مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

Few technological advances have come to dominate the debate on public policy in recent times as information and communications technology (ICT). Within the realm of ICT, the advancements in mobile telephony and internet have been rapid and furious. According to Statista, a leading statistics company, globally, the number of internet users has increased from 413 million in 2000 to 2.5 billion in 2012. Likewise, the total subscriber base has reached 3.2 billion in 2012 and aided by multiple devices or use of multiple subscriber identification modules (SIMs) to access the best tariffs, the number of mobile phone users has increased 7 billion in 2012, with a major chunk of this increase taking place in emerging economies (GSM Association, 2013). Coupled with technological advancements, this revolution has not only re-shaped the way people think and analyse, but in a much broader sense, transformed the way they work and communicate.

In tandem with these global advancements, the experience of India has been nothing short of phenomenal. To illustrate, the number of mobile users in India has increased from 5.5 million in 2000 to nearly 500 million in 2012 (Internet Stat Live. com). Likewise, the mobile internet subscriber base has grown from around 3 million subscribers in 2000 to reach 150 million by early 2007, registering an average growth of 700% over a 7-year period (International Telecommunications Union, 2012). It has since increased to over 850 million by 2012. Coupled with the fact that a fifth of the global population without bank accounts resides in India (Demirguc Kunt, Klapper, Singer and Van Oudheusdhen, 2015), this brings to the forefront the relevance of mobile telephony as a tool for enhancing financial inclusion.

The low levels of financial inclusion in relation to the large number of mobile phone subscribers makes it imperative to investigate whether an expansion of mobile phone deployment in general can contribute to greater financial inclusion. Research has documented that the some of the major barriers to financial inclusion include costs, distance and documentation (World Bank, 2014). Illustratively, high costs and fees charged tend to raise the costs of making small transactions, impeding access. Besides, distance is an equally important consideration: low branch penetration raises overall transactions costs and hinders access. In addition, onerous documentation requirements might compel workers with no formal proof residence or credit history to be excluded from the formal financial system. The challenges of such financial exclusion can be manifold, ranging from credit constraints to greater vulnerability to adverse shocks (Claessens, 2006), lower investment (Chakrabarty, & Pal, 2013) as well as the perpetuation of income inequality and poverty (Beck, Demirguc Kunt, & Levine, 2005; Demirguc Kunt, Beck, & Honohan, 2008; Demirguc Kunt & Levine, 2008).