The Role of Digital Finance and Financial Inclusion for Socio Economic Development An Implicit Study of the Selected States and Dzongkhags of India and Bhutan

Abstract

Financial inclusion is defined as a means of having access to financial services, provided by sustainable financial institutions. There is growing recognition that access to financial services has a critical role in reducing extreme poverty, boosting shares prosperity, and supporting sustainable development. In India, only 58% of the population is financially included. The financial inclusion rate in Bhutan is 64%. Approximately 68 % of Bhutanese citizens are having a bank account. The Government of Bhutan and India realized that Financial Inclusion is essential for building up a strong nation, particularly through providing financial services digitally. With lower financial inclusion rates in India and Bhutan, it is necessary to explore how digital finance can boost Financial Inclusion and promote the two countries socio-economic development. The Governments of India and Bhutan are committed to promoting digital finance with the objective to enhance financial inclusion. The target respondents are selected from three Indian states, namely Kerala, Jharkhand, and Manipur. Likewise, from Bhutan, the respondents are selected from Thimphu, Chukha, and Gasa. Because of the varying level of financial inclusion, respondents from these States and Dzongkhags (Districts) are selected for the purpose of the study. The study used primary data collected from customers having bank accounts in India and Bhutan respectively. The study employed quantitative research methods with a descriptive approach. The reliability test showed good internal consistency with the Cronbach Alpha value of more than 0.70 on the items used in the instrument. The study finding indicates that there exists a strong relationship between digital finance and financial inclusion. Besides that, findings reveal that financial inclusion is a pathway for socio-economic development in India and Bhutan. A significant relationship is observed between digital finance and socio-economic development in India and Bhutan respectively. In addition, the secondary