Why Financial Access Isn’t Enough

Financial health is related to the overall health of an individual and their family. The objective of this study was to evaluate the scientific production on financial health in the Scopus database for the 2011-2022 period. Scoping review of manuscripts published in journals indexed in the Scopus database between the years 2011 and 2022. The following search terms were used: "Financial obligations", "financial inclusion", "family economy", "financial education", "financial literacy", "financial wellness" and "financial stress", which were entered in the Scopus search engine together with the Boolean operators (AND, OR). Results: A total of 6 940 publications were identified, of which 81.95% were original articles. The United States was the country with the highest scientific production (35.5%). We identified a trend of increasing number of papers during the study period, especially from 2016 onward, with an 860% increase in 2022 (n=1429) with respect to 2011 (n=165). The journals with the highest number of publications were Sustainability (Switzerland) and the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning (USA). Finally, the key search terms with the greatest yield were "financial inclusion" through the use of technology, "financial stress", "financial education" and "financial health." Research on financial health has increased significantly. The new knowledge on the subject is mostly driven by authors and institutions from the United States, and finally, there is evidence of an increasing trend of pulbications related to financial inclusion and financial education.

Globalization, internationalization and international regionalization are the leading trends and the key factors that determine radical shifts and systemic changes in the Russian Federation as well in the other countries to meet quite new perspectives, opportunities and resources for its further cultural, social and economic development in a way of innovations and knowledge society creation. The strategies of social and economic development of the Russian Federation are tightly connected with perspectives of global digitalization, and they have a great impact on the present-day education digital transformation. The article actualizes a problem of financial illiteracy educations and the ways of its improvement by means of digital educational support orientated to development financial competences among students. Quite new educational and pedagogical tools and technologies have recently been introduced in financial education (educational platforms, e-learning, online games, online courses, simulators, digital textbooks, etc.). Under their influence there is a rapid formation and development of new educational environment, virtual and digital. Financial literacy education is becoming more individualized under the influence of its digital transformation. The center of gravity in learning shifts from teaching (instruction) to student activity, therefore, teacher’s professional position in teaching and learning changes. Teaching becomes more virtualized and digitalized under the influence of the virtual and digital educational environment. The functions of digital educational support in financial literacy education are characterized.

In the mid-1990s, a small group of academics and financial executives sat around a conference table trying to understand why, in a period of rapid economic growth, personal bankruptcies continued to escalate.Someone suggested that recent financial deregulation had engendered the proliferation of increasingly complex financial products, making it difficult for consumers to understand exactly what they were buying.This led to the hypothesis that the increase in consumer distress during good economic times probably resulted from consumers' lack of financial literacy.From this meeting emerged the Jump$tart Coalition, a group of academics, government officials, financial institutions, and NGOs with a shared interest in promoting financial literacy.Since several of us were educators, we naturally felt that the problem of financial illiteracy could be overcome through financial education.The most logical place to begin this type of education would be the high school, where students presumably were old enough to be concerned with this type of problem and also logistically reachable.The consensus was that financial education, focused on older high school students, could solve the national problem of financial illiteracy in 10 years.We decid-

