Access to finance for inclusive development: recent evidence from Bangladesh

Abstract

Financial inclusion (FI) is considered as one of the mainstays of global development for fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Like other parts of the world, Bangladesh is also enhancing its position on FI with the combined effort of the government, central bank, and development agencies. This chapter aims to assess the degree of FI and its contribution to the development in Bangladesh. The data cover the inclusion dataset of Bangladesh over 14 years from 2004 to 2017. The study employs descriptive statistics, tables, and graphs to discuss the chronological FI efforts and their contributions. The findings reveal progress in the FI position and establish a linkup between FI and development indicators. This has a bearing on the stakeholders for solving problems of financial integration in emerging countries in general and Bangladesh in particular.