nep-mfd New Economics Papers
on Microfinance
Issue of 2026–03–09
three papers chosen by
Guadalupe Acra Ticona
  1. The Credit Journey of Lower-Income Households By Liz Deichmann
  2. Fintech as a key tool for financial inclusion in Morocco By Omaima Kassim; Mustapha Chami
  3. Women's access to a bank account and household multidimensional poverty in rural India By Varsha Vaishnav; Srijit Mishra
  1. By: Liz Deichmann
    Abstract: Financial services such as bank accounts and loans support financial well-being. What is accessing credit like for those with lower incomes?
    Date: 2025–11–19
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:l00100:102783
  2. By: Omaima Kassim (ENCGS - Ecole Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion de SETTAT); Mustapha Chami (ENCGS - Ecole Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion de SETTAT)
    Abstract: Financial inclusion has emerged as a key driver of both economic and social development, insofar as it conditions the integration of populations into dynamics of growth and inequality reduction. In Morocco, despite progress achieved in terms of banking penetration, a significant proportion of the population (particularly women, rural inhabitants, and micro-entrepreneurs) remains excluded from the formal financial system. In this context, financial technologies are emerging as a transformative lever by offering innovative and accessible solutions capable of addressing the structural limitations of traditional banking institutions. Their contribution, however, depends on several factors: bridging the digital divide, strengthening financial and digital literacy, improving infrastructure, and consolidating an inclusive regulatory framework. The effectiveness of FinTech in promoting sustainable financial inclusion will ultimately hinge on the articulation of these conditions. This article seeks to explore how FinTech can establish itself as a key tool for financial inclusion in Morocco. It will analyze current trends in the Moroccan FinTech market, the most promising innovations, as well as the challenges that must be addressed to fully harness the potential of these two technologies in advancing financial inclusion. Drawing on recent data and comparing the experiences of different countries, it will also assess public policies and private initiatives that could foster the development of FinTech as a driver of more equitable and sustainable financial inclusion. This study is based on a rigorous documentary review drawing on high-quality scientific articles selected following the methodological framework proposed by Tranfield et al. (2003), the analysis proceeds through five key stages: planning, source identification, study selection, data extraction, and synthesis of findings.
    Abstract: L'inclusion financière représente aujourd'hui un déterminant majeur du développement économique et social, dans la mesure où elle constitue un facteur important pour l'intégration des différentes catégories de la population aux dynamiques de croissance et de réduction des inégalités. Au Maroc, malgré les progrès enregistrés en matière de bancarisation, une part significative de la population, notamment et les micro-entrepreneurs, les habitants des zones rurales et les femmes, demeure exclue du système financier formel. Dans ce contexte, les technologies financières s'affirment comme un levier de transformation en offrant des solutions innovantes et accessibles, capables de pallier les limites structurelles des institutions bancaires traditionnelles. Leur contribution reste toutefois tributaire de plusieurs facteurs : réduction de la fracture numérique, renforcement des compétences financières et numériques, amélioration des infrastructures et consolidation d'un cadre réglementaire inclusif. C'est de l'articulation de ces conditions que dépendra l'efficacité des FinTech dans la promotion d'une inclusion financière durable. Cet article vise à explorer comment la fintech peut s'imposer comme un outil clé pour l'inclusion financière au Maroc. Il analysera les tendances actuelles du marché fintech marocain, les innovations les plus prometteuses, et les obstacles à surmonter pour maximiser l'impact de ces technologies sur l'inclusion financière. En mobilisant des données récentes et en comparant les expériences de différents pays, nous évaluerons également les politiques publiques et les initiatives privées qui pourraient favoriser l'essor de la fintech en tant que moteur d'une inclusion financière plus équitable et durable. Ce travail repose sur une revue documentaire rigoureuse, réalisée à partir d'articles scientifiques sélectionnés en s'appuyant sur le cadre méthodologique de Tranfield et al. (2003), l'étude suit cinq étapes clés : planification, identification des sources, sélection des études, extraction des données et synthèse des résultats.
    Keywords: planification identification des sources sélection des études extraction des Inclusion financière fintech (technologie financière) Classification JEL : G23 Type du papier : Recherche théorique Financial inclusion Fintech ( Financial technology) JEL Classification : G23 Paper type : Theoretical Research, Technologie financière, Inclusion financière, extraction des Inclusion financière, fintech (technologie financière) Classification JEL : G23 Type du papier : Recherche théorique Financial inclusion, Fintech ( Financial technology) JEL Classification : G23 Paper type : Theoretical Research
    Date: 2025
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05413579
  3. By: Varsha Vaishnav (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research); Srijit Mishra (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research)
    Abstract: Women's access to financial resources is not only intrinsically important but also has instrumental relevance for household well-being. To shed light on this issue, this study examines the relationship between women's access to a bank account and household multidimensional poverty, using nationally representative data on rural households from the 5th round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). To address potential endogeneity of women's bank account ownership, we employ a recursive bivariate probit model with an exclusion restriction. The results indicate a significant negative relationship between women's bank account ownership and household multidimensional poverty. This result is robust across alternative estimation methods, censored and uncensored measures of multidimensional poverty, and a sample restriction. Moreover, the effect is stronger in states and union territories (UTs) with lower levels of patriarchy. An improvement in women's status, facilitated by access to a bank account, is offered as a plausible explanation for the main finding. We make two key contributions relative to existing Indian studies. First, we assess the instrumental relevance of women's access to a financial resource for household multidimensional poverty, rather than focusing on household-level access. Second, we adopt a more comprehensive measure of multidimensional poverty by drawing on the global MPI and enhancing it through a modification of the education dimension.
    Keywords: Bank Account, Women's Status, Patriarchy, Multidimensional Poverty, India, Probit Model
    JEL: D14 I32 C25
    Date: 2025–09
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ind:igiwpp:2025-022
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