International financial inclusion: Multidimensional determinants of access to saving and credit

Abstract

This work assesses quantitatively the determinants of two of the main indicators of financial inclusion: savings account ownership and credit access. Through the use of a dynamic panel, this work verifies that on the supply side, formal saving requires an infrastructure to access these services, as well as palliatives to the asymmetric information in the financial sector, while on the demand side, the education and the stability of income sources of its potential users are crucial. In order to move to a more comprehensive financial inclusion by taking a formal loan, even though access to this infrastructure is still relevant, its effect is decreasing. Therefore the national educational level and Credit Information Societies acquire relevance, as well as the employment vulnerability, which affects eligibility and the commitment that indebtedness entails. The significance of certain cultural traits in the credit static panel warns that, although financial inclusion can be promoted through standards vetted internationally, its effectiveness cannot be separated from the social context where they are implemented.