Análisis de los factores determinantes de la inclusión y profundización financiera y la concentración del sector bancario en el Ecuador, periodo 2010-2020.

Abstract

Financial inclusion has been a worrying factor for financial and banking institutions, due to the high proportion of people in the country who do not have products and services in this area, meaning that they are excluded from the formal financial system; therefore, they do not benefit from the innovations and progress offered by banks, regarding savings and management of financial operations. The objective of this paper was to analyze the determinants of financial inclusion and concentration in the banking sector in Ecuador, period 2010-2020; given the existence of a division of the financial market, on the one hand the banks that cover the cities, where there are urban sectors with greater ease and accessibility to financial services; and, on the other hand, the rural sectors that have great limitations and weaknesses that over time have increased marginality, persevering inequalities to financial services. The methodology used in the research is qualitative, which is characterized by the use of a flexible design to face the reality of the populations under study with any of its alternatives, where an attempt was made to integrate concepts from different social research orientation schemes. In conclusion, finance and innovation are indispensable elements of financial inclusion, since they facilitate accessibility and the request of financial products and services, without the need to necessarily go to the nearest bank offices or branches; thus, discarding the high rate of financial exclusion in regions and/or rural areas of the country, since they do not have nearby services to manage the opening of savings/current accounts or the request of financing. It is recommended to all financial and banking institutions, to have technological and digital elements that are adequate to the new demands in society, such as the possibility of performing operations from smartphones through virtual banking, so that limitations and deficiencies can be eliminated regarding access and application for financial products and services, which have kept users demanding procedures that people must necessarily perform through traditional and face-to-face channels.