This study presents evidence elucidating the complex relationship between private sector development (PSD) and the Financial Inclusion Index (FII) in a transitioning economy.Given that the private sector, a significant driver of growth in Vietnam, is expanding, the research investigates whether this trend benefits workers in terms of financial inclusion.Utilizing panel data from 63 provinces in Vietnam spanning from 2010 to 2020, our results indicate that while private sector expansion generally enhances financial access, the transition of workers from the public to the private sector can diminish FII.This interconnection is influenced by the local institutional quality, whereby an increase in private sector employment and labor share contributes more positively to FII in regions characterized by high-quality institutions and economic development.Therefore, our findings underscore the critical role of institutional reforms and targeted policies aimed at ensuring that private sector growth translates into improved financial inclusion, particularly for marginalized communities. Research Purpose:The purpose of this research is to explore whether the growth of the private sector in Vietnam has a positive or negative effect on financial inclusion-that is, whether it helps more people access essential financial services like banking, loans, and credit.The study looks at how expanding private sector employment might improve access to these services, but also whether the shift from public to private sector jobs could reduce financial inclusion in certain areas.Ultimately, this research aims to provide insights on how private sector growth impacts workers' financial well-being in a transitioning economy like Vietnam Research motivation:The motivation for this research arises from the growing role of the private sector in driving Vietnam's economic development and the need to understand its impact on financial inclusion.While the private sector creates jobs and promotes growth, its effect on access to essential financial services-especially for underserved communities-remains unclear.This study aims to investigate whether private sector expansion improves or hinders financial inclusion, providing insights that can guide policies to ensure inclusive and equitable economic benefits. Research design, approach, and method:This research uses a panel data analysis across 63 provinces in Vietnam from 2010 to 2020 to explore the relationship between private sector growth and financial inclusion.We employ various indicators of private sector development and a Financial Inclusion Index to assess financial access.To ensure robust results, we apply statistical methods that account for potential biases and control for important factors such as institutional quality and regional differences.This approach allows us to uncover the nuanced effects of private sector expansion on financial inclusion in different contexts. Main findings:The main findings of this research reveal that private sector growth generally enhances financial inclusion by increasing access to essential financial services.However, the shift of workers from the public to the private sector can lead to a decline in financial inclusion, especially in regions with weaker institutional quality.Our study also shows that areas with better institutional frameworks benefit more from private sector expansion in terms of financial inclusion, while regions with higher poverty rates experience slower progress. Practical/managerial implications:The practical implications of this research suggest that policymakers should focus on strengthening institutional frameworks to ensure that private sector growth leads to broader financial inclusion.Improving governance, transparency, and financial infrastructure can help regions, especially those with higher poverty rates, to benefit more from private sector expansion.For managers and business leaders, the findings highlight the importance of engaging with local institutions and supporting initiatives that promote financial literacy and access to financial services, which can enhance both employee welfare and business performance in transitioning economies like Vietnam.

Health financing in fragile and conflict-affected settings: What do we know, seven years on?

The Solution to the Financial Literacy Problem is to Educate the Young - Where are we Now?

Choice of health-care services depends on patients' characteristics and the features of health-care facilities available. In Nepal, a significant proportion of health care is provided through the private sector, despite the introduction of free essential health care for all citizens in 2008. We sought to determine whether people chose private or public facilities in the first instance for acute health problems. We also assessed the reasons for their choice. A cross-sectional survey was done by use of a questionnaire administered to 400 household heads in Jhapa district, Nepal. 272 (68%) respondents sought treatment from public health-care facilities in the first instance. On adjusted analysis, illiterate people were more likely to choose public facilities than people with higher secondary education (OR 5.47, P = 0.002). Similarly, lower-caste and religious-minority respondents were more likely to choose public facilities than disadvantaged janajati (OR 2.33, P = 0.01). Among respondents who used public facilities, 174 (64.0%) and 109 (40.0%) stated that that their choice was based on financial accessibility and physical accessibility, respectively. Among respondents who used private facilities, 65 (50.7%) and 54 (42.1%) said their choice was based on adequacy of resources/services and health-care delivery, respectively. A substantial portion of respondents used public health-care facilities in the first instance, mainly because of financial and physical accessibility rather than adequacy of resources or better health-care delivery. These results may indicate a positive impact of removal of user fees for public health-care facilities in Nepal, especially for impoverished people.

FinTech Alternatives to Short-Term Small-Dollar Credit: Helping Low-Income Working Families Escape the High-Cost Lending Trap

FinTech Alternatives to Short-Term Small-Dollar Credit-Helping Low-Income Working Families Escape the High-Cost Lending Trap

The Metaverse is the digitization of the real world, supported by big data, AI, 5G, cloud computing, blockchain, encryption algorithm, perception technology, digital twin, virtual engine, and other technologies that interact with human behavior and thoughts in avatars through digital identity. Cracking the trust problem brought by the avatar depends on the privacy security and authentication technology for individuals using digital identities to enter the Metaverse. To accomplish personal domination of the avatar, metaverse users need privacy data feeding and emotion projection. They must be equipped with proprietary algorithms to process and analyze the complex data generated in adaptive interactions, which challenges the privacy security of user data in the Metaverse. Distinguishing the significance of different identifiers in personal identity generation while imposing different behavioral regulatory requirements on data processing levels may better balance the relationship between personal privacy security and digital identity protection and data utilization in the Metaverse. In response to digital identity issues, there is an objective need to establish a unified digital identity authentication system to gain the general trust of society. Further, the remedies for a right to personality can be applied to the scenario of unlawful infringement of digital identity and privacy security.

