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<p>Where the presence of traditional banking has historically been limited due to low profitability, alternative socially responsible models are required to advance financial inclusion under a sustainable development approach. Branchless banking allows financial institutions to fulfill their social role by providing essential services through non-bank commercial establishments, supporting softer forms of sustainability accountability. This study proposes a Multidimensional Composite Financial Inclusion Index (MCFI_I) that assesses regional financial accessibility from a perspective of sustainability and institutional responsibility. Unlike existing global indices, the MCFI_I integrates three key dimensions of the territorial financial-business ecosystem: economic performance, physical financial access through branchless banking agents, and entrepreneurial activity. The index is validated through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using Colombian departmental data and reveals marked territorial disparities in financial inclusion and financial stability. Its simplicity and interpretability make it a useful tool for guiding inclusive banking strategies that link sustainability, territorial equity and corporate performance. Additionally, the MCFI_I may support soft accountability by providing a contextualized framework to disclose how banking contributes to territorial development. It therefore aligns financial inclusion and sustainability as strategic axes of accountable corporate behavior within regional business ecosystems.</p>

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Measuring accountable inclusive banking through a multidimensional territorial index

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月25日

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  • Leidy Viviana Serrano Serrato,
  • Teresa Carmen Herrador-Alcaide

摘要

Where the presence of traditional banking has historically been limited due to low profitability, alternative socially responsible models are required to advance financial inclusion under a sustainable development approach. Branchless banking allows financial institutions to fulfill their social role by providing essential services through non-bank commercial establishments, supporting softer forms of sustainability accountability. This study proposes a Multidimensional Composite Financial Inclusion Index (MCFI_I) that assesses regional financial accessibility from a perspective of sustainability and institutional responsibility. Unlike existing global indices, the MCFI_I integrates three key dimensions of the territorial financial-business ecosystem: economic performance, physical financial access through branchless banking agents, and entrepreneurial activity. The index is validated through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using Colombian departmental data and reveals marked territorial disparities in financial inclusion and financial stability. Its simplicity and interpretability make it a useful tool for guiding inclusive banking strategies that link sustainability, territorial equity and corporate performance. Additionally, the MCFI_I may support soft accountability by providing a contextualized framework to disclose how banking contributes to territorial development. It therefore aligns financial inclusion and sustainability as strategic axes of accountable corporate behavior within regional business ecosystems.