Batik, an Indonesian textile art form, holds immense economic and cultural importance. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) specialising in batik play a crucial role in Indonesia\'s economic growth and cultural preservation, contributing significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP) and preserving the nation\'s heritage. Nevertheless, these enterprises face several challenges, such as slow growth and limited access to credit. The batik industry also lags in financial literacy and the adoption of digital marketing strategies, hindering its development. This quantitative study aims to investigate the relationship between financial literacy, digital financial literacy, and financial inclusion in batik SMEs and also examined the moderating effect of online social networks. A survey was conducted involving 535 managers, owners, and financial officers of small batik enterprises. Subsequently, the SmartPLS statistical analysis method was employed for data analysis. The results demonstrate that financial literacy and digital financial literacy play a significant role in accessing financial inclusion for batik small enterprises. Moreover, the utilisation of social media was found to moderate these relationships, amplifying the impact of financial and digital literacy on financial inclusion. The findings contribute to the existing knowledge, provide insights for enhancing batik small enterprises, and propose a digital financial model to promote financial inclusion.

To attain sustainable development, a pertinent question that needs to be answered is whether good governance leads to financial inclusion (FI) and whether bank stability matters. This study examines how financial stability modulates the link between governance and FI in the Nordic-Baltic region between 2004 and 2021. Using a mixed effect model, we observed a positive causal relationship between governance and FI and bank stability modulate this causality. These findings are robust to alternative assumptions and model specifications. Interestingly, we found that good governance helps foster economic growth and social equality. The study further highlights the need for digital financial education to overcome the phobia of digital products as a priority policy agenda. Overall, this finding supports arguments in the literature that for FI to be sustainable, inequality should be low as income levels and well-being increase.

This study utilizes cross-country data from 2002 to 2019 from 60 selected developing countries to explore the impact of competition and financial inclusion on financial stability. Employing the system GMM estimator, compelling evidence is revealed, highlighting a number of key findings. Firstly, it is observed that financial inclusion has a weakening effect on financial stability within developing countries. Conversely, competition among these nations demonstrates a significant capacity to bolster financial stability. Additionally, the study underscores the pivotal role of financial development, identifying it as a primary driver that enables financial inclusion to positively influence financial stability within developing nations. Furthermore, the introduction of the square term of financial inclusion yields noteworthy insights, revealing a nonlinear relationship. Specifically, the findings suggest that strategic investments in the financial inclusion of developing countries have the potential to enhance financial stability up to a certain threshold. Therefore, for emerging economies seeking to fortify their financial stability, prioritizing efforts to augment financial inclusion is imperative. Over the long term, such endeavors have the potential to yield tangible improvements in financial stability. In conclusion, the research offers valuable policy implications. These include recommendations aimed at fostering greater financial inclusion within developing economies as a means of bolstering overall financial stability. By heeding these suggestions and implementing targeted policies, policymakers can work towards cultivating a more resilient and robust financial landscape within their respective nations.

In this paper, we examine the Moderating Role of Governance on the Relationships between social inclusion (SI), Information and communication technology infrastructure (ICT), and financial inclusion (FI) in 46 countries representing a global sample span from 2010 to 2020. We collect the data from the IMF\'s financial access survey and construct a multidimensional FI index. Based on the FI index, we divide the sample into two sub-samples (med-high level and low-level FI countries). For the empirics, we employed panel-corrected standard errors, fully modified ordinary least squares and dynamic ordinary least squares techniques. We find that SI is negatively related to FI. ICT infrastructure positively influences FI. Further, we find that governance with sound ICT infrastructure and socially inclusive communities enhances FI. The findings of sub-samples are similar to the full sample results except for a promoting effect of SI and governance in the case of med-high financially inclusive economies. Moreover, the Interaction term of governance and ICT infrastructure is insignificant in med-high financially inclusive economies and negatively significant in low financially inclusive economies. Our study reports novel findings which have significant implications for policymakers and financial institutions to effectively develop and implement new policies which strengthen the institutional base, develop digital banking infrastructure, enhance SI to boost up FI and ensure sustainable economic growth.

Nigeria grapples with a formidable public health concern, as approximately 14 million individuals partake in illicit drug use (IDU). This predicament significantly impacts psychiatric disorders, suicides, disability, and mortality rates. Despite previous investigations into predictors and remedies, the role of financial inclusion (FI) remains inadequately explored. Leveraging existing literature on FI and population health, this study asserts that bolstering FI could be instrumental in mitigating IDU prevalence in Nigeria. We employ spatial analysis to scrutinize the influence of FI and other social factors on IDU, revealing a 14.4 % national prevalence with spatial variations ranging from 7 % in Jigawa state to 33 % in Lagos state. Significant IDU hotspots were identified in the southwest states, while cold spots were observed in the Federal Capital Territory and Nassarawa. Multivariate spatial analysis indicates that FI, income, unemployment, and the proportion of the young population are pivotal predictors of IDU nationwide, explaining approximately 67 % of the spatial variance. Given these findings, the study advocates heightened levels of FI and underscores the need for intensified government initiatives to prevent and address illicit drug use.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of financial technology (FinTech), big data stands as a cornerstone, driving significant transformations. This study delves into the pivotal role of big data in FinTech and its implications for financial inclusion. Employing a comprehensive literature review methodology, we analyze diverse sources including academic journals, industry reports, and online articles. Our findings illuminate how big data catalyzes the development of novel financial products and services, enhances risk management, and boosts operational efficiency, thereby fostering financial inclusion. Particularly, big data\'s capability to offer insightful customer behavior analytics is highlighted as a key driver for creating inclusive financial services. However, challenges such as data privacy and security, and the need for ethical algorithmic practices are also identified. This research contributes valuable insights for policymakers, regulators, and industry practitioners, suggesting a need for balanced regulatory frameworks to harness big data\'s potential ethically and responsibly. The outcomes of this study underscore the transformative power of big data in FinTech, indicating a pathway toward a more inclusive financial ecosystem.