Target 16.9 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the provision of legal identity for all, including birth registration by 2030. Approximately 1 billion people globally do not have basic ID credentials. To close this gap, governments in developing countries, including Nigeria, with the backing of international agencies like the World Bank, have launched digital identity schemes for residents. These schemes typically include smart cards which are required to access public and private services. The speed of implementation of these projects has come at the expense of a thorough consideration of cybersecurity and privacy. This is set against the backdrop of the rising threat of cybersecurity breaches in the world against targets such as national identity databases. This paper seeks to provide an overview of digital identity in Nigeria and use the Oxford Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Report 2019 for Nigeria to illustrate how, although progress has been made in key sectors, the implementation of the Nigeria’s digital identity programme has progressed faster than cybersecurity maturity in the country. This increases the risk of cyberattacks and opens both the national identity database and users of the digital identity to security vulnerabilities.

Background: Green finance is more than just a slogan—it’s a pathway toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. Yet in Nepal, its adoption remains slow so, professionals still face barriers like lack of knowledge, poor access to eco-friendly financial products, low environmental awareness, and lack of supportive government policies Objectives: The major aim of this research is exploring key influences: financial literacy, environmental awareness, government incentives, and access to green financial products to uncover how each of these factors affects green finance adoption. Methods: The study gathered information from working individuals through a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. The research design blended descriptive, correlational, and causal-comparative approaches. Findings: Financial literacy, environmental awareness, government incentives, and product access had a positive impact on green finance adoption but financial literacy raised out. People who had a good understanding of how money and investments work were much more likely to choose options that help protect the environment. Conclusion: If Nepal wants to accelerate its journey toward sustainable finance, it must start by educating its people. Together with better access to green financial products and smarter government incentives, financial education can empower professionals to invest with both their wallets and their values. Novelty: It’s not just theory it’s a practical roadmap and fresh localized evidence-based aspect which drives green finance behavior in Nepal. By investing in financial education and product accessibility, they concern can build a culture of sustainable investment that benefits individuals and research communities.

The article discusses the problem of ensuring proper protection of an individual’s digital data. Interacting online with other users, everyone leaves a digital footprint in one way or another, while forming an image of a digital personality. To gain access to various online services, you need credentials, financial information, and biometric data. The totality of such information makes it possible to identify a person in a digital environment and constitutes his digital identity. This kind of data can be the subject of digital identity theft. In addition to obtaining data about individuals, identity theft includes their use or sale, transfer to others, and further use in illegal activities. Artificial intelligence technologies have become one of the new methods used for identity theft and fraud. Deepfake technology can be used to steal personal data, just as digital identity data can be used to create a deepfake. The article concludes that in most cases the norms of the current criminal legislation can be applied to qualify the described acts. The need to focus efforts to counter identity theft and the use of deepfake technologies on a set of measures is emphasized.

Reviews the state of Vietnam’s innovation system and proposes an agenda for improving it by (1) assessing the country’s current innovation capacity; (2) examining the demand side and how the need for knowledge and the absorptive capacity of firms can find improvement; (3) considering how the supply of knowledge and skills from higher education and research can rise; and (4) adopting the goal of creating an innovation-led economy that includes restructuring state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to create a level playing field, strengthening microeconomic foundations to enhance private sector competitiveness and leveraging external trade opportunities for growth. Vietnam’s economic aspirations require it to raise its growth rate, but since 1990, it has grown mainly by expanding the labor force and both foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic capital. Demographic shifts and limit of capital mobilization have now closed that option, forcing future growth to rely on a labor force working smarter with higher quality capital resources.

The National Strategy for Financial Education, created in 2010 through Federal Decree 7,397/2010 and renewed by Federal Decree 10,393, was developed as a multi-sector mobilization initiative with the goal of promoting financial education actions in Brazil. As a multi-sector strategy, a governance committee was created, including the participation of both public and private sector representatives. The participation of the private sector in the development of the ENEF occurs through an array of actions, such as the construction of proprietary education projects and participation at the National Financial Education Week, as well as support for education projects organized by civil society organizations. However, it also arose through a more direct need, along two main lines. The first initiated in 2012 with the constitution of AEF-Brasil (Association of Financial Education in Brazil, a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest – or OSCIP in the Portuguese acronym used – created to develop and scale projects involving financial education and developed according to the premises of the ENEF, namely: free access to beneficiaries and no form of product or service recommendation. The second was direct sponsorship of projects developed by AEF-Brasil. From 2012 to 2020, a series of strategies and projects were implemented by AEF-Brasil, each in partnership with and funded by major companies, international entities and investor funds. The projects are detailed in Chapter 2 of this book, highlighting the diversity of publics and the initiatives developed by AEF-Brasil.