Financial inclusion and economic growth linkage: some cross country evidence

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the dynamic impact of financial inclusion on economic growth for a large number of developed and developing countries. Design/methodology/approach This study uses some panel data models such as country-fixed effect, random effect and time fixed effect regressions, panel cointegration, and panel causality tests to examine the linkage between financial inclusion and economic growth. Panel cointegration is being used to test the long run association between financial inclusion and economic growth, whereas panel causality test is used to find the direction of causality between financial inclusion and economic growth. The data on financial inclusion are taken from Sarma (2012) for the period 2004-2010. Findings The empirical findings reveal that there is a positive and long run relationship between financial inclusion and economic growth across 31 countries in the world. Further, panel causality test shows a bi-directional causality between financial inclusion and economic growth Thus, the study confirms that financial inclusion is one of the main drivers of economic growth. Research limitations/implications This study has two limitations. First, this study considers only banking institutions in the analysis. Second, the period tested for the long run relationship is not long enough. Practical implications This study empirically measures the quantitative impact of financial inclusion policies pursued across the world. The study also suggests that policies emphasizing financial sector reforms in general and promoting financial inclusion in particular shall result in higher economic growth in the long run. Originality/value This study attempts to assess the long run relationship between financial inclusion and economic growth with the help of a multidimensional index of financial inclusion. Therefore, this can be a valuable contribution to the banks and policymakers.