A Study on APEC Policies to Enhance Inclusive Growth through Financial Inclusion

Abstract

This study analyzes the discussion on financial inclusion for inclusive economic growth, discussed at APEC during 2010-2018. Financial inclusion, a way to increase access to finance with low financial costs, has been discussed for a long time as an international agenda for the financially underprivileged, such as women, the poor, and SMEs. The World Bank has developed financial inclusion indicators such as the Global Financial Inclusion Index and the IMF to provide financial data. In 2010, the G20 adopted the G20 Principles for Innovative Financial Inclusion and launched a global partnership for financial inclusion for concrete implementation. APEC has also been actively discussing financial inclusion, holding the Asia Pacific Financial Inclusion Forum every year since 2010. In particular, in the era of digital innovation, APEC Leaders discuss various ways to raise the financial understanding and financial knowledge of the underprivileged with the digital divide. The most controversial part of expanding financial inclusion is the relationship between financial inclusion and financial development. Financial inclusion has been chiefly approached from social policy rather than economic or financial policy. On the other hand, financial development sees finance as an industry that competes in the market. In APEC, the economic and social issues of financial inclusion and the logic of the market of financial development can be harmonized through regional cooperation. Eventually, ways to achieve inclusive growth can be achieved so that the marginalized class in member economies can be freed from poverty through building a sustainable financial inclusion ecosystem.