. Haishu Qiao & Meilin Chen & Yue Xia, 2018. "The Effects of the Sharing Economy: How Does Internet Finance Influence Commercial Bank Risk Preferences?," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(13), pages 3013-3029, October.
    17. Lukasz Prorokowski & Hubert Prorokowski & Georgette Bongfen Nteh, 2019. "Reviewing Pillar 2 regulations: credit concentration risk," Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(3), pages 280-302, March.
    18. Berger, Allen N, 2003. "The Economic Effects of Technological Progress: Evidence from the Banking Industry," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 35(2), pages 141-176, April.
    19. Dan Luo & Man Luo & Jiamin Lv, 2022. "Can Digital Finance Contribute to the Promotion of Financial Sustainability? A Financial Efficiency Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-29, March.
    20. Hongyu Li & Zhiqiang Lu & Qili Yin, 2023. "The Development of Fintech and SME Innovation: Empirical Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-14, January.
    21. Luiz Antonio Joia & Joaquim Pedro Vasconcelos Cordeiro, 2021. "Unlocking the Potential of Fintechs for Financial Inclusion: A Delphi-Based Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, October.
    22. Qianqian Li & Qilin Liu, 2023. "Impact of Digital Financial Inclusion on Residents’ Income and Income Structure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, January.
    23. Dorfleitner, Gregor & Nguyen, Quynh Anh & Röhe, Michaela, 2019. "Microfinance institutions and the provision of mobile financial services: First empirical evidence," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).
    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. Thorsten Beck & Leonardo Gambacorta & Yiping Huang & Zhenhua Li & Han Qiu, 2022. "Big techs, QR code payments and financial inclusion," BIS Working Papers 1011, Bank for International Settlements.
    2. Alraqeb Zeynep & Knaack Peter & Macaire Camille, 2022. "Does FinTech Promote Entrepreneurship? Evidence from China [L’adoption des Fintech favorise-t-elle l’entreprenariat ? Le cas de la Chine]," Working papers 895, Banque de France.
    3. Guo, Junyan & Fang, Hanqing & Liu, Xuexin & Wang, Cizhi & Wang, Yuan, 2023. "FinTech and financing constraints of enterprises: Evidence from China," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    4. Minghua Chen & Qinru Chu & Tengwen Zhang & Qian Li & Jianxu Liu & Woraphon Yamaka, 2023. "The Structural Causes and Trend Evolution of Imbalance and Insufficiency of Development of Digital Inclusive Finance in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.
    5. Hakenes, Hendrik & Schnabel, Isabel, 2011. "Bank size and risk-taking under Basel II," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 1436-1449, June.
    6. Vaneet Bhatia & Sankarshan Basu & Subrata Kumar Mitra & Pradyumna Dash, 2018. "A review of bank efficiency and productivity," OPSEARCH, Springer;Operational Research Society of India, vol. 55(3), pages 557-600, November.
    7. Berger, Allen N. & Boot, Arnoud W.A., 2024. "Financial intermediation services and competition analyses: Review and paths forward for improvement," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    8. Joël Cariolle & Maëlan le Goff, 2023. "Spatial Internet Spillovers in Manufacturing," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(8), pages 1163-1186, August.
    9. Cariolle, Joël, 2021. "International connectivity and the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    10. Bianchi, Milo & Bouvard, Matthieu & Gomes, Renato & Rhodes, Andrew & Shreeti, Vatsala, 2023. "Mobile payments and interoperability: Insights from the academic literature," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    11. Kowalewski, Oskar & Pisany, Paweł, 2022. "Banks' consumer lending reaction to fintech and bigtech credit emergence in the context of soft versus hard credit information processing," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    12. Chen, S. & Doerr, S. & Frost, J. & Gambacorta, L. & Shin, H.S., 2023. "The fintech gender gap," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    13. Huang, Shuo, 2022. "Does FinTech improve the investment efficiency of enterprises? Evidence from China’s small and medium-sized enterprises," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 571-586.
    14. Michele Imbruno & Joel Cariolle & Jaime de Melo, 2022. "Digital connectivity and firm participation in foreign markets: An exporter-based bilateral analysis," Discussion Papers 2022-02, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    15. Tang, Chang & Xu, Yuanyuan & Hao, Yu & Wu, Haitao & Xue, Yan, 2021. "What is the role of telecommunications infrastructure construction in green technology innovation? A firm-level analysis for China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    16. Kraemer-Eis, Helmut & Botsari, Antonia & Gvetadze, Salome & Lang, Frank & Torfs, Wouter, 2019. "European Small Business Finance Outlook: December 2019," EIF Working Paper Series 2019/61, European Investment Fund (EIF).
    17. Amélie Artis & Simon Cornée, 2013. "Transformation informationnelle, certification et intermédiation financière : le cas de la banque solidaire," Economics Working Paper Archive (University of Rennes & University of Caen) 201326, Center for Research in Economics and Management (CREM), University of Rennes, University of Caen and CNRS.
    18. Zhao, Yang & Goodell, John W. & Wang, Yong & Abedin, Mohammad Zoynul, 2023. "Fintech, macroprudential policies and bank risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    19. Bahati Sanga & Meshach Aziakpono, 2022. "The impact of technological innovations on financial deepening: Implications for SME financing in Africa," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 34(4), pages 429-442, December.
    20. M. Ali Choudhary & Anil K. Jain, 2022. "Credit access and relational contracts: An experiment testing informational and contractual frictions for Pakistani farmers," International Finance Discussion Papers 2022, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).

    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:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6727-:d:1124743. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.