Gender Bias And Digital Financial Services In South Asia

Gender Bias and Digital Financial Services in South Asia: Obstacles and Opportunities on the Road to Equal Access examines access to financial services to women in general in South Asia and specifically their access to digital financial services.

The delivery of traditional financial services using digital devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones is known as digital finance. Digital finance can bring financial services to underserved populations in locations with a lack of physical infrastructure. Digital Financial Services (DFS) is a new, low cost way to get transactional financial services over the internet. DFS is one of the most important strategies for promoting financial inclusion and providing much needed low cost access to financial services in enderdeveloped countries. This book is discussing about Digital Finance and its Ecosystem as well as its influence to the Financial Inclusion. The challenges and opportunities available in South East Asia’s countries are also discussed. South East Asia presents big opportunity for providing the digital financial services to help undeserved populations. Some issues are also faced in this digital finance area especially in regards to the regulatory frame work of legal challenges. Furthermore the prospect for the future is also presented. Therefore this book will be useful for those who deal with digital finance, financial inclusion and digital finance ecosystem and those who are seeking opportunities in the Digital Financial Services in South East Asia. Buku persembahan penerbit PrenadaMediaGroup #PrenadaMedia

South Asia’s growth rate has returned to pre-pandemic levels, but inflation is higher, and the Russia-Ukraine war will add to these pressures, negatively impact external balances, and exacerbate financial vulnerabilities. Higher energy prices provide an opportunity to transition to greater use of carbon pricing, consistent with a green, resilient, and inclusive development model. The theme chapter explains why gender equality has remained elusive in South Asia, and the region is unlikely to meet its 2030 sustainable development goals in this area. The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated existing gender disparities as well as generated new ones. It is forcing a shift in priorities and funding across public and private sectors, with far-reaching effects on the well-being of women and girls. Plans for building back better after the crisis featuring large investments in digital infrastructure and green technologies have been discussed among policy makers, but gender should be a cross-cutting theme in the design of these policies.

This book contributes to the present state of knowledge, offering the reader broad evidence on how new digital technologies impact financial systems. It focuses on both macro- and micro-perspectives of ICT influence on financial markets. The book demonstrates how ICT can impact trading systems or information systems, which are crucial for financial systems to work effectively. It also shows how individuals can benefit from the adoption of digital technologies for everyday financial (e.g., banking) systems usage. The book provides empirical evidence of how digital technologies revolutionize the banking sector and stock exchange trading system and explores the associations between technology and various aspects of firms’ functioning. Furthermore, it raises elements of financial inclusion, ICT-based microfinance service and finance-related gender issues. The principal audience of the book will be scholars and academic professionals from a wide variety of disciplines, particularly in the fields of finance and economics. It will be especially useful for those who are addressing the issues of new technologies and the financial markets, FinTech, financial innovations, stock markets, and the role of technological progress in a broadly defined socio-economic system. It will be a valuable source of knowledge for graduate and postgraduate students in economic and social development, information and technology, worldwide studies, social policy or comparative economics.

Topics discussed in this collection include financial inclusion in under-served markets, financial inclusion products and services, financial inclusion for sustainable and responsible business, micro, small, and medium-sized business practices.

The Elgar Encyclopedia of Development is a ground-breaking resource that provides a starting point for those wishing to grasp how and why development occurs, while also providing further expansion appropriate for more experienced academics.

This book explores the various considerations for achieving an effective regulatory strategy to improve financial access and usage in Nigeria and beyond. Gaps in the legal and institutional framework for digital financial services (DFS) as well as the barriers that contribute to financial exclusion are identified as are the policy changes needed to provide more extensive, accessible and sustainable financial inclusion value. In addition, the book covers divergent themes around the use of and insights for regulating industry financial services providers and challenger entities that herald industry disruption. The book adopts three research methods. The doctrinal research method is used to buttress the law and development analysis and the themes around regulation, adoption and usage of financial services. To elucidate the application of financial innovations, comparative case studies are drawn from selected jurisdictions including Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, The Philippines, Brazil, Mexico, Uganda, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Lastly, using the empirical research method, the author reports the burden experienced by the residents of a community without banks in accessing finance. Included in this discussion are the barriers to finance as well as the coping strategies adopted by the community residents to access formal and informal finance.

This paper discusses the impact of the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the financial sector. It highlights the benefits these technologies bring in terms of financial deepening and efficiency, while raising concerns about its potential in widening the digital divide between advanced and developing economies. The paper advances the discussion on the impact of this technology by distilling and categorizing the unique risks that it could pose to the integrity and stability of the financial system, policy challenges, and potential regulatory approaches. The evolving nature of this technology and its application in finance means that the full extent of its strengths and weaknesses is yet to be fully understood. Given the risk of unexpected pitfalls, countries will need to strengthen prudential oversight.