Accessibility of financial services and household consumption in China: Evidence from micro data

Abstract

Access to finance has embraced by policymakers as an important tool for promoting inclusive development and achieving long-run financial security, while most studies provide macro-perspective evidence. Fewer yet, have taken into the additional role that digital finance may be playing. In this paper, we combine access to formal finance and digital finance into one framework. Based on the 2015 China Household Finance Survey data, we measure access to financial services from a microscopic perspective and construct a digital finance indicator. We then present evidence that both access to formal finance and digital finance significantly promote households’ consumption, and these effects are much larger for rural households and poorer households in China. Our finding also lend support to the conjecture that digital finance is more beneficial for inclusive development.