Evolution of financial inclusion in Guatemala 2013-2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36958/sep.v8i2.351Keywords:
financial inclusion, access to credit, bank savings, microfinance, financial territorial segmentationAbstract
OBJECTIVE: analyze the evolution of financial inclusion in Guatemala, focusing on aspects such as access to credit, savings habits, and the distribution of the loan portfolio across territories and sectors. METHOD: the research used secondary sources and a qualitative documentary approach to observe progress and, at the same time, the persistent structural gaps affecting segments of the population. RESULTS: in Guatemala, access to bank credit has grown moderately, although inequalities that benefit the metropolitan area persist. Meanwhile, savings deposits have increased in rural areas, but term deposits have decreased. Territorial and ethnic segmentation was found in access to financing. The microfinance portfolio shows a tendency toward individual credit rather than collective modalities. Furthermore, more than half of households lack formal collateral, which evidences a structural exclusion from credit for large sectors of the population. CONCLUSION: the findings underscore the persistence of inequalities, such as territorial and ethnic segmentation in access to financing.
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