BACKGROUND: In Ghana, about 76% of households are at risk of drinking water polluted with faecal matter, hence, poor sanitation and unsafe water are responsible for 80% of all diseases in the country. Given this, some studies have been carried out concerning the factors that determine access and use of improved water among households in Ghana. However, although financial inclusion can make it easy for households to afford and hence, use improved water, it has received very little attention. This study, thus, examines the effect of financial inclusion on the use of improved water among households in Ghana.
METHODS: The Ghana Living Standards Survey round 7 (GLSS7) is used as the data source while the binary logit regression is employed as the main empirical estimation technique.
RESULTS: The results show that households with financial inclusion (employing an indicator which has not been disaggregated into formal and informal financial inclusion) have a higher likelihood of using improved water sources relative to those without financial inclusion. The results are robust using formal financial inclusion as well as a combined index of financial inclusion.
CONCLUSIONS: Enhancing financial inclusion, especially formal financial inclusion can be utilised as a major policy instrument towards increasing access and use of improved water sources among households in Ghana.

Financial exclusion is a human rights issue affecting health equity. Evidence demonstrates that financial exclusion is exacerbated for people with disability and those in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC). Barriers to financial access include limited demand for services, banking inadequacies in catering to people with disability, and insufficiently accessible information technologies (ICT) and infrastructure.
This scoping review sought to identify barriers to and facilitators of financial inclusion for people with disability in LMIC. As a secondary objective, the study explored the potential of financial education and ICT utilisation as viable strategies for enhancing financial inclusion.
This review utilised the Arksey and O\'Malley framework and PRISMA Checklist for systematic literature examination and data extraction. The WHO\'s Environmental Factors guided the analysis to propose potential interventions and to generate recommendations.
The review analysed 26 publications from various global regions and fields including finance, business, technology, health and disability policy. It identified consistent financial inclusion barriers for people with disability, resulting in a set of global recommendations across attitudes, environment, technology, services, and policy.
Recommendations include using ICT, digital innovation and multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the financial barriers experienced by people with disability. These efforts, rooted in social justice, aim to include people with disability in LMIC as valued financial sector participants, promoting health and equity.
Main findings: There are global access barriers and enablers to financial inclusion for people living with disability. Recommendations to improve access include countering stigma and attitudinal barriers, engaging in user centred design of financial services,providing financial education and ensuring accessibility of assistive technology and ICT, along with the physical environment of the bank.Added knowledge: This study reviews the literature and offers a global overview of financial inclusion for people with disabilities, along with recommendations for universally applicable actions to enhance access.Global health impact for policy and action: Identifying barriers to financial inclusion and suggesting strategies to overcome them provides valuable guidance for policymakers and advocates working to improve access to financial services for people with disability.

The issue of culture is becoming ever more interesting, especially when interconnected with other business factors like finance. Although intriguing, the relationship between culture and finance has long been neglected. Unlike existing research, this article aims at assessing the impact of culture on financial inclusion and financial literacy among Cameroonian small business managers. In this quantitative investigation, the indices are built using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and the estimation is done using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). The data used is from a research survey on 161 small enterprises in the cities of Douala, Bafoussam, Foumban, Foumbot, and Dschang. The findings demonstrate that organizational culture, in contrast to its social component, is positively and strongly associated with financial literacy and financial inclusion. Additionally, firm and manager variables like age, turnover variation, and education level significantly explain these financial variables. Thus, it is essential to promote organizational culture in Cameroonian businesses.

This paper examines the relative role of financial inclusion in enhancing households\' ability to spend on energy consumption across rural and urban locations. It uses comprehensive household data from Ghana and employs the ordinary least square (OLS) as well as an instrumental variable estimation technique. Endogeneity of financial inclusion is instrumented using distance to the nearest bank. Our findings suggest that a standard deviation increase in financial inclusion contributes to an improvement in residential energy expenditure by 1.2835 standard deviations. This finding is robust to different methods for resolving endogeneity and alternative weighting schemes in the financial inclusion construct. Among the different sources of energy for lighting and cooking, financial inclusion increases expenditure on LPG and electricity more than the others. Financial inclusion increases the ability to spend more on residential energy in urban, poorest, and female-headed dual-parent households. Household net income is a key pathway through which financial inclusion affects residential energy expenditure.