Browsing by Subject "Financial inclusion"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Gender Differential and Financial Inclusion: Women Shareholders of Banco Hispano Americano in Spain (1922–35)
    (Taylor and Francis, 2023-07-10) Martínez Rodríguez, Susana; López Gómez, Laura; Economía Aplicada
    This study reveals that women had a significant presence as shareholders inSpanish financial corporations in the early-twentieth century. In the 1920sand 1930s, on average, 40 percent of the shareholders of Banco HispanoAmericano, a leading commercial bank, were women, and they owned morethan one-third of the share capital. The legal framework did not discriminateagainst women’s ownership, and bank regulations did not discourage womenfrom investing in shares. The main cause of the large share of womenshareholders is kinship with other shareholders. The findings also highlightthe importance of inheritance regimes that treat all siblings equally, regardlessof sex, to access parents’ wealth to reduce the wealth gap. Finally, the studyhighlights how historical cases may contribute to current debates on howwomen gain and retain wealth through access to financial assets
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    Open Access
    Mind the Gap in Financial Inclusion! Microcredit Institutions fieldwork in Peru
    (Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2023) López-Sánchez, Pilar; Urquía-Grande, Elena
    Financial inclusion remains a key political issue. Since microcredit first captured public attention, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have expanded rapidly all around the world. Although much economic and financial literature has highlighted the importance of microfinance as a factor of development, there is also an intense debate about its effectiveness as a development tool. This paper is a descriptive analysis of the microcredit state of the art contrasted with the fieldwork done in Peru. A qualitative research methodology was used; 29 in-depth face-to-face interviews were done with different microfinance agents: MFIs, NPOs, microfinance associations, and microfinance customers in Peru. Peru has been chosen because it has a dynamic and well-regulated microfinance sector with more than 70 entities specialized in microfinance. Though statistical generalization is not possible, interview data provided rich and contextual evidence, which is often missing from a quantitative research approach. This paper highlights the importance of financial and accounting education in microcredit beneficiaries and how can it be enhanced in the digital age. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced vulnerable population to embrace new digital technologies and has highlighted the digital gap that still exists in Latin America although this situation presents opportunities and challenges. This present study contributes to the debate over how to improve microcredit intervention´s impact on the more vulnerable and identifies some unique insights into the interrelationships of financial education and financial inclusion. The results of the present study confirm that financial and accounting education are key elements in financial inclusion.