Information communication technology and financial inclusion of innovative entrepreneurs

Financial inclusion (FI) provides significant possibilities for poverty alleviation. Information communication technology (ICT) is an essential component of any FI strategy aiming to enable access a wide range financial products and services. This study explores entrepreneurs’ assessments the role ICT their its effect in Africa. Using data 1436 entrepreneurs, from World Bank Enterprise Survey database applying inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) based on propensity scores, results our indicate that increases FI. In particular, we find average entrepreneurs using business approximately 12% higher than counterparts who do not use ICT. Further, separate treatments email, website, mobile phone, show website ownership has highest impact FI, followed by phone email. The are robust through series robustness checks including bivariate probit model, score matching alternative proxies Our findings confirm technological deepening plays advancing Africa, potential wider applicability other developing economies.