Trust in banks and financial inclusion: Micro-level evidence from 28 countries

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of trust in banks on financial inclusion in a cross-country framework. We use micro-level data informing on trust in banks and financial inclusion for a dataset of about 61,000 observations from 28 countries. We find evidence for the positive impact of trust in banks on financial inclusion. We find that the positive impact of trust in banks on financial inclusion affects all individuals, regardless of their socio-demographic characteristics and of their financial situation, and is not conditional to the country or the year. Overall, we provide support to enhance trust in banks in the perspective of promoting financial inclusion worldwide.