Entre o acesso bancário e o exercício da cidadania: uma análise da influência de fatores estruturais na bancarização e na cidadania financeira no Brasil

Abstract

This study analyzes financial inclusion and financial citizenship in Brazil through the lens of structural factors present in Brazilian society. The research aimed to understand how socioeconomic, educational, regional, and technological factors are associated with the population’s access to the financial system and the exercise of financial citizenship. To this end, a qualitative study of a descriptive and exploratory nature was conducted, based on a literature review and documentary analysis of secondary data from official agencies, particularly the Central Bank of Brazil, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and the Brazilian Federation of Banks. The results show that the expansion of banking penetration was driven by the technological transformation of the financial system, notably the regulation of fintechs, the implementation of Pix, and the expansion of digital channels. However, the analyses demonstrated that financial inclusion and financial citizenship are influenced by structural factors of a regional, socioeconomic, educational, and technological nature. Aspects related to the distribution of financial infrastructure, income inequalities, educational levels, and access to digital technologies influence the population’s opportunities for access, inclusion, education, protection, and financial participation. It can be concluded that financial inclusion and financial citizenship are interconnected phenomena, the conditions for whose development are influenced by structural factors that affect different social groups and regions in Brazil unequally, highlighting the need for initiatives aimed at reducing these inequalities and strengthening financial citizenship in the country.