| Summary/Abstract |
Financial Inclusion is eminent for sustained growth in South Asia. This study is
an attempt to measure and comparatively analyze the levels of financial inclusion
in South Asian countries. On the basis of eighty-nine parameters, it is found that
the situation of financial inclusion in South Asia is modest as compared to other
regions of the world. The usage of banking services, use of debit and credit cards,
bank-borrowing, deposit of savings is at low levels. The use of e-banking is also
extremely low; however, the mobile-banking is picking up. The gender bias is high
in most of the countries as there are more male users as compared to female
users. Many initiatives are being taken to promote financial inclusion and the
situation has also improved data-wise, but there is still is a long way to go. This study
is distinguished in providing a comparative picture of South Asian countries.